|
- Home
- Latham, Rex H.
 |
 |
Rex H. Latham
Rex H. Latham, a retired senior Central Intelligence Agency officer, graduated from Arlington State College (now the University of Texas at Arlington) in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in history. He later earned a master’s degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1971. He was named a UTA Distinguished Alumnus in 2000.
At UTA, he was a member of the Sam Houston Rifles drill team, served as the Cadet Corps Commander for the spring semester his senior year and was active in Student Government. A Distinguished Military Graduate, he received a Regular Army commission and was assigned to the 82d Airborne Division. An airborne infantry officer, he served on active duty from 1965 to 1969 with tours in the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, and Thailand. His assignments included rifle platoon leader, weapons platoon leader, company commander, and advisor to an Army of the Republic of Vietnam infantry reaction battalion.
His military awards included the Silver Star for gallantry, Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, Air Medal, Purple Heart, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star, Combat Infantryman’s Badge and Parachutist Badge. The actions which won him the Silver Star were featured in the April 17, 1968 issue of “Look” magazine and in the following books: “Vinh Long” by Harvey Meyerson, “Outlaws in Vietnam” by David L. Eastman and “Valor in the Mekong Delta” by Jon F. Myhre.
He joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 1971 and served primarily in its Directorate of Operations. In a 27-year career, Latham worked on many key intelligence issues of the period. His assignments included serving as a Chief of Station, Chief of an Interagency Program, Executive Assistant to the CIA’s Executive Director, and Deputy Division Chief for Counterintelligence. His achievements in a series of increasingly responsible field and headquarters assignments resulted in promotion to the CIA senior ranks, and the receipt of numerous awards, including the Intelligence Commendation Medal, several Exceptional Performance Awards, and several Meritorious Unit Citations.
Retiring from the CIA as an SIS-2 (equivalent to a senior Brigadier General), he worked as a senior consultant for several companies. He and his wife Ellen live in the Washington D.C. area, where he is active in church, community and various alumni groups. They have two grown children, one of whom is a UTA graduate.