JAG2011 

no. 1

vol. 13

Official Magazine of the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps 

Building the Future

Horn of Africa:
2 JAG Magazine - 2011 I 

The JAG Magazine is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Comments are not necessarily endorsed by the U.S. Government, DOD, or U.S. Navy. This 

magazine is prepared by the Public Affairs staff of the Office of the Judge Advocate General of 

the United States Navy. Address changes and submissions may be sent by e-mail to Ms. Natalie 

Morehouse at natalie.morehouse@navy.mil or by mail to: Office of the Judge Advocate General of 

the Navy; 1322 Patterson Avenue, SE, Building 33, Suite 3000; Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-

5066. Telephone inquiries should be made to (202) 685-5394.

4 The JAG Corps’ Newest Chief Legalmen

5 Navy JAGs Dominate in Joint Staff Positions

6 Moot Court Shows off Military Justice System

7 Judge Advocate Selected as Ocean Policy Advisor to the National Ocean Council

8 The Horn of Africa: Building the Future

10 Seeking Justice at Guantanamo Bay

12 Missing Dog Tag Returned After 67 Years

14 Legalman Paralegal Education Program Establishment Ceremony

15 Series: What’s in a OJAG Code?

Columns INSIDE

On the Front Cover

FEATURES

CDR Andrew Levitz - Information Operations & Intelligence Law (Code 18)

Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa 

staff judge advocate office: Capt. Amelia 

Griffith, Maj. Airon Mothershed, and CAPT 

David Wilson. Find out more on page 8.

Ms. Natalie Morehouse

LT David Melson

LCDR Rich Federico

 LT Mike Hanzel

16 Fleet News 

25 Alumni 

26 JAG Corps 2020

28 Civilians

30 Book Review: Tipping Point

32 Milestones Around the Corps

34 Photos From the Fleet 

Special Message from LNCM Jefferey Lüthi

Ms. Natalie Morehouse

Mr. Clark Pierce

Ms. Natalie Morehouse
jag.navy.mil 3

JAGMagazine

Judge Advocate General

Vice Admiral James W. Houck

Deputy Judge Advocate General,

Commander, Naval Legal Service Command

Rear Admiral Nanette M. DeRenzi

Deputy Judge Advocate General,

Reserve affairs & Operations

Deputy Commander, 

Naval Legal service command

Rear Admiral Steven M. Talson

Command Master Chief,

Office of The judge advocate general,

Naval Legal Service Command

Master Chief Christopher J. Browning

Reserve Command Master Chief,

Office of The judge advocate general,

Naval Legal Service Command

Master Chief Jeffrey N. LÜthi

Public Affairs 

Ms. Jen Zeldis

Ms. Natalie Morehouse

Editorial Board

LCDR Janelle Beal 

LCDR Sally Hughes 

LCDR Anne Marks

LCDR Sergio Sarkany

 LT Lisa Senay

Region Liaisons 

Naval Justice School

LT Sara de Groot

Naval Legal Service Office Central

LT Guy Reschenthaler

Naval Legal Service Office Europe, Africa & Southwest Asia

LCDR Vaughn Spencer 

Naval Legal Service Office Mid-Atlantic

LT Matt Rector & LT Adrienne Sadosky

Naval Legal Service Office North Central

LT David Dziengowski 

Naval Legal Service Office Northwest

LTJG Adrianne Mittelstaedt

Naval Legal Service Office Pacific

CDR Colleen Glaser-Allen

Naval Legal Service Office Southeast

CDR Aaron Rugh

Naval Legal Service Office Southwest

LT Andrew Hofland

Region Legal Service Office Europe, Africa & Southwest Asia

LT Steven Gonazales 

Region Legal Service Office Hawaii

LN1 James Hills

Region Legal Service Office Japan

CDR Glenn Hancock

Region Legal Service Office Mid-Atlantic

LT Taryn Meeks

Region Legal Service Office Midwest

LTJG Lisa Redmond

Region Legal Service Office Naval District Washington

LT Jaspreet Saini

Region Legal Service Office Northwest

LTJG Paul Morris

Region Legal Service Office Southeast

LN2 Claudia Loza

Region Legal Service Office Southwest

LT Liam Connel

Judge Advocate General

JAMES W. HOUCK

VADM, JAGC, U.S. Navy

Judge Advocate General of the Navy, VADM James W. Houck (far left corner), gathered judge advocates 

and legalmen currently deployed to Afghanistan for a community brief during a recent trip to the area.

I

n the beginning of September, I traveled with the Judge Advocate 

General of the Air Force and the Deputy Judge Advocate General of the 

Army to Afghanistan. That trip highlighted again how Navy JAGs are a 

critical part of today's military mission around the globe. 

Both General David H. Petraeus, Commander, International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan and Vice Admiral Robert S. Harward, Commander, Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435, made it 

clear that spreading the rule of law was critical to their success in the Middle 

East. From the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan to 

the Afghan National Army Legal School, Navy JAGs are taking the lead and 

succeeding in this mission every day.

As this edition shows, the call for our services goes well beyond Afghanistan. Navy JAGs now hold the senior legal position in four of the 10 combatant commands which are responsible for command and control of all 

military activities in their respective areas of responsibility. Additionally, 

RDML (Sel.) James W. Crawford III was recently selected as the first onestar Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

The reason for our influence is apparent. The world is becoming more 

complex and lawyers are vital to help our leaders understand and navigate 

our changing world. In the articles that follow, you will read examples of 

this, including the National Ocean Council, President Barack Obama's initiative to implement a new National Ocean Policy - a task in which senior 

Navy JAGs are playing a critical role. Another article on the Military Commissions describes how Navy JAGs are litigating cases that have historic 

implications.

This brief introduction only scratches the surface. From Honduras to San 

Diego, from DC to Japan, Navy JAGs are making a difference in their communities, locally and worldwide. I am proud to serve with such a dedicated and elite legal community. Thank you for everything that you do every 

single day. 
4 JAG Magazine - 2011 I 

The Chief ’s Mess: A Reserve Perspective

Command Master Chief 

Reserve Law Program 

LNC Deborah Barnes

LNC Darnita Brown

LNC Jessica Byard

LNC James Callea

LNC Marcelo Carrillo

LNC Kimberly Foster

LNC Harrold Henck

LNC Kevin Jaress

LNC Erica Johnson

LNC Malena Joiner

LNC Erin Kolb

LNC Maricela Lettieri 

LNC Kimberlee Lindee

LNC Edward Lombard

LNC Rebecca Miles

LNC Andrea Navarro

LNC Stacy Rouse

LNC Arletta Scott 

LNC Karyn Sigurdsson

LNC Wanda Smylie

LNC Rowena Tolentino

LNC Megan Wenthur 

Chief Legalmen

Congratulations to the JAG Corps’ Newest 

I

attended the Chief Pinning 

Ceremony at Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC)-

Salt Lake this past month 

where I was honored to assist 

in pinning the anchors on LNC 

Ed Lombard, along with his 

wife and daughter. The ceremony was a fitting culmination of weeks of training and, 

to some extent, endurance. 

Indeed, similar pinning ceremonies were being 

conducted at NOSC’s and Reserve Activities around the 

nation, all familiar, and yet also slightly unique, as they 

reflected their own local traditions. I’m sure one element 

common to each, however, was the immense sense of 

pride coming from every corner of the room. Pride from 

the new chiefs wearing their combination cover for the 

first time (officially anyway), pride from the sponsors who 

had watched their selectees grow and mature and finally 

“get it” after weeks of instruction, and pride from the 

families observing their family member, tired but beaming, 

throughout the proceedings. Tears are common place. 

There is no other ceremony quite like it in the Navy, and 

certainly not in any of our sister services. 

The RC legalmen Chief’s Mess remains robust, with 32 

chiefs, nine senior chiefs, and three master chiefs. More 

than half of the current Mess has been mobilized at one time 

or another since 9/11, setting the example for dedication 

and deckplate leadership. They have served in commands 

around the globe, including Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, 

and with the Office Military Commissions, to name a few. 

When not deployed, most of are involved in one way or 

another in leading the RC legalmen community nationally, 

either as region senior enlisted legalmen, or as department 

and/or program heads. Their professionalism, innovation, 

character, and loyalty are unmatched. 

I am extremely proud of all legalmen chiefs. To the entire 

mess, but especially to our newest chiefs, I say: Wear your 

anchors with honor. Have the courage to make the right, 

even if difficult, decisions. Stay committed to our core 

values. Do this, and I have every confidence that success 

will continue to follow as we confront the challenges that 

lie ahead.

Jeffery N. Lüthi

LNCM, U.S. Navy Reserve
jag.navy.mil 5

Management Agency, Department of Justice, Federal Bureau 

of Investigations, and Federal Aviation Administration. 

NORAD is a bi-national U.S. and Canadian 

command charged with the missions of aerospace 

warning, aerospace control and maritime warning 

for North America. USNORTHCOM’s missions 

include homeland defense, civil support and security 

cooperation within the command’s area of responsibility. 

USNORTHCOM was created after the 9/11 attacks. 

USNORTHCOM’s area of responsibility (AOR) includes 

air, land and sea approaches and encompasses North America 

and the surrounding water. It also includes the Gulf of Mexico, 

the Straits of Florida, and portions of the Caribbean region to 

include The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

“Since I reported as the staff judge advocate, the most 

gratifying mission our office has undertaken is engaging 

with the Mexican Army and Navy to transform the 

Mexican Military Justice System in accordance with recent 

changes to their domestic law,” said CAPT Laurer. 

CAPT Laurer supervises 24 personnel, including 15 U.S. 

judge advocates, two Canadian Forces judge advocates, 

four civilian attorneys and three civilian paralegals. 

CAPT Laurer credits his selection as USNORTHCOM 

staff judge advocate to the diverse experiences and positions 

provided by the Navy JAG Corps. Specifically his two 

previous joint assignments as the Deputy Legal Counsel 

to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chief 

of Operational Law and Exercises for USEUCOM. 

CAPT Bunn is also under the leadership of a dual-hatted, 

four-star Commander of USEUCOM and Commander of 

NATO's Allied Command Operations. CAPT Bunn reported 

for duty as the USEUCOM staff judge advocate in August 

2010. USEUCOMs AOR includes Europe, Iceland, Greenland, 

and Israel. USEUCOM is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. 

“At USEUCOM we have three areas of practice at 

the COCOM level; administrative/civil law, operational 

law and international law. We have specialists in each 

of these areas, both uniformed and civilian, and I am 

the senior attorney on staff,” said CAPT Bunn. 

 CAPT Bunn finds great satisfaction in the diverse 

subject matter and is grateful to work with incredibly 

talented judge advocates who are dedicated to the 

team and to the U.S. and its international interests.

“It is a privilege to work with and for military 

leaders and individual service members who 

count on us so much,” said CAPT Bunn.

CAPT James W. Crawford III was recently selected for appointment as Legal 

Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and 

appointment to the rank of rear admiral (lower half). 

RDML (Sel.) Crawford was confirmed by the Senate in 

December 2010. He is the first one-star Legal Counsel to 

the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. RDML (Sel.) 

Crawford is currently serving as Legal Counsel to the 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.

The selection of RDML (Sel.) Crawford brings the 

number to five Navy judge advocates currently serving as 

the senior legal advisor in major joint commands. With 4 of 

the 10 combatant command (COCOM) staff judge advocate 

positions and the Legal Counsel to the Chairman of Joint 

Chiefs of Staff occupied by Navy, it appears the Navy has 

become the service of choice for joint commanders.

In order to fill a senior legal position at a joint command, 

each service nominates a judge advocate and the commander 

selects from among those nominees. Navy judge advocates 

continue to be highly competitive due to the unique and 

diverse experiences found in the Navy JAG Corps.

Navy judge advocates currently fill four of the COCOM 

billets. CAPT John Hannink is the most recent selectee 

serving as the staff judge advocate for U.S. Pacific Command 

(USPACOM) at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. CAPT 

Jonathan Thow is the staff judge advocate for U.S. Strategic 

Command (USSTRATCOM), CAPT Scott Laurer is 

serving as staff judge advocate for U.S. Northern Command 

(USNORTHCOM), and CAPT Lindy Bunn is the staff judge 

advocate for U.S. European Command (USEUCOM).

Headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., 

CAPT Thow’s command USSTRATCOM is one of 

the four COCOMs organized on a functional basis and 

not on a geographical basis. USSTRATCOM provides 

intelligence, planning, targeting, space and information 

operations expertise to operations around the world. 

CAPT Laurer is the principal legal advisor to the dualhatted, four-star Commander of North American Aerospace 

Defense Command (NORAD) and USNORTHCOM, both 

headquarters staffs are located at Peterson Air Force Base, 

Colo. CAPT Laurer routinely interacts with the interagency 

legal community, including National Guard Bureau, 

Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency 

Navy JAGs 

Dominate in Joint Staff Positions 

By Ms. Natalie Morehouse

Deputy Public Affairs Officer
6 JAG Magazine - 2011 I jag.navy.mil 6

Teams from 22 law schools across the country vied for top honors Oct. 

28 - 30 at the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps 

National Moot Court Competition at NAS Jacksonville. 

After final arguments were presented Oct. 30, 

RADM Nanette DeRenzi, Deputy Judge Advocate 

General of the Navy and Commander, Navy Legal 

Service Command, announced that the team from 

University of Michigan Law School won the 2010 JAG 

Corps National Moot Court Competition. Runner up 

was University of Florida Levin College of Law.

“The unique thing about this competition is its national 

scope and its focus on military justice,” said RADM DeRenzi. 

“The opportunity for competitors to step outside of their 

comfort zones and argue before sitting judges is invaluable. 

Participating in this event requires a lot of rigor and discipline, 

but pays off in the courtroom skills that they’re honing.”

Last year’s overall winner, Stetson University School 

of Law, received the “best brief” award, with University 

of Michigan named runner up. David Evans of University 

of Florida was recognized for the “best oral argument.”

Stephen Gilson of the winning “Wolverines” team 

said, “We realized we were up against top schools 

at every stage of this competition, so we felt very 

fortunate to advance to the quarter-finals. Our winning 

margin must have been by a razor’s edge.”

His teammate, Samuel Rudman, said, “It’s a huge 

honor to argue in front of these renown judges and 

against such talented competitors. This is my first moot 

court and going home a winner feels really good.”

Their coach, Carlos Torres, said they prepared well for the 

competition. “It was interesting to watch how their argument 

evolved as the level of questioning from judges became more 

challenging. Everybody learned a lot from these judges.”

Andrew Effron, chief judge for the U.S. Court of 

Appeals for the Armed Forces said, “These law students 

see how military justice has a major impact on our society. 

More than two million of our fellow citizens are subject 

to military law and hardly a week goes by without a 

military justice story in the media. Many cases focus on 

the responsibility and accountability of military personnel 

for combat-related activities around the world.”

Judge Advocate General of the Navy VADM James 

Houck welcomed the contestants and volunteer judges at 

a dinner on Oct. 28. “Do not be intimidated by the highranking uniforms and top-level judges. These are talented 

and experienced legal professionals who volunteer their 

time to be part of this unique event and our thanks go out to 

them. I hope you’ll be favorably impressed by your moot 

Moot Court Shows off Military Justice System 

Clark Pierce

Jacksonville Air News

court participation, both as law students and as citizens.”

VADM Houck then introduced three participants who 

were recently commissioned as ensigns in the Navy JAG 

Corps: Katie McMahon, University of Georgia; Tanya Nikam, 

George Washington University; and Alyssa Miller of William 

& Mary Law School. The admiral presented each with her 

first “mill rinde,” the official collar insignia of the JAG 

Corps and a symbol of equal justice for all under the law.

To increase their understanding of the Navy, students 

toured the guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans

at Naval Station Mayport Oct. 28, followed by P-3/

P-8 transition briefings at VP-26 and VP-30 at NAS 

Jacksonville. “It’s a great three-day snapshot of the Navy 

and the military justice system. Seeing the Navy’s aviation 

and surface communities in action is an extra benefit,” 

said Navy JAG Corps CAPT David Grogan, commanding 

officer, Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) Southeast.

 CAPT Grogan spoke to the law students about 

Navy core values and mission capabilities. “As you 

saw on your tours earlier today of USS The Sullivans

at Naval Station Mayport and our VP squadrons here 

at NAS Jacksonville - it’s not just technology that 

counts, but the importance of our Sailors’ commitment 

and skill sets that are so vital to mission success.”

Grogan added, “We’re honored to have judges 

participating from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed 

Forces -the highest military court. Their decisions are 

reviewed on appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Another 

group of judges are from the Navy-Marine Corps Court of 

Criminal Appeals, which is the intermediate appellate court 

for criminal convictions in the Navy and Marine Corps.

There’s a mutual-attraction element at this moot 

court. Our jurists get to evaluate the next generation 

of attorneys from a cross-section of outstanding law 

schools. The students are able to argue before panels 

of sitting military judges of the highest caliber.” 

Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy and Commander, Naval Legal 

Service Command, RADM Nanette DeRenzi, with the 2010 JAG Corps National 

Moot Court Competition winning team, the University of Michigan Law School. 
7 JAG Magazine - Spring 2010 jag.navy.mil 7

With nearly 12 years of environmental law practice under his belt, CAPT Jeffrey 

Luster is likely the Navy’s most experienced uniformed 

environmental attorney; and now CAPT Luster is sharing 

his expertise with the recently established National Ocean 

Council (NOC) staff. The NOC is charged with implementing 

the first-ever comprehensive Nation Ocean Policy. 

Approximately one year ago, President Obama created 

the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, directing the 

Task Force to recommend a comprehensive national ocean 

policy, a framework for policy coordination, implementation 

priority objectives, and a framework for effective coastal 

and marine spatial planning (CMSP). On July 19, 2010, the 

President issued Executive Order 13547, which adopts the 

Final Recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy 

Task Force, and directs Federal agencies to implement 

those recommendations under the guidance of the NOC. 

The NOC is co-chaired by the Chair of the Council on 

Environmental Quality (CEQ) and Director of the Office of 

Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and is supported by 

a dedicated staff comprised of interagency representatives. 

In July, CAPT Luster joined the NOC staff as one of six 

Ocean Policy Advisors who support the NOC in its operations 

and implementation of the National Policy. CAPT Luster, 

as the head of Code 12, previously served as the senior DoD 

representative to the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force’s 

working committee and legal sub-group. Many other Navy 

judge advocates with environmental, international, and 

operational law expertise, including CAPT Dean Leech and 

CDRs Angie Miller, Aundrea Taplin, Nadeem Ahmad, Jill 

Morrisson, and Jim Landis, supported the Task Force. 

CAPT Luster’s detail to the NOC staff will be for 

two years. “It’s exciting to be on the ground floor 

of the new National Policy,” said CAPT Luster. 

The NOC includes cabinet-level representatives from 

twenty-five departments, agencies, and offices within the 

Executive Branch. Both the Secretary of Defense and the 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are members of the 

NOC. The NOC deputy-level committee held its first meeting 

on September 24, with VADM James Houck as the DoD 

Representative for Ocean Policy Affairs (REPOPA) and 

Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and 

Environment representing the Joint Staff and DoD, respectively. 

As a naval officer and lawyer, CAPT Luster brings a 

vast amount of practical experience and familiarity with 

DoD’s operational equities to the NOC staff. Throughout 

the DoD, Justice Department, State Department, 

CEQ, and NOAA, CAPT Luster’s environmental 

law expertise is well known and respected.

“Jeff is a ‘lawyer’s lawyer;’ he is so bright and an 

acknowledged expert in marine environmental law. His 

understanding of the operational Navy makes him the JAG 

Corps’ preeminent leader in this critically important field,” said 

CAPT Quinn, Assistant Judge Advocate General for Civil Law. 

The Executive Order establishes the first-ever 

comprehensive, integrated National Policy for the stewardship 

of the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes, setting forth 

overarching guiding principles—including those vital to 

national security, the preservation of navigational freedoms, 

and compliance with international law—for U.S. management 

decisions and actions affecting the ocean. The Executive Order 

in adopting the Final Recommendations also provides for a 

targeted implementation strategy that prioritizes nine categories 

for action that seek to address some of the most pressing 

challenges facing the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes. 

“My bet is that the White House will be looking for more 

Navy judge advocates based on what they observe in Jeff 

Luster,” said CAPT Quinn. “Jeff is serving in a position 

of national importance, and we - the Nation, the Navy, 

and the JAG Corps - are fortunate to have him there.”

By Ms. Natalie Morehouse

Deputy Public Affairs Officer

National Ocean Council

 “The ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes provide jobs, food, energy resources, ecological services, recreation, 

and tourism opportunities, and play critical roles in our Nation’s transportation, economy, and trade, as well 

as the global mobility of our Armed Forces and the maintenance of international peace and security. America’s 

stewardship of the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes is intrinsically linked to environmental sustainability, 

human health and well-being, national prosperity, adaptation to climate and other environmental changes, 

social justice, international diplomacy, and national and homeland security.” – President Barack Obama.

The Final Recommendations of the Interagency 

Ocean Policy Task Force and Executive Order 

13547, Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, 

and the Great Lakes, are available at http://

www.whitehouse.gov/oceans

Judge Advocate Joins the Staff of the
8 JAG Magazine - 2011 I 

What does service in the Horn of Africa mean? Usually it’s associated with 

humanitarian efforts or international military training 

in exotic locations. These images belie the breadth 

and complexity of military operations in the Horn of 

Africa. Service in the Horn of Africa is a challenging, 

multinational, interagency environment, combining 

operational fiscal law, international law, the domestic 

laws of partner nations, and joint military justice. 

Harmonizing these authorities requires resourcefulness, 

an astute sense of cultural and political boundaries, as 

well as the courage to break from past practices in order 

to shape the future role of the U.S. in East Africa.

Consider some of the exceptional events of 2009 

to 2010 in the Horn of Africa: the expansion of Camp 

Lemonnier, the arrival of the Japanese Self-Defense Force, 

the organization of East Africa’s first joint field exercise, 

and combined operations with the European Union’s antipiracy force. These groundbreaking evolutions required 

innovative legal support in a theater where policies, 

procedures, and traditions remain works in progress. 

A Brief History 

Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTFHOA) was formed in 

2002 as a U.S. Marine 

Corps-led joint unit. Its 

original mission was to 

engage terrorist cells in 

East Africa. In 2006 it 

transitioned into a Navyled force, which focused 

on regional stability, 

capacity building, and 

humanitarian missions. 

As the only substantial 

U.S. presence in East 

Africa, CJTF-HOA 

was uniquely devoted 

to non-kinetic “soft 

power” missions. In 

2008, CJTF-HOA 

became the newly formed U.S. Africa Command’s 

(USAFRICOM), first operational mission. 

Concurrent with the evolution of CJTF-HOA, Camp Lemonnier evolved into a full-fledged installation. Initially a subordinate unit of CJTF-HOA, Camp Lemonnier now falls under 

Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia. 

Led by a Civil Engineer Corps captain, it manages all port 

operations in Djibouti, as well as air operations and base services for several Combatant Commanders and partner nations. 

Camp Lemonnier – Not an Ordinary Installation

Camp Lemonnier is the first and only U.S. installation 

on the continent of Africa. Nearly everything we 

associate with installations – relations with local 

authorities, importing supplies, or military justice – lack 

precedents at Camp Lemonnier. While installations in 

Italy, Germany, Korea or Japan can rely on six decades 

of shared experience, Camp Lemonnier has existed as 

an independent installation for only three years.

As the installation staff judge advocate (SJA), I devoted 

most of my efforts to building relationships with our Djiboutian 

hosts. The U.S. agreement with the Republic of Djibouti is not 

a traditional Status of Forces Agreement. Less detailed than the 

NATO Status of Forces Agreement, for example, it addresses a 

limited number of international issues. Moreover, Djiboutian 

society relies on relationships rather than written agreements 

to establish political and business organizations. Accordingly, 

everything from resolving 

routine customs disputes 

to negotiating a new 

$10 million dollar 

airport services contract 

required meeting local 

authorities in person. 

These meetings would 

not have been possible 

without the generous 

support and guidance of 

the U.S. Embassy. The 

Ambassador, Deputy 

Chief of Mission and 

every other member of 

their small, dedicated staff 

graciously advised and 

educated Camp leaders on 

By LT David Melson

Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa

The Horn of Africa:

Building the Future

The Djiboutian navy, including these honor guard sailors, defends a global maritime hub.
jag.navy.mil 9

uniting civil affairs teams and nongovernmental organizations, negotiating 

legal clearances for future operations, 

advising on counter-piracy operations, or 

providing law of armed conflict training. 

In addition, they were also responsible 

for “normal” SJA duties including 

joint military justice, ethics advice, 

and administrative investigations. 

Coordinating the legal authorities 

needed to plan, fund, and execute 

operations in myriad sovereign 

states taxes even the sharpest legal 

minds. U.S. Air Force fiscal law 

attorneys at CJTF-HOA, in particular, 

had the herculean task of figuring 

out how to pay for training, civil 

affairs, medical, and humanitarian 

operations without violating U.S. 

or international law. Adding to the 

confusion, East Africa’s history has 

created a patchwork of legal regimes.

East Africa’s recent history is 

complex and, for most Americans, 

largely unknown. While many of 

us remember famines in Ethiopia 

or conflicts in Rwanda or Somalia, 

few recall the Ethiopian civil wars 

or Eritrea’s border disputes with 

Djibouti. The success stories are less 

publicized. Rwanda, for example, 

emerged from the conflict of the 

1990s to develop a self-sustaining, 

modern economy. These diverse 

histories explain, in part, the challenges 

facing our African partner nations. 

East African Standby Force 

– Field Exercise 2009 

The fractured post-colonial history 

of Africa informed the decision of the 

African Union to form a multinational 

intervention unit, the African Standby 

Force, in 2003. The regional 

component, the East Africa Standby 

Force (EASF), held its inaugural field 

local politics, customs, and negotiation 

strategies. They shared their valuable 

experience as career Foreign Service 

Officers, gently but frequently reminding 

us that change takes time – certainly 

more time than a 12-month deployment.

The Japanese Arrive – 

History in the Making

Camp Lemonnier hosted the first 

deployment of the Japanese SelfDefense Force outside of Japan since 

the end of World War II. The Japanese 

Deployment Air Force for Anti-piracy 

Enforcement arrived early in 2009. 

The Japanese contingent contained 

judge advocates from both the Japanese 

maritime and ground forces. My 

predecessor, LT Mike Layne, reached 

out to the Japanese attorneys in the spirit 

of cooperation and fellowship. Since 

then, U.S. and Japanese attorneys have 

participated in Japanese cultural events, 

meals, and discussions over the role of 

a deployed judge advocate. Sea stories 

about U.S. 7th Fleet, baseball, and 

sushi made for warm introductions and 

common ground. A new international 

agreement between the U.S. and Japan, 

signed in 2009, enabled the Japanese 

presence at Camp Lemonnier. Until 

recently, the U.S.-Japan Acquisition and 

Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) 

applied only to operations in Japan and 

its territorial seas. Recently amended, 

it now applies to operations throughout 

the world. Led by CDR Tim Stone of 

Region Legal Service Office Europe, 

Africa, Southwest Asia, a team of 

attorneys from U.S. Pacific Command, 

U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM), 

and the Japanese Joint Staff negotiated 

an implementing agreement to support 

Japanese operations in Djibouti.

Combined Joint Task Force Horn 

of Africa – Uncharted Territory

While my efforts as the installation 

SJA focused on building relationships 

with our Djiboutian hosts and Japanese 

partners, the CJTF-HOA attorneys 

supported operations in over a dozen 

states. On any given day, CJTFHOA’s attorneys were involved in 

various issues, including planning 

support of multinational operations, 

exercise in Djibouti during November 

2009. It was the first time a brigadesized East African force conducted a 

joint and combined operation. CJTFHOA provided logistical support 

and organizational guidance during 

the course of the operation.

Essential to the exercise, the CJTFHOA legal team directed an innovative 

use of the ACSA with Djibouti to 

support the exercise. Unlike most ACSA 

transactions, the supply exchanges 

with the EASF used the Djiboutian 

military as an intermediary. The CJTFHOA legal team of LCDR Ken Ian, 

MAJ Bob Sander and Maj. Airon 

Mothershed had to coordinate efforts 

with USAFRICOM to ensure that this 

exceptional transaction remained legal. 

Through CJTF-HOA’s efforts, the 

EASF exercise succeeded. Hopefully, 

it inspired future cooperation in 

African security affairs. Although 

demonstrating that African militaries 

could function as a combined unit 

dispelled many assumptions about 

Africa’s militaries, much remains 

to be done. USAFRICOM’s theme 

of “African Solutions for African 

Problems” remains only partially 

fulfilled; future opportunities abound. 

Service in the Horn of Africa 

– Something Different

Africa is new terrain for the 

U.S. military. Today’s operations 

in the Horn of Africa will create 

USAFRICOM’s future identity. 

Too few Americans, let alone 

members of the U.S. Armed Forces, 

have lived and worked in Africa. 

For too long, Africa has been 

misunderstood through stereotypes 

or romanticized images. The only 

way to truly understand the Horn 

of Africa is to see it firsthand.

Today’s operations in the 

Horn of Africa will create 

AFRICOM’s future identity.
10 JAG Magazine - 2011 I 

By LCDR Rich Federico

Office of Military Commissions – Defense

Seeking Justice

The eyes of the world remain on Guantanamo Bay, where the JAG Corps legal community 

continues to shine in the mission of seeking justice in 

the military commissions. The unique and challenging 

assignment to the Office of Military Commissions 

– Prosecution, Defense, Convening Authority, and 

Judiciary – requires lawyers and paralegals to wrestle 

with novel legal issues on cases of extreme complexity, 

while operating under the microscope of the international 

media. 

Historically, military commissions were a tribunal of 

military necessity, dating back to boards convened by 

General Washington to try spying offenses during the 

Revolutionary War. The current military commissions, 

created after 9/11 to try detainees at Guantanamo Bay, 

have met repeated challenges to determine whether they 

adhere to modern legal standards. 

After lying dormant since World War II, military 

commissions were resurrected by President Bush on 

Nov. 13, 2001, to try non-citizens for violations of the 

laws of war. In 2006, the Supreme Court ruled on a 

historic challenge filed by retired judge advocate, LCDR 

Charlie Swift, on behalf of a Yemeni detainee alleged to 

have been the driver for Osama bin Laden. In Hamdan 

v. Rumsfeld, the Supreme Court held that the military 

commissions created by President Bush lacked power 

to proceed as they violated both the Uniform Code of 

Military Justice and the Geneva Conventions. In response 

to the Hamdan decision, Congress passed the Military 

Commissions Act (MCA) of 2006, marking the first time 

in our history that military commissions were created by 

statute. In September 2006, President Bush ordered the 

“high-value” detainees be transferred to Guantanamo for 

trial by military commission. In 2008, many more cases 

were referred for trial, including a capital, joint trial for 

the five men alleged to be responsible for the 9/11 attacks. 

At this time, the military commissions were designated 

as the top legal services priority within the Department 

of Defense, which greatly increased manning at all OMC 

offices for both attorneys and paralegals.

On Jan. 22, 2009, President Obama signed Executive 

Order 13492, which ordered the Guantanamo detention 

facility to be closed as soon as practicable, halted all 

military commission cases, and ordered a review of the 

case of every detainee. Many of the cases referred for trial 

remained in litigation throughout 2009, as several hearings 

were held to interpret the scope of the Order and to resolve 

other pending motions. Some of those cases remain 

ongoing today and are scheduled for trial at Guantanamo 

Bay in the near future. Also in 2009, Congress amended 

the MCA to provide more rights to the accuseds, which 

also required a revision of the Manual for Military 

Commissions. Many of the rules differ from their counterparts in the Rules for Courts-martial, or incorporate legal 

norms from Article III courts and international law. 

Practicing law in the military commissions is a unique 

experience. First, many of the legal issues are novel. 

With few cases serving as precedent, these cases require 

counsel and paralegals to engage in creative thinking and 

a robust research and writing practice on areas of the law 

atypical of court-martial practice, including constitutional, 

international, and administrative law. 

Second, OMC is a joint environment, where it is not 

uncommon for each case to involve service members 

from every branch of service. Every service differs in its 

military justice culture and practice, so personnel learn 

from one another as they merge their experiences and 

procedures into one system.

Third, military commission cases are far more complex 

at Guantanamo Bay

The unique and challenging assignment to the Office of Military Commissions 

– Prosecution, Defense, Convening Authority, and Judiciary – requires 

lawyers and paralegals to wrestle with novel legal issues on cases of extreme 

complexity, while operating under the microscope of the international media.
jag.navy.mil 11

A courtroom sketch from a pretrial motions hearing in the 9/11 case on at Guantanamo Bay.

than a typical court-martial, which challenges attorneys 

and paralegals at OMC to be at their best. For one, the 

amount of information relevant to each case is exceedingly 

voluminous, making the discovery process extremely 

difficult for both the prosecution and defense. The 

legalman assigned to OMC have learned new skills, as 

they must navigate the latest case management software to 

ensure discovery is organized and usable for the attorneys.

Another issue common to every military commission 

case is that much of the relevant information is 

classified, as it was initially gathered for intelligence, 

not law enforcement purposes. Litigating with classified 

information adds an additional layer of complexity and 

often slows the pace of the case. Prosecutors must work 

with various agencies to do classification reviews on 

information and to seek to declassify as much information 

as possible, making the information easier to produce in 

discovery or to use at trial. Military Judges are tasked 

with balancing the rights of the accused versus the need to 

protect national security information. All persons at OMC 

are ultimately responsible for the safeguarding of classified 

information, which means they all must be educated on 

the rules and maintain strict vigilance to ensure they are 

applied correctly.

On the defense side, counsel are detailed to represent 

men who are generally alleged to be the enemy or 

supported terrorist organizations. Unlike the sailor accused 

of violating the UCMJ, many of the detainee accused have 

no previous exposure to or familiarity with the American 

legal system, and may not understand the basic legal 

concepts that are inherently known and recognized in 

our country. To develop trust between lawyer and client, 

defense counsel must overcome culture and language 

barriers in an environment where many clients have a 

general distrust of military lawyers. 

Investigating and preparing military commission cases 

also requires OMC personnel to travel extensively, as much 

of the relevant persons and places stretch around the world, 

including active combat zones. In search of evidence, 

OMC has traveled to such places as Yemen, Bosnia, and 

Afghanistan to ensure they are diligently investigating their 

cases.

Finally, the location of the trials – Guantanamo Bay 

– also adds to the challenge. Counsel and paralegals are 

routinely shuttling between offices in Washington D.C. 

and Guantanamo to review evidence, meet with clients, or 

attend hearings. It is an expeditionary legal practice that 

requires organization and patience. 

In a system that for years has been slowed by 

uncertainty, one constant has been the dedication and 

professionalism of the JAG Corps legal community tasked 

with the OMC mission. Regardless of the future of military 

commissions, the OMC experience has been a great 

opportunity for judge advocates and legalman to improve 

their knowledge and skills, which will only build a better 

JAG Corps going forward.
12 JAG Magazine - 2011 I 

When a longtime friend returned in 

August from a stay in the South 

Pacific with a story about this long-lost World War 

II dog tag, I was intrigued. My friend, Jeff Allen, 

who grew up alongside me in Richmond, Va., 

had spent much of the last year living with native 

Solomon Islanders in the village of Munda. 

Munda sits on the west side of New Georgia Island, 

which lies northwest of Guadalcanal and just south of 

Choiseul Island and Bougainville. It was there, in the 

summer of 1943, that American Soldiers, Sailors and 

Marines under the command of Adm. William “Bull” 

Halsey defeated well-entrenched Japanese Imperial forces 

in an engagement known as the Battle of Munda Point, 

securing a strategically-important airfield that would be 

used against the Japanese fleet concentration at Rabaul in 

New Britain Island. This little-known but critical battle 

played a key role in Operation Cartwheel, a joint ArmyNavy offensive that resulted in the capture of the Solomon 

Islands from the Japanese. This phase of America’s islandhopping campaign helped pave the way for Gen. Douglas 

MacArthur’s eventual liberation of the Philippines.

By LT Mike Hanzel 

Appellate Defense (Code 45)

Missing Dog Tag Returned After 67 Years 

It’s not often one has the opportunity to return something lost nearly 12,000 miles away – 

especially if that loss occurred approximately 67 years ago in some of the heaviest fighting of 

World War II. When the item in question is something as personal as a missing World War II 

dog tag, one that had once belonged to an American soldier who fought his way through the 

bloody Solomon Islands Campaign in 1943, the effort to return it takes on a quest-like feel.
base, and his name popped up once we typed his serial 

number into the Archives’ World War II Army enlistment database, meaning he had served in the Army. 

That gave us his first name (Casimir), his birth-year 

(1924), the year he enlisted in the Army (1943) and 

his rank at the time (Private). Now, that we had something to go on –and even better, a unique first name 

– it became a matter of entering his full-name into 

Google and seeing what turned up. What we learned 

was that Private Rutkowski, who went by the nickname “Casey,” survived the war, moved back to the 

United States and raised a family before passing away 

less than two years ago at the age of 85. Sadly, we 

just missed returning the dog tag to him in person.

But there was still the tricky matter of tracking down 

his next-of-kin. Here, I received some help from my 

aunt, Maxine Walters, who found some names listed 

in Mr. Rutkowski’s obituary and obtained a phone 

number and address for one of them – Ms. Henrietta Rutkowski – in Henderson, Nev. As it turned out, 

Henrietta was the widow of Private Rutkowski.

Later, Maxine also found a MySpace page for the 

Rutkowskis’ son, Shawn, a Las Vegas promoter. The 

MySpace page really drove home the point of this quest 

because the first picture Shawn had posted on his website was the military-issued gravestone for his father, 

complete with mention of his World War II service. 

Late one evening, while still in the office, I dialed the 

number for Mrs. Rutkowski. A pleasant, elderly-sounding woman answered. After asking her a series of questions – if her husband was named Casimir, if he had served 

in World War II, and if he had spent any time in the Solomon Islands – and receiving affirmative answers to each, 

I told her, “I may have something that belongs to you.” 

It is hard to describe the emotion of the moment as 

I related to her what I was, at that very moment, holding in my hand, and where it had been found. Suffice to say, to return an object like that to the widow of 

a World War II veteran, so long after it has been lost, 

is as gratifying an experience as any I have had. For 

Mrs. Rutkowski, who lost her husband so recently, 

this tangible reminder of him brought tears of joy. 

Her husband, she said, had, in fact, earned three 

bronze stars fighting in the Pacific. But, like many veterans of that fierce jungle campaign, he rarely talked 

about his wartime experiences and left few mementos of 

it. She and Shawn, their only child, had learned most of 

what they knew about his World War II combat exploits 

from looking through his papers after he passed away. 

To rediscover this dog tag now, so soon after 

his death, so many miles and years from where 

the 19-year-old Private Rutkowski had lost it, was 

truly, indescribably special for them. And I will 

always remember the quest that led to its return.

jag.navy.mil 13

When he wasn’t dealing with bouts of malaria, coexisting with sharks, crocodiles and venomous Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish and exploring the dense tropical jungles of New Georgia, Jeff spent his time working to improve the lives of the villagers. During that 

period, he befriended one of the locals, a man who currently works at Munda Airport, the same airfield U.S. 

troops fought successfully to secure. When this man 

learned Jeff was returning to Virginia for several months, 

he entrusted Jeff with the American dog tag, which he 

had found nearby and kept for many years. He asked 

Jeff to return it to its original owner or to his family. 

It seemed a daunting task. Although World War II era 

dog tags resemble their modern counterparts, they do 

not contain the same information today’s versions do. 

Back then, for example, they did not list a person’s blood 

type or even, necessarily, a first name. The dog tag Jeff 

received contained the following information: a last name 

and first initials – C.L. Rutkowski; a 1940s-era military 

serial number; the name of the soldier’s next-of-kin – Mr. 

W. Rutkowski; the Rutkowskis’ Buffalo, N.Y., address, 

circa 1943; and the letter “C,” presumably for Catholic. 

Having recently had some luck tracking down lost 

appellate defense clients, I offered to help Jeff in his 

search for the mysterious C.L. Rutkowski. Fortunately, 

the wide expanse of information available on the Internet today makes such searches both realistic to comprehend and relatively pain-free. Most of the research 

can be done for free and from one location. It’s hard 

to imagine taking on this task in pre-Internet days. 

Even so, the search required a bit of luck and a team 

effort. I began by entering the name “Rutkowski” on 

Google. But that name, surprisingly, is more common 

than one might think. That search got me nowhere. 

At the suggestion of LT Mike Torrisi, a fellow judge 

advocate and one of my Appellate Defense Division (Code 

45) colleagues, we did a Google Maps search of 365 Eagle 

Street, the Buffalo, N.Y., the address on the dog tag. This 

turned up a quiet, suburban neighborhood with houses that 

looked much like you would have expected them to look 

in the 1940s. We next looked up Catholic churches in the 

area, hoping to find someone in a local congregation who 

may have remembered the Rutkowskis of that era. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find anyone who did remember 

them, and we had to concede that we were at a dead end.

It was U.S. Marine, Capt. Mike Berry, another of my 

colleagues in Appellate Defense, who made the breakthrough. He suggested we look at the National Archives 

website – in particular, their Access to Archival Databases, or AAD section – to see if we could find our soldier. At this point, luck worked in our favor. I had 

assumed, based on the heavy participation of Marines 

in the Solomon Islands campaign, that Rutkowski 

must be a Marine. But we did not see a Marine data-
14 JAG Magazine - 2011 I 

The Naval Justice School celebrated the commencement of the Legalman 

Paralegal Education Program (LPEP) with an 

establishment ceremony in Newport R.I., Sep. 1. 

The LPEP establishment ceremony was in honor 

of the 20 new legalman students who have now 

embarked on an education track that will result in an 

associate or bachelor’s degree in Paralegal Studies. 

“Legalmen are required to operate with a broad base 

of legal knowledge in order to provide legal solutions 

across the array of issues facing military commanders, 

senior leaders and service members,” said Judge Advocate 

General of the Navy, VADM James W. Houck. “For our 

Legalman to meet the demands of increased responsibility, 

changing mission areas, and more complex legal services, 

we must provide them with paralegal education.”

The JAG Corps will send legalmen through either a 

resident program at Roger Williams University or a distance 

learning program to complete courses from their home 

duty station as part of their official duties. The goal is to 

have all legalmen acquire an associate degree in Paralegal 

Studies or its equivalent within the next four to five years.

“The LPEP is the culmination of years of effort to ensure 

legalmen – and by extension the JAG Corps – are positioned 

to succeed and 

thrive in our changing environment,” 

said Deputy Judge 

Advocate General of the Navy, 

RADM Nanette 

DeRenzi. “A tremendous amount of 

work from a number 

our people made 

this day possible.” 

RADM DeRenzi 

offered a special 

thanks to Ms. Ann 

Hunter, voluntary 

education service 

chief, Total Force 

Training and Education Division, Office 

of the Chief of 

Naval Operations. 

Legalman Paralegal Education Program 

Establishment Ceremony

By Ms. Natalie Morehouse

Deputy Public Affairs Officer

“Without Ann’s assistance over the last two 

years, LPEP would still be just a gleam in the 

JAG Corps’ eye,” said RADM DeRenzi. 

During the ceremony Ms. Hunter was 

awarded the Navy Superior Civilian Service 

Award for her service to the JAG Corps.

“I am indeed humbled and surprised by this honor. 

As the Navy’s advocate for enlisted education, this is a 

significant accomplishment both for the Navy and the JAG 

Corps. If I could do my life over, I would love to wear 

the uniform you wear and walk in your shoes. You have a 

great opportunity to show the organization what education 

can do in the minds of the enlisted workforce. Take the 

opportunity and make a difference,” said Ms. Hunter 

LPEP is designed to develop paralegal competencies 

in enlisted legalmen to provide a standardized education 

across the community, which will allow enhanced legal 

support to the Navy and is the culmination of years of 

effort to ensure legalmen have the necessary skills to 

be successful in the Navy’s changing environment.

“Through paralegal education, legalmen will develop 

professional competencies to meet the demands of increased 

responsibility, changing mission areas, and more complex 

legal services,” said LNCM Chris Browning, the senior 

enlisted advisor to the Judge Advocate General of the Navy.

The legalman rate is the first enlisted rating to call for a 

government-funded, full-time education program for every 

Navy legalman 

to ensure they 

have the skills 

and competencies 

necessary to 

operate in 

today’s dynamic 

environment. 

The LPEP was 

developed under 

JAG Corps 2020, 

the JAG Corps 

strategic plan 

for the future. 

In December 

2010, seven 

legalmen from the 

LPEP graduated 

with a degree in 

Paralegal Studies. 

The LPEP establishment ceremony was in honor of the 20 new legalman students who have now embarked 

on an education track that will result in an Associates or Bachelor’s degree in Paralegal Studies. 
jag.navy.mil 15

information operations and intelligence law. As such, Code 

18 staff must be familiar with the numerous intelligence 

law regulations and policies that govern the collection 

of information in such areas as Signals Intelligence and 

Human Intelligence, among others. The operational and 

legal issues surrounding these disciplines are fast-developing 

and dynamic. In the area of information operations, the 

traditional pillars include electronic warfare, military 

deception, and psychological operations, recently renamed 

“Military Information Support Operations”. Once a pillar of 

information operations, cyber law has gained both national 

and international prominence, with the increasing imperative 

for the U.S. to protect its networks from intrusion and attack. 

The Director of Code 18 also serves as the community 

manager for all judge advocates who are practicing in this 

area, and helps identify training opportunities and experience 

thresholds to assist with detailing decisions. In this capacity, Code 18 has been instrumental in driving the development of the Law of Cyberspace course, being offered this 

fall by the George Washington University School of Law. 

Due to the frenetic pace at which policy and law are 

developing in these practice areas, particularly in cyber 

law, it is difficult to define a typical work day in Code 

18. Often the workday includes participating in working 

groups, often at the Top Secret level, to define terms and 

policy to advance the law; reviewing proposed legislation 

and updates to instructions; and responding to operational 

questions from the Fleet. Code 18 is a member of the 

Deputy Secretary of the Navy’s working group that is 

reviewing all intelligence directives and instructions, 

represents the JAG at meetings of the Special Access 

Program Oversight Group, and works closely with the 

Secretarial office overseeing Navy Special Programs.

Information Operations and Intelligence Law - Code 18

By CDR Andrew Levitz

Information Operations and Intelligence Law - Code 18

What's in an OJAG Code?

OJAG’s Code 18 was established in October 

2009 in response to the critical 

need for a JAG community of experts in information 

operations, intelligence law, and cyber law and policy. 

Its establishment complimented the Navy’s unveiling 

of the Information Dominance Corps, OPNAV N2/N6, 

and the stand up of Fleet Cyber Command/10th Fleet. In 

support of the CNO’s conviction that the Navy will be at 

the forefront of managing information flows across the 

cyberspace warfighting domain in the next conflict, Code 

18 establishes OJAG as a crucial player in this effort.

Code 18 is presently staffed with an 0-6 and 0-5, with an 

0-4. Code 18 is augmented with a cadre of uniquely qualified 

reserve officers, many of whom work in the information 

operations, intelligence law, and/or cyber law areas in their 

civilian capacities. Code 18 maintains close contact with 

relevant subject matter experts at CIA, DHS, DIA, DNI, 

DOE, DOJ, and NSA, and works closely with Navy Cyber 

Command/10th Fleet, OPNAV N2/N6, and OPNAV N3/

N5, as well as with General Counsel attorneys from both 

DoD and DoN who are working information operations 

and cyber issues. Code 18 is located at the Pentagon, but 

officers participate in legal and policy symposia throughout 

the U.S. to discuss related legal and policy issues with 

experts from the USIC, academia, and private industry.

Though the Code has many responsibilities in keeping 

with the developing area of law, Code 18 is primarily 

responsible for providing the Judge Advocate General, 

the Secretary of the Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations, 

and subordinate commands and staffs on all aspects of 

If you’d like to know more about Code 18’s mission, visit http://www.jag.navy.mil/organization/

code_18.htm or the Information Operations and Intelligence Law Community of Interest on NKO.
16 JAG Magazine - 2011 I 

Fleet News

students received instruction in the areas 

of wills and estate planning, family law, 

immigration law, attorney/client privilege, conflicts of interests, personally 

identifiable information, leadership, 

military protocol, courtroom decorum, 

defense case preparation, and courtmartial and Article 32 procedures. The 

interns also observed a pretrial hearing 

I

believe that if you have a good idea and a few good people, 

you can make big changes in this world. That’s what happened in Los Angeles in 1947. Marine Corps Reservist Maj 

William Hendricks, along with a few other Marines, coordinated and collected over 5,000 toys for local children 

after Major Hendricks’ wife couldn’t find an organization 

to donate a doll to a child in need. The program was such 

a success that the following year the Toys for Tots program 

was launched as a national program. As of 2009, the Toys 

for Tots Foundation has collected and distributed almost 

five hundred million toys. The mission of the program “is 

to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November, 

and December each year and distribute those as Christmas 

gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.” 

I was one of those less fortunate children growing up. I 

was born and raised in Chicago, as the middle child of seven 

children. My parents didn’t have the means to provide for us 

like other parents. Programs like Secret Santa, Toys for Tots, 

and the Salvation Army made it so that we didn’t go without during the holidays. They provided us with toys, clothes, 

For the sixth year in a row, Naval Legal Service Office (NLSO) MidAtlantic hosted students from the First 

Colonial High School Legal Studies Internship Program. The students’ 

internship started on July 12, and ended 

with a graduation ceremony on July 20.

CAPT Michael T. Palmer, commanding officer, NLSO MidAtlantic was honored to 

welcome the legal studies internship students and 

hopes to continue this program next summer.

Legal Studies Internship Program Students 

were required to work 50 

hours in a legal environment as part of their unpaid 

internship. 

During their time at 

NLSO Mid-Atlantic, the 

Naval Legal Service Office Mid-Atlantic Hosts Legal Studies 

Internship Program for Local High School Students

By Debra P. Parker

Naval Legal Service Office Mid-Atlantic

and a general court-martial, toured USS 

NEWPORT NEWS (SSN 750) submarine, and visited the Naval Criminal 

Investigative Service where they learned 

about criminal forensics. 

Three of the participants aspire to 

become judge advocates. When asked 

what they learned during their internship, Crandall Miller stated, “It is vital 

that the attorney is trusted 

by their client in order to 

get to the truth.” Brandon Davis stated, “Ethics 

and good moral standing 

apply to everything the 

attorneys do.” All of the 

students were particularly 

impressed that the attorneys work hard and still 

have fun. 

CAPT Palmer hopes to 

continue this program next 

summer.

The Importance of Giving: Naval Justice School Toys for Tots Football Tournament 

and even food. When I joined the Navy, I vowed to always 

give back. Every year that I’ve been in the Navy, I’ve helped 

the less fortunate either by donating gifts, food, or money, 

or just giving a few hours of my day to local soup kitchens. 

I can remember the joy as I opened presents every Christmas and truly believe that is a joy every child should have.

As football season picked up, I found the perfect way 

to give back. I proposed to the NJS staff a flag football 

game between Marines and Sailors in which each participant donated a toy for the Toys for Tots program. With the 

help of both Navy and Marine Corps staff members, a round 

robin football tournament was created. 

Before we knew it, we had six team captains and by the 

end of the first week we had over 40 people who agreed 

to attend the event. The football tournament was held on 

Nov. 16 and the winner of the tournament was the Basic 

Lawyer Course, which was comprised of Navy, Marine, and 

Coast Guard members. 

Everyone who came out either to play or watch had a lot 

of fun, and as a result of everyone’s good will, NJS contributed around 120 toys, which will be distributed to children 

in the local area. This tournament was such a hit that NJS 

wants it to become an annual event. 

By LN2 Dexter Robison

Naval Justice School

Naval Legal Service Office Mid-Atlantic staff and participants of the High School Legal 

Internship Program. 
jag.navy.mil 17

Fleet News

Nearly 80 Reserve legalman assembled in Salt Lake 

City, Utah, for their annual Military Law Training 

Symposium July 16-19. 

The Judge Advocate General, VADM James W. Houck 

and the Deputy Judge Advocate General (Reserve Affairs 

and Operations), RADM Steven Talson, were both in 

attendance to emphasize the vital link between the Active 

Reserve Enlisted Military Law Training Symposium

By LNC Harrold Henck

OJAG Reserve Public Affairs

Fourteen Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) Japan and Naval Legal Service Office (NLSO) Pacific personnel represented the U.S. Navy at the U.S./Japan 

Law Day reception held in June. United 

States Forces Japan (USFJ) hosts this 

annual reception, attended by area legal 

professionals. Lt. Gen. Edward Rice, Jr., 

USFJ, and Ms. Keiko Chiba, Japanese Minister of Justice, were the keynote speakers. 

This year’s theme was “Law in the 21st 

Century: Enduring Traditions and Emerging Challenges.”

CDR Brandon Keith commented that 

“[the Law Day Reception] is a wonderful opportunity for us to exchange contact 

information and meet face-to-face with the 

area JAGs and local Japanese legal professionals we rely on daily, usually via email 

and phone.” 

Members from the other uniformed services, their Japanese Self-Defense Force counterparts, U.S. Embassy personnel, 

and members of the Japanese Ministry of Justice and Public Prosecutor’s Office were also in attendance.

2010 Annual U.S./Japan Law Day

LT Louis E. Butler

Region Legal Service Office Japan

and Reserve Components. VADM Houck praised the 

reservists and noted the contributions they have made in 

support of the overseas contingency operations, especially 

those who have performed individual augmentee (IA) 

assignments. 

RADM Talson echoed this praise and presented letters 

of commendation to several IA veterans including: LNC 

Erin Wilmer, LNC Marie Roman, LNC Jeremy Lloyd, 

LN1 Rowena Tolentino, LN1 Denise Oliviera, LN1 

Hamite Arifi, LN1 Mary Whorton, LN1 Tina Whiteside, 

LN1 Marsha Murray, LN2 Deron Brantley, LN2 James 

Tiller, LN2 Celeste Dunlap, LN2 Shirley Perez, and LN2 

Rodney Washington.

Several additional legalman were also honored with 

awards for their performance this past year, including: 

LNCS Sheila Davis, who received the Master Chief 

Delbert Black Award for Leadership; and LN1 Jennifer 

Bailey, who received the Reserve Legalman Sailor of 

the Year Award. The Deputy JAG also presented Rear 

Admiral Hugh Howell Awards to three sailors for their 

personal efforts and contributions to the Reserve Law 

Program: LN2 Melissa Albright; LN2 Annessa Dyette; 

and LN2 Audrey Porter.

LTJG Josh Fryday, NLSO Pacific, CDR Brandon Keith, FJA, CNFJ and XO RLSO Japan, CAPT 

Bradley Cordts, CO, NR RLSO Japan, CAPT Rex Guinn, CO RLSO Japan, LT Louis Butler, DFJA, 

CNFJ, RLSO Japan, Mr. Hitoshi Ichikawa, Japanese Legal Advisor, CNFJ, RLSO Japan, LT Eric 

Nelson, TC, RLSO Japan, LT Jonathan Flynn, SJA, CFAY, RLSO Japan, LNCS(SW/SCW/AW) 

Catherine Sauter, NLSO Pacific.

Deputy Judge Advocate General (Reserve Affairs and Operations) RADM 

Steven Talson, LNCM Jeffery Lüthi, LNCS Jane McIntosh and LNCS Michael 

Conley with recipients of the letters of commendation.
18 JAG Magazine - 2011 I 

Fleet News

LN Assists with NECC, Peruvian Navy Partnership Visit

Arecent visit by a Peruvian submarine to Navy Expeditionary 

Combat Command (NECC) forces 

was made all the more effective 

through the efforts of LN2 Marina 

Caloca from NECC Legal Office in 

Virginia Beach, Va.

CAPT de Fragata Luis Del Carpio 

Alzgara, Angamos commanding officer, gave CAPT Rudy Laco, NECC 

Chief of Staff, a tour of the submarine, 

building on a relationship that began 

during a U.S. Southern Command 

(USSOUTHCOM) partnership exercise, when Laco served as the commodore of Destroyer Squadron 40. 

The coordination for the tour began 

when LN2 Caloca, a fluent Spanish speaker, facilitated the telephone 

conversation between the two senior 

officers.

CAPT Laco said the importance 

of these partnerships is the lasting 

impact they have for future ventures. 

“What we are seeing around the 

world is a request for our (NECC’s) 

capabilities,” said CAPT Laco. 

“There’s a demand for NECC forces 

to support the maritime strategy, not 

in just the combat operations but also 

in the phase zero type operations 

when we are building relationships.” 

CAPT Laco requested LN2 Caloca to 

accompany him and other NECC staff 

members on a tour of the submarine to 

Peruvian Navy CAPT de Fragata Luis Del Carpio, center, commanding officer of BAP Angamos, speaks 

with CAPT Rodelio Laco, chief of staff of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command and LN2 Marina Caloca. 

further provide translation assistance. 

Upon completion of the tour, CAPT 

Del Carpio presented CAPT Laco 

with a ship’s plaque as a memento of 

the visit. CAPT Laco later directed 

the presentation of the plaque to 

LN2 Caloca in appreciation for her 

contribution to the successful visit.

membership from our association,” explained LN1 Tiffany 

Burks, NLA National President.

The following tools, benefits, and resources have been 

added to the website:

Online membership applications and dues payments:

 One of the main disconnects in maintaining accountability of 

membership records in the past is that new applicants did not 

know where to send their application forms or how to pay 

their dues. With NLA officers and regional directors transferring commands and changing e-mail addresses often, 

many applications were lost and payment confirmations 

were never received. The online submission form and dues 

payment options on the home page are designed to send a 

member’s application and payment confirmation via e-mail 

to all NLA national officers at association email addresses, 

which are passed down to new officers upon relief of office. 

Additionally, members may still choose to pay using their 

checking accounts by clicking on the “Pay Dues Using Your 

Checking Account” link and following the instructions to 

The Navy Legalman Association (NLA), established 

on Oct. 20, 2004, has had its ups and downs since its 

inception. It has struggled to become a viable and successful 

association. Many legalmen, when asked to join the association 

or renew their membership, have asked the infamous question, 

“What has it done for me lately?” It was the quest to find a 

legitimate answer to this question that led the current NLA 

leadership to make significant changes to the association and 

create the new website which was unveiled in April 2010 

(www.navylegalmanassociation.com). “In order to make the 

association effective we had to find ways to benefit members 

that were spread around the globe. The answer was not as 

easy as doing a morale-building outing or putting together 

study groups. Thankfully, we had the incredible idea and 

motivation to create a website. We were all able to brainstorm 

about the content and I think we finally have something that 

every member can say they are getting something more than 

a National Federation of Paralegals Association (NFPA) 

By LN1 Wayne Baker

Naval Legal Service Office Mid-Atlantic

Navy Legalman Association Unveils New Website

NLA website continued on page 20

MC2(SW) Michael R. Hinchcliffe 

Navy Expeditionary Combat Command
jag.navy.mil 19

Fleet News

I 

reported to Naval Air Station Lemoore in August 

2009 as the staff judge advocate and officer in charge 

of Region Legal Service Office Southwest, Detachment 

Lemoore. The base is home to four carrier air wings, 

comprised of fourteen operational F/A-18 squadrons, 

along with two training squadrons, essentially the entire 

striking power of the Navy’s West Coast carrier strike 

groups. The pilots keep me busy, but they are most appreciative of the help judge advocates provide. Maintaining 

proficiency for flying and preparing for deployments are 

extremely time consuming, and the last thing a squadron commanding officer wants to do is engage in lengthy 

discussions on esoteric points of law regarding a courtsmartial or administrative separation. Being an effective 

staff judge advocate requires giving advice that is both 

accurate and concise. It is imperative that your command 

clients understand that you are not there to complicate 

their job but, rather, your goal is to make their job easier.

SJA for Naval Air Station Lemoore Flies in F/A-18

By LT Liam Connel

Region Legal Service Office Southwest, Detachment Lemoore

LT Liam Connel during his flight in an F-18 E/F Super Hornet. 

I had the good fortune to fly in the backseat of an F-18 

E/F Super Hornet “Rhino” in mid-February 2010. The 

experience has helped me better understand the business 

of my command clients and, best of all, it was incredibly fun. Pulling 7 Gs was a highlight, the blood draining 

from my head as my G-suit and grunted breathing struggled to keep me conscious. Luckily, I did not suffer from 

G-LOC (G-induced Loss of Consciousness) and the ziplock bag I had conveniently tucked in my flight suit was 

not needed. 

To get “backseat” qualified within a short window of 

time, I had be cleared by a flight surgeon, attend aviation 

physiology training, and a wild ride on an ejection seat 

training sled. Having pilots advocate for me along the 

way was crucial, as it was command clients that enrolled 

me in the necessary courses and made sure the proper 

authorizations were signed. The only downside of this 

advocacy was a concerted but ultimately futile effort by 

my pilot to make me sick. It was an experience of a lifetime and a great perk of being stationed in Lemoore.
20 JAG Magazine - 2011 I 

Fleet News

This summer, junior judge advocates from the Air 

Force, Army, and Navy participated in the first 

Hampton Roads Joint JAG Exchange. For three days, the 

judge advocates got to experience legal practice in another 

service. 

Naval Legal Service Office (NLSO) Mid-Atlantic 

hosted an Army JAG Corps captain, the Air Force Legal 

Office at Langley Air Force Base hosted a Navy JAG Corps 

lieutenant junior grade, and the Army Legal Assistance 

Office at Fort Monroe hosted an Air Force JAG Corps 

captain. 

The idea to arrange this interservice exchange came out 

of a joint social hosted last year at Fort Monroe. The inspiration was born of the awareness that, while the Hampton 

Roads military installations are close geographically, local 

JAG Corps officers from the different services rarely have 

the opportunity to interact and get to know each other.

The objective of the Joint JAG Exchange is to encourage the development of interpersonal relationships among 

judge advocates of the different services on both a professional and personal level. Although each branch has 

its own customs and traditions, the exchange is designed 

to promote a realization that the differences among JAG 

Corps are insignificant compared to the commonalities of 

practice. The hope is that the Joint JAG Exchange will 

foster an increased dialogue and sharing of resources and 

experiences within the Hampton Roads interservice JAG 

community and create lasting relationships. Additionally, the exchange will enable each branch of service to 

Hampton Roads Joint JAG Exchange

Creating Interservice Connections Among Local JAG Communities

By LTJG Lauren Hugel

Naval Legal Service Office Mid-Atlantic

see what the other branches do differently, thereby sharing 

and improving upon best practices.

Based on the experiences of the judge advocates who 

took part in the exchange, the Hampton Roads Joint JAG 

Exchange has been successful in accomplishing its goals. 

CPT Mike Millios, the Army JAG from Fort Monroe 

who participated in the Exchange at NLSO Mid-Atlantic, 

reflected that “the Hampton Roads Joint JAG Exchange 

was a great opportunity for company grade officers to 

get exposure to other services. One never knows when 

they are going to be tapped for an individual augmentee 

deployment to a joint forces unit. It was a great chance 

to develop professionally and meet a bunch of great Navy 

folks. I encourage my fellow judge advocates to jump at 

the next exchange opportunity.” 

LTJG Chris Hutton, a judge advocate at NLSO MidAtlantic, spent three days with Air Force judge advocates at the Langley Air Force Base Legal Office. LTJG 

Hutton had only positive things to say about his time at 

Langley AFB. “My experience at the Langley Air Force 

Legal Office was fantastic. From the moment I got there I 

was treated like family. We discussed the way we handle 

legal issues and clients, the differences between our two 

services, and how we could increase interservice interaction and camaraderie,” explained Hutton. In the weeks 

since LTJG Hutton’s time with the Air Force, the Navy and 

Air Force commands have continued to foster that camaraderie with members of both commands coming together 

for social events and command softball games. NLSO 

Mid-Atlantic Commanding Officer CAPT Michael Palmer 

looks forward to continuing and expanding this program.

NLA website continued from page 18

transfer money to the association’s Navy Federal Credit 

Union account or mailing a check.

Update contact information online: 

Another key issue with tracking members worldwide 

has been that officers and directors had no way of knowing 

when members transferred to a different command. The 

“Update Your Contact Information” link on the member’s 

page is a convenient way for members to provide new 

command, IA assignment, or contact information, ensuring 

that the information is updated in association records, that 

the member is transferred to the appropriate region, and that 

the member is receiving information and announcements.

Interactive map with region AOR’s: 

An interactive map on the member’s page displays the 

AOR’s of each region and provides contact information for 

regional directors.

Interactive blog and chat room: 

The interactive blog and chat room is designed to allow 

members to exchange ideas, ask questions, and discuss 

issues affecting the legalman, JAG Corps, and paralegal 

communities. A book exchange section has also been 

added to allow members who have taken college courses to 

share their books with other members.

Resources, training, and advancement study material: 

The “Resources” and “Training and Study Material” 

links are set up to provide a “one-stop-shop” for NLA 

members to access resources, training, and study material. 

With more than 50 links to online resources, 52 training 

power points, multiple training guides, and educational 

videos, legalman and paralegal related training is in one 

convenient location.
jag.navy.mil 21

Fleet News

LTJG Margaret Villagran, LTJG Leigha Fassett, and I arrived at our first duty station at Naval Legal Service 

Office Northwest (NLSO NW) in April 2010 and within 

three months we were each underway with the USS 

Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). We traded in our Naval 

Justice School manuals, weathered the initial seasickness 

and got to see the community we serve up close and 

personal. 

We provided legal assistance and conducted 

administrative boards while underway for the crew of the 

USS Abraham Lincoln. Our host judge advocates on the 

carrier, LCDR Davin Rieke, LCDR Ryan Torgrimson, 

and LT Dave Christenson ensured that even with long 

work days involved, we could partake in a wide range 

of activities unique to life on a carrier. Some of the 

highlights included a helo ride, vulture’s row view 

of flight operations, fantail mist at 40 knots, a bridgeview of a missile launch, and dinner with RDML Mark 

Guadagnini. 

Perks aside, the best part our adventure was getting 

to know the people who serve onboard the carrier and 

recognizing just how different shore duty is from sea duty. 

It’s hard not to be in awe of the hours and dedication put 

in, not just by the judge advocates that we served with 

onboard, but by every individual you pass in the P-ways. 

Chow was noticeably a time to commiserate about the 

New JAGs Get a Taste of Sea Life

By LTJG Adrianne Mittelstaedt

Naval Legal Service Office Northwest

long days, guess about the next port and exchange stories 

about family back home. There was always a lightheartedness and inclusive atmosphere to it all that made 

each face seem more familiar and supportive. 

Outside of learning the responsibilities of a judge 

advocate attached to a ship, we quickly learned which 

snacks to covet in the galley and the places to avoid 

during general quarters (which turns out to be almost 

everywhere). In the legal office, a space that seemed 

smaller than a mini-van at times, sharing close quarters 

with the same people we were up against for our 

administrative board, came with little adjustment. There 

were times when the lack of animosity towards our 

would-be opponents felt almost anti-climactic, and unlike 

the recent memories of law school. Onboard the carrier, 

the necessity of maintaining professionalism beyond 

counsel lines was an unquestionable aspect of day-to-day 

life, creating an environment unparalleled to any I have 

experienced in the civilian realm. 

It’s clear the USS Abraham Lincoln and NLSO NW 

have a close working-relationship. From January to July 

alone, NLSO NW staff, coordinated by Everett Branch 

head LT Andrew Murray, executed more than 120 wills, 

conducted 14 administrative boards and 617 Sailors 

onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln received one-on-one 

legal assistance. Seeing first-hand how those numbers 

really play out during our underway left a lasting 

impression and I’m proud to say it’s only the beginning. 

LCDR Ryan Torgrimson, LCDR Davin Rieke, LTJG Adrianne Mittelstaedt, and LT Dave Christenson on the flight deck of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). 
22 JAG Magazine - 2011 I 

Fleet News

From Ship To Shore, and Now the Courtroom

Navy Judge Advocates Admitted to Practice Civil Law in Virginia

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court 

of Virginia, the Honorable Leroy 

Rountree Hassell, Sr., administered the 

oath to admit two judge advocates of 

the Expanded Legal Assistance Program (ELAP) into the Virginia Bar 

in June. LT Jamal Rhadbane and LT 

Lauren Mayo, both licensed to practice 

law in the State of Texas, are the first 

two ELAP judge advocates permitted to 

represent military members with legal 

assistance issues before Virginia courts. 

LT Rhadbane and LT Mayo will 

provide their services within the scope 

of Supreme Court Rule 1A:6. This rule 

authorizes military lawyers admitted 

to practice law in a state other than 

Virginia to represent eligible service 

members in civil court. The purpose 

of Rule 1A:6 and ELAP is to provide 

legal representation to those service 

members, who find themselves in 

a financial-legal limbo–making too 

much to qualify for traditional legal aid, 

By LTJG Adrienne Sadosky

Naval Legal Services Office Mid-Atlantic

but not enough to afford counsel without 

financial hardship. 

Service members qualifying for 

the ELAP have additional hardships 

in that many of them have recently 

graduated from boot camp without 

family support or life experience to 

guide them. Additionally, some of 

the qualifying service members move 

every three to four years. ELAP 

attorneys master Virginia’s laws and 

procedures to serve as an anchor for the 

transient military lifestyle. The military 

attorneys champion service members 

who are frequent targets of exploitation. 

Unscrupulous lenders and landlords 

often find service members’ steady 

paychecks tempting for unfair practices. 

The primary focus of the ELAP practice 

will be consumer litigation with the 

first cases being against automobile 

dealerships that went out of business 

without fulfilling contracts and paying 

off service members’ trade-in vehicles.

To qualify as an ELAP attorney a candidate must apply to the Virginia Board 

of Bar Examiners (VBBE) for certification that they are fit to perform the obligations and responsibilities of a practicing attorney in the Commonwealth. 

Once the ELAP candidate has received 

notice of eligibility from the VBBE, a 

licensed Virginia attorney may sponsor 

the candidate’s request for the Court to 

admit him or her to the State Bar. The 

Access to Legal Services Department, 

the Virginia Poverty Law Center, and 

others in the Virginia Bar worked with 

the Navy to put into practice ELAP and 

bring justice within the reach of Service 

members. 

In times of peace and war, service 

member readiness is important to mission accomplishment. While tasked with 

protecting the nation’s security, young 

service members often do not focus on 

the legal readiness that is related to completing their mission. The representation provided to military personnel in the 

Hampton Roads area will assist the service members in resolving legal issues 

and maintaining legal readiness. 

LT Lauren Mayo, LT Mary Murphy, LT Jamal Rhadbane, and NLSO Mid-Atlantic Commanding Officer CAPT Michael Palmer at the Virginia State Bar Association. 
jag.navy.mil 23

Fleet News

Next, CAAF Judge Scott Stucky provided a history of the 

courthouse, explaining the building started as the courthouse 

for the D.C. circuit and became the CMA courthouse after a 

deal was struck between President Harry Truman and the first 

chief judge of the CMA.

Professor Steven Goldblatt of Georgetown Law gave a presentation about the significant case heard in the courthouse. 

Following a disclaimer that he would not be able to address 

every single important cases, he chose a few important cases 

that provided an entertaining story for the gathered audience. 

Since Oct. 31, 1952, the CAAF has been located in Judiciary Square in the federal courthouse. 

By Jen Zeldis

Public Affairs Officer

The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) held 

a special session of court to commemorate the 100th anniversary of their courthouse Oct. 1. The courthouse was built 

in l9l0 and was formerly the home of the United States Court 

of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts attended the 

ceremony and assisted Chief Judge of CAAF Andrew Effron 

and Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the 

District of Columbia Circuit David Sentelle in the unveiling 

of a commemorative plaque highlighting the courts that occupied the building during its first century from 1910 to 2010.

The plaque also lists the names of 

all the judges who have served in the 

courthouse during its first 100 years 

including the 20 D.C. Circuit judges 

and the 21 CAAF/Court of Military 

Appeals (CMA) judges.

Chief Judge Effron opened the 

ceremony and welcomed the distinguished visitors and guests. The 

courthouse was filled with a variety 

of members of each service and the 

general public.

Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Court 

of Appeals for the Armed Forces Courthouse

Chief Judge Andrew Effron of the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces welcomes guests to the 100th anniversary ceremony. 

Deputy Judge Advocate General RADM Nanette DeRenzi speaks with guest at 

the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces 100th Anniversary reception. 
24 JAG Magazine - 2011 I 

Fleet News

Legal professionals from across 

Europe, Central Asia and the United 

States gathered to discuss issues ranging from the NATO Status of Forces 

Agreement to education Sept. 13-17 in 

Budapest.

The International Legal Conference, jointly sponsored by U.S. European Command (USEUCOM)and the 

George C. Marshall European Center 

for Security Studies, gathered better 

than 100 people from 34 countries. The 

conference also brought two participants from Russia, who participated in 

discussion and attended breakout sessions.

In a video message to the group, 

ADM James Stavridis, Supreme Allied 

Commander Europe, kicked off the 

conference by outlining his top priority 

which he called “lawfare.” He defined 

it as a point of integration between law, 

terrorism and warfare; “that nexus of 

law, terrorism and combat.

“And we need you to parse that so that 

those of us who are operators stay on the 

right side of those activities,” he said. He 

also praised the work judge advocates 

do for the military services around the 

world. “I very much value and appreciate all that you bring to the profession of 

the law and to the important work that 

we do in the European theater.”

The week-long event included briefings about European energy security 

issues, civil-military relations, inspector general systems and more. Briefers 

included the Deputy Judge Advocate 

General of the Navy, RADM Nanette 

M. DeRenzi, James E. Baker, a judge for 

the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed 

Forces and Lynne Halbrooks, the principal deputy inspector general for the 

Department of Defense.

Kirk Samson, legal engagement 

coordinator for USEUCOM and one of 

the conference organizers, said he felt 

the talks and networking among professionals hit the mark.

“We’re making good progress on 

getting our allies to work on legal issues 

now and to coordinate and communicate with each other in a friendly, collegial manner,” he said. “Some great discussions all around.”

The NATO Status of Forces 

Agreement took center stage more 

than once throughout the week. Serge 

Lazareff, one of the architects of 

the agreement, was on hand for the 

discussions. A panel discussion on the 

future of the NATO SOFA followed.

The goals of the conference included 

integration, discussion, consultation and, 

where needed, resolution of many issues. 

CAPT Lindy Bunn, the newly appointed 

staff judge advocate for USEUCOM 

who served as the moderator for the 

week, said each session built on the 

command’s goal of “stronger together.”

“We want to find collective solutions 

to challenges before they become crises 

so that we can move forward in the 

coalition building process,” said CAPT 

Bunn.

In providing a warfighter’s perspective, RADM Charles Martoglio, USEUCOM chief of staff, defined how important lawyers were in a number of processes, including wartime target selection. “It is in times like this that the 

world looks to people like us,” he said. 

“What will be demanded of you in the 

future will only grow in complexity.”

Legal conference gathers 100+ from 35 countries

By Jason Tudor 

GCMC Public Affairs

Region Legal Service Office Southwest (RLSO SW) 

supported the U.S. Department of State (DOS) with its 

second annual U.S. Passport Fair at the Navy Exchange on 

board Naval Base San Diego Aug. 7. RLSO SW coordinated 

the successful event, including advertising and logistics. 

Surpassing last year’s event, the DOS provided passport 

services for 307 service members, family members, retirees, 

and DOD personnel. Participants made passport inquiries, 

applied for or renewed U.S. Passport Books and U.S. Passport 

Cards. Ten DOS employees staffed the event to provide the 

military community a convenient opportunity to apply for 

travel documents. U.S. Passport fairs will be planned at other 

installations in the future. 

Southwest U.S. Passport Fair

By LT Liam Connel

Region Legal Service Office Southwest, Detachment Lemoore

“We want to find collective 

solutions to challenges before 

they become crises so that 

we can move forward in the 

coalition building process,” 

said CAPT Lindy Bunn.
jag.navy.mil 25

Alumni

Spotlight On

CAPT (Ret.) Bill DeCicco 

Since his retirement in 2001, CAPT (Ret.) Bill DeCicco has been 

the clerk of court of the U.S. Court 

of Appeals for the Armed Forces 

(CAAF), the civilian appeals court 

for the military justice system. CAPT 

DeCicco began his career at CAAF 

just days after he retired from the 

Navy, having served 26 years as an 

enlisted sailor and commissioned officer. 

As the clerk of court for CAAF, 

CAPT DeCicco is responsible for the 

administration functions of the court, 

including scheduling oral arguments, 

ensuring dockets are updated and decisions are published, issuing all orders 

and opinions, and editing opinions.

His final assignment in the Navy 

was as a judge and than as the Chief 

Judge of the Navy-Marine Corps 

Court of Criminal Appeals. 

“I had many great experiences in 

my career, but the thing I value most is 

the service to my country,” said CAPT 

DeCicco.

A native of San Francisco, Calif., 

CAPT DeCicco enlisted in the Navy 

reserve after graduating from St. 

Mary’s College of California. CAPT 

DeCicco served two years before 

he was commissioned in the Naval 

Reserve and began law school. He 

graduated from the University of San 

Francisco Law School in 1975.

CAPT DeCicco's Navy JAG Corps 

career began at the Naval Legal Service Office in San Diego, Calif. 

 Before heading to his next assignment at the U.S. Naval Support Office 

in La Maddalena, Sardinia, CAPT 

DeCicco’s attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., 

where he mastered Italian. 

After his assignment in Sardinia, 

CAPT DeCicco headed to Washington, 

D.C. to serve as an Appellate Defense 

Counsel at the Navy-Marine Corps 

Court of Criminal Appeals. 

After completing three years as 

an appellate defense counsel, CAPT 

DeCicco spent a year at George Washington University where he earned his 

Masters of Law in International Law. 

Military and civilian members within the legal profession gathered for a formal courtroom dedication ceremony held at Navy Legal Services 

Office Southwest on Nov. 16. The newly-renovated courtroom was named 

in honor of RADM Carlson M. “Biff” LeGrand, for his many contributions 

to and leadership within the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps. This 

ceremony also marks the first time a courtroom has been dedicated in the 

Navy.

“It’s really special for me to look out and see this collection of people. 

This is a testament to the man, his legacy and what the Navy is all about,” 

said Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy, RADM Nanette 

DeRenzi. “Just looking at somebody’s biography doesn’t tell you 

about who they are. It tells you about what he did. What he did 

was very special, but who he was is even more special. He was a 

man of complete integrity, a hard worker, a dynamo, a ball of firethese are the phrases the people who know him would describe 

him with. When he chose the Navy as a career, he always wanted 

to work hard to become better at what he did, but not so he could 

advance himself. He wanted to be the best he could be so he could 

bring others up with him,” added RADM DeRenzi.

Courtroom Named in Honor of Former Navy JAG

Courtroom continued on page 31
26 JAG Magazine - 2011 I

JAG Corps 2020

command and control. Additionally, stood up the Trial Counsel 

Assistance Program and Defense 

Counsel Assistance Program to 

increase the field’s access to trial 

expertise. 

Realigned JAGC Reserve Force 

three “pillars” (military justice 

litigation, command services/

legal assistance, and specialty 

practice), better allowing the 

Reserve JAGC community to 

support the Active community. 

Process Improvements 

Dedicated this year to studying the issues concerning our 

information technology (IT) 

strategy, with a focus on CMTIS 

and court-martial tracking and 

reporting applications. We commissioned an independent organization, the Center for Naval 

Analysis (CNA), to conduct a 

comprehensive review of our 

IT strategy, with an emphasis 

on recommending solutions that 

provide a reliable, easy to use, 

flexible system that gives quick 

access to data. Given the complexities of the issues and need 

for community input, the study 

results will not be available until 

2011.

Implemented a knowledgesharing IT tool (Sharepoint) in 

the Navy Marine Corps Appellate Review Activity and within 

Code 10.

Updated and published a directory of active-duty judge advocates on the JAG NKO website.

Education Program (LPEP), 

the culmination of years of 

effort to ensure every legalman 

obtains an Associate's Degree in 

Paralegal Studies. The legalman 

rate is the first and only enlisted 

rating to call for a governmentfunded, full-time education 

program. We sent our first 

legalman class, including new 

accessions and current legalmen, 

to the residence program at 

Roger Williams University. We 

also have numerous Legalmen 

earning their degree through a 

distance learning program.

Supplementing LPEP, we 

launched a comprehensive 

52-week Legalman Rate 

Training program to solidify 

legal knowledge in military 

justice, criminal law, civil law, 

and legal research.

Increased available civilian 

opportunities for education 

and training to further career 

development by reimbursing 

employees for tuition costs 

associated with college courses.

Negotiated tuition reduction 

agreements with six law schools, 

enabling us to pay LLM tuition 

for an additional five judge 

advocates.

Assign the Right People to the 

Right Places (Align and Assign)

As part of Naval Legal Service 

Command (NLSC) alignment, 

created Deputy Commander 

positions for the Region Legal 

Service Offices (RLSOs) and 

Naval Legal Service Offices 

(NLSOs) to ensure clear lines of 

Recruit and Retain the Right People 

(Recruit and Retain)

Streamlined the JAG Corps recruiting and selection process 

by implementing online applications, instituting a more disciplined structured interview application process, and giving commanding officers more control 

over interview times and locations.

Made legalman conversion process more uniform and selective 

by standing up local selection 

boards and setting new criteria 

for selection.

Implemented a direct appointment 

program that allows us to commission into the Reserve JAG Corps 

civilian attorneys with expertise 

in specialized legal areas (such as 

admiralty law) to meet mission requirements.

Continued to assess retention 

issues through the communitywide Pulse of the JAG Corps 

Survey and the Exit Survey given 

to those leaving the JAG Corps 

community.

Implemented a flex-work policy, 

telework policy, and a Virtual 

Command Pilot, allowing personnel more choice in where and 

when they perform their duties.

Coordinated with BUPERS to 

ensure legalman eligibility to use 

career intermission to attend law 

school and serve in JAG Corps if 

later selected. 

Prepare Our People for Success 

(Educate and Train)

Made historic strides with 

the Legalman Paralegal 

2010 JAG Corps Accomplishments 

At the beginning of 2010, we identified several priority actions to accomplish in 2010 to ensure the 

continued success of our community. Throughout the year, we’ve discussed our progress on these 

and other actions. To close out 2010, and prior to the release of the 2011 JAG Guidance, we wanted to 

summarize these accomplishments. The OJAG staff, with help from many of you, completed nearly all of 

the prioritized actions for 2010, with the exception of those few areas that require continued work in 2011. 

Accomplishments in each of the four focus areas include:
jag.navy.mil 27

JAG Corps 2020

Thanks to the more than 340 individuals who participated in Task Force Life/Work Mentoring Focus 

Groups! Your insight, experiences, and expectations 

provided the input we needed to create a vibrant and 

enduring JAG Corps Mentoring Program. 

A recurrent question from focus group participants 

was, “Why is the JAG Corps interested in designing a 

mentoring program?” The answer is two-fold. First, 

strong mentoring relationships can have a significant 

impact on individuals’ careers. Military and civilian 

leaders point to mentoring as a key factor in advancement 

and professional success. Through an innovative, multifaceted program, the JAG Corps can create mentoring 

opportunities and foster mentoring relationships to help 

individuals make solid, well-informed career decisions 

bolstering the likelihood of career success and satisfaction. 

Second, although we often talk about mentoring in 

terms of individual professional development and career 

progression, organizations reap tremendous benefits from 

strong mentoring programs. Two significant rewards are 

retention and transfer of organizational intelligence. By 

fostering a culture of mentoring, organizations create a 

“culture of inclusion” that strengthens bonds among colleagues, supervisors, subordinates, and the organization. 

The end result? Increased retention and productivity.

A subject discussed less often is mentoring’s role 

in cultivating and transferring organizational intelliOrganizational Benefits of Mentoring

gence from one generation of leaders to the next. Organizational intelligence – the ability to observe, assess, and act 

in a complex work environment – influences an organization’s growth, continued relevance and sometimes, survival. 

Much like the Colonel John Boyd’s OODA Loop (Observe, 

Orient, Decide and Act), organizational intelligence reaches 

beyond technical skill. It requires a thorough understanding of one’s own organization, observation of outside influences, and an assessment of how factors pressing on the 

organization drive organizational change and decision-making. It provides the “big picture view,” the study of competing priorities and the impact of outside pressure on internal 

operations and decision-making. 

Organizational intelligence is what enables JAG Corps 

leaders to assess and respond to outside influences, whether 

it is “Big Navy,” Congress, or the public, and understanding 

the interconnectedness and consequences of each response. 

This broad-based knowledge and expansive view is vital 

to the organization’s health and longevity, yet impossible 

to learn from a text book or short-term on the job training. Mentoring provides the perfect vehicle for transferring 

organizational intelligence from one individual to another, 

ensuring organizational growth and success. It is the perfect 

example of how mentoring can potentially impact the highest levels of organizational operations and the foundation of 

organizational strength. 

When you are thinking about mentoring, take a broader 

approach to the subject. Analyze how your role in the 

mentoring process works to ensure both individual professional development, and the strength of the JAG Corps.

LN1 Shenika Mayes, the first selectee from the JAG Corps for 

the Navy’s Career Intermission Pilot 

Program, is putting her time to good 

use! She is attending Webster University, pursuing a Master’s degree 

in Human Resource Management 

while at the same time undertaking an 

Associates degree in Criminal Justice 

(focusing on Forensics) at a local comUpdate: Career Intermission Program

LN1 Shenika Mayes Takes on Two Degrees, LN2 Nadine Williams Plans for Law School

munity college. An impetus for pursing the Career Intermission Pilot Program was to ensure her son’s medical 

issues were resolved prior to returning 

to sea duty. Thankfully, LN1 Mayes’ 

son is doing extremely well. 

Another member of our Corps 

applied and was selected for the 

Career Intermission Pilot Program. 

LN2 Nadine Williams, presently 

serving with Helicopter Maritime 

Strike Squadron Four Zero in Mayport, Fla., will begin the Program in 

August 2011. LN2 Williams is setting her sights on law school with a 

start date of August 2011. She hopes 

to return to the Navy as a judge advocate or as an officer through another 

Navy commissioning program. It’s a 

long road ahead, through law school 

and the accessions process, but LN2 

Williams has already reached out to 

a local mentor, LT Roni Beasley for 

insight and guidance. 

By CAPT Jean Kilker, 

Task Force Life/Work Balance 

“Task Force Life/Work encourages you to add to your leadership “toolbox” by logging 

on to NKO and learning about the programs designed to assist your Sailors. Go to 

JAG Corps 2020 and use the drop-down menu to find the Life/Work webpages.” 

By CAPT Jean Kilker, 

Task Force Life/Work Balance 
28 JAG Magazine - 2011 I

Civilians

The Department of the Navy recently provided policy and guidance for civilian employees to continue their education, training, and career development. 

Guided by Navy policy, the Office of the Judge Advocate General (OJAG) and Naval Legal Service Command (NLSC) have recognized the value of a competent, 

highly educated civilian workforce with the implementation of JAG/Commander Naval Legal Service Command Instruction 12410.1. The JAG Corps is committed 

to providing a continuous-learning environment for its 

entire community in order to meet mission requirements 

and ensure its employees have the opportunity to grow 

in their careers professionally and personally. Furthermore, 

the JAG Corps is 

committed to developing the knowledge, 

skills, and competencies of the civilian 

workforce in the most 

productive, effective, 

and efficient manner 

to support the mission 

and vision.

Working for Region 

Legal Service Office Southwest (RLSO SW) has been a 

challenging yet rewarding experience. I quickly realized 

that continuing my education would not only hone my 

skills and productivity, but it also seemed like a necessary 

measure to advance in this organization. I had casually 

explored different Masters programs in my geographic 

area and researched numerous online institutions but never 

took the initiative to move to the next step. In December 

2009, I was given the above-mentioned instruction by my 

supervisor, LT David Levine. After thoroughly reading 

the instruction, I knew it was time to take advantage of 

this great program.

The first step in pursuing tuition reimbursement was 

to identify the program that best fit my career aspirations in addition to my current official duties. Working in the JAG community as a legal assistant requires 

me to research and write about complicated legal 

issues, review investigations, analyze legal decisions, 

opinions, policies, and rulings, and possess a general 

understanding of everyday ethics issues. Understanding 

By Jason Bendinelli

Region Legal Service Office Southwest

Civilian Professional Development 

through Tuition Reimbursement

that, and after much research, I decided the Masters of 

Public Policy and Administration program at California 

Lutheran University might be a good fit for me. Before 

applying, I met with the program director, closely examined the program, and identified the courses that directly 

aligned with my current and future job duties. After 

completing my review of the program, it was clear that 

the Cal Lutheran Masters program would significantly 

enhance my productivity and opportunity for career progression. 

Next, I wrote a memo to my direct supervisor explaining my desire to utilize the new policy with Cal Lutheran’s program and identified how the courses I planned 

to take directly corresponded with my current and future 

job duties. I received 

resounding support 

from my supervisor 

and the rest of my 

command’s leadership, so I turned to my 

local Civilian Education and Training 

Coordinator (CETC) 

to prepare the application for tuition reimbursement. She and 

I had to work flexibly 

with the OJAG program manager in preparing what would become my final 

application, because not all application instructions had 

been established in this new program. I started by providing my CETC with an acceptance letter from the university and a detailed breakdown of the associated costs. By 

the end, we found the application requires employees to 

identify how the skills and knowledge taught in a specific 

course would both better enable them to accomplish their 

job duties and further the JAG Corps mission. 

In my final application, I was required to complete an 

Education Training Request Form and provide written 

summaries of the courses I intended to take. On the 

form, I answered three questions related to the courses 

in which I planned to enroll: 

1) Is the course mission-essential? In other words, 

does the course directly provide skills necessary to 

current job duties? 

2) Will the course provide improved productivity 

or increased ability to perform job duties? This 

would be true of a course which further develops or 

The JAG Corps is committed 

to developing the knowledge, 

skills, and competencies of the 

civilian workforce in the most 

productive, effective, and efficient manner 

to support the mission and vision.
jag.navy.mil 29

Civilians

For more information about civilian training opportunities, contact Amy Stevens at 

202-685-5286 or at amy.stevens@navy.mil

hones a skill I already possess, 

resulting in more efficient and 

effective work. 

3) Does the course promote 

career growth and/or professional development? To answer 

these questions, I chose to write 

all of my job duties and responsibilities and then connect them 

with the courses. 

In my job, I work closely with 

the criminal justice community and 

analyze legal decisions, policies, 

legal references, case law, and other 

legal material. I also review investigations, work with command investigating officers (IO), and coordinate with 

command officials to ensure IO independence, thoroughness, and accuracy. 

I ensure completed investigations 

meet time and prescribed processing 

goals. During spring term 2010, I took 

MPPA 568: Ethics in Governmental 

Policy and MPPA 582: Criminal Justice Policy and Administration. To 

get funding approval I knew I had to 

clearly explain how these two courses 

provided knowledge directly applicable to my stated personal, career, and 

mission goals. Comparing the above 

job duties to the Criminal Justice 

Policy and Administration course, I 

identified, for example, how the Criminal Justice course took a theoretical 

and practical approach toward criminal justice policy development, analysis, and administration. It focused on 

researching laws, critical analysis of 

local, state, and federal systems, and 

the policies and procedures that impact 

key areas of law enforcement, the 

courts, and corrections systems. I outlined the required readings, syllabus, 

critical writing, research, and analysis that directly impacted my current 

duties. 

My application was approved and 

endorsed by my chain-of-command 

and forwarded to the OJAG program manager. Tuition reimbursement requests from all commands 

were reviewed for merit and consistency with program objectives before 

being forwarded to the Naval Justice 

School Board of Advisors (NJS BOA) 

for final approval. Ultimately, I was 

approved by the NJS BOA for full 

reimbursement covering my spring 

and summer courses in 2010. In order 

to receive my reimbursement after my 

courses were finished, I also had to 

submit a Standard Form-182 specific 

to each course, proof of my payment 

to the university, electronic banking 

information, and a copy of my final 

grades to my CETC for payment processing. 

This program is but one of the ways 

the JAG Corps proves its commitment 

to the people who work for it. The 

command has provided RLSO SW personnel with continuous motivation and 

encouragement throughout this entire 

process. If you are serious about continuing your education and are willing 

to put in the work, this program is for 

you. Under the terms of this program, 

you will be responsible to pay for the 

tuition up front. I understand that continuing education can be quite expensive and burdensome at times, but this 

is an investment in your future! I want 

to personally thank all who contributed 

to creating, implementing, and managing this program.

I strongly encourage interested 

civilians to sit down with your supervisor and talk about your aspirations. 

The input and direction you receive 

will help in your overall management 

of your application as it moves up the 

chain-of-command.

Jason Bendinelli, Region Legal Service Office Southwest, continuing his eduction through tuition 

reimbursement. 
30 JAG Magazine - 2011 I

Book Review

By Malcolm Gladwell

Book review provided by LT Lindsay Geiselman, Military Personnel (Code 61)

The Tipping Point

How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

I

f you have walked around a mall lately, you may have 

found yourself within earshot of a comment about the 

newest styles being a throw back to days gone by, perhaps 

while you were standing 25 people deep in the line at the 

Apple store for the latest iphone. If you are a metro rider, 

chances are there has been someone in your transit car buried 

in a good electronic book via the kindle. If the automobile is 

your preferred method of transportation, I’d be willing to bet 

that, at any given time, you or someone you are sharing the 

road with is using a GPS, watching a DVD, or talking on a 

Bluetooth. What do all of these situations have in common? 

They all involve fads, trends, or the newest, must have item. 

The process of creating these revolutions, dubbed by Malcom 

Gladwell as, “social epidemics,” is at the heart of his novel, 

The Tipping Point.

At first glance, one might think, why do I care about what is 

“in,” especially if I am in the military? We don’t have time to 

worry about fashion, or what product is going to make us look 

cool. We wear uniforms and conduct ourselves systematically 

and efficiently, so we bypass the whole realm of outfit 

popularity contests reminiscent of high school, right? Agreed. 

However, if you delve into the world of Malcom Gladwell 

and start reading about the social interactions that are behind 

the scenes in the creation of a trend, you will quickly see 

that this book is more about human behavior, interpersonal 

communication, and the psychology of cause and effect within 

society than it is about silly bands, facebook, crocs or any 

other current fad. 

Although this book opens with a nod to the resurgence 

of the popularity of shoes called hushpuppies, its focus is a 

quest to determine how increased popularity is achieved while 

exploring the dynamics of how ideas flourish. The “Tipping 

Point” is a term that refers to the point where a product, or 

behavior, reaches a place where it is so popular that it tips the 

scales and rushes over into society touching everything in its 

path. It is so rampant 

that Gladwell refers to 

its explosive effect as 

en epidemic, a disease 

that spreads quickly 

throughout the masses. 

He spends the entire 

book examining how 

and why this effect 

occurs.

Gladwell’s reasoning behind the birth 

of a social epidemic is illustrated through 

various anecdotes, which subjects range 

from fashion to crime and even touch upon 

popular children’s television programming. Within these 

stories, he uses the results of sociological case studies to define 

the three areas he delineates as the rules of the Tipping Point: 

1) the Law of the Few

2) the Stickiness Factor

3) the Power of Context 

The Law of the Few suggests that certain exceptional people 

can incite change because of their social adeptness. Gladwell 

does a great job of describing these types of individuals: 

connectors, mavens and salespeople. I couldn’t help but smile 

as I read, thinking, “My brother is definitely a maven; my 

husband a salesman.” The vivid and detailed portrayals of 

these different personality types make it likely that a reader 

will associate each category with the characters that comprise 

their own lives. 

Gladwell also devotes a good amount of time to social cues 

and messages, both their content and context. Epidemics are 

influenced by the environments in which they exist, so time 

and place are variables that can make or break a tipping point. 

He places great emphasis on attention to details, strongly 

suggesting that sometimes it is the alteration of little things that 

change the big picture. For example, he uses an experiment 

where volunteers are made prison guards and prisoners 

to show how power structure in a restrictive environment 

can shape peoples’ behavior. He also refers to the Broken 

Windows theory, suggesting that it is possible to prevent 

crime by making small renovations to ones surroundings 

such as fixing windows, cleaning up graffiti, etc. Finally, he 

takes a look at how differently a message can be perceived 

when directed towards a large group versus a smaller one. 

Reminding readers of the story of Kitty Genovese, a woman 

The “Tipping Point” is a term that refers to the point 

where a product, or behavior, reaches a place where 

it is so popular that it tips the scales and rushes 

over into society touching everything in its path.
jag.navy.mil 31

Book Review

Read any great books lately? Submit your book review to 

natalie.morehouse@navy.mil.

murdered in New York in 1964 while none of the 38 witnesses 

so much as picked up the phone to call the police, he highlights 

the staggering bystander apathy that can result in a big city 

setting. On the subject of group size, Gladwell even refers 

directly to military organizations, suggesting that military 

structures have taken notice of the link between efficiency and 

group size, which according to him is 150 people. 

Back to the initial question: Why should you care about 

The Tipping Point? We spend most of our days trying to create 

a particular product, whether it be data spreadsheets, case files 

or powerpoints. We create these products because hopefully 

the message in them will make a difference and our idea 

will take off; it will sell. If enough people buy into it, we are 

successful. Gladwell is echoing the point that many of us knew 

all along, it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know and 

what you do with it. If we use attention to detail to utilize the 

most effective means of communication, in the most effective 

context, we invoke change. We can tip the scales and make a 

difference. 

This book was certainly a good and quick read; it was full 

of interesting case studies and equally interesting suggestions 

about the cause and effect of certain social phenomenon. 

However, the numerous research references were so varied that 

instead of tipping the scales, I found that Gladwell exceeded 

the weight limit. By the end of the book, information overload 

left me feeling like I didn’t know exactly which end was up. 

While I had a bunch of new interesting talking points to make 

conversation with at the next social gathering, I didn’t feel 

like I could definitively say what a tipping point was or what 

the best way to achieve it would be. There was no “Aha!” 

no climax, no great reveal, nothing that brought his idea full 

circle. It reminded me of a potluck, where everyone brings a 

tasty little dish, but the table, while full, doesn’t really have 

the cohesion that mom’s Thanksgiving dinner does. Still, this 

book was enjoyable and thought provoking. So I say, go to the 

potluck. Have a little of this and a little of that, but when the 

party is over, don’t expect to leave fully satisfied.

Former Navy judge advocates and current business partner, Weston 

Burnett and Mark Cohen, have released 

a book titled Lessons to My Children: 

Simple Life Lessons for Financial 

Success, Wealth and Abundance. The 

book contains the financial advice parents should give 

their children. The book aims to arm parents and their 

children with the knowledge they need to live stress free 

financial lives. 

Lessons to My Children

It seems especially fitting to me that the courtroom in 

San Diego is being dedicated to RADM Carlson “Biff” 

LeGrand. 32 years ago I was a fresh lieutenant junior 

grade arriving in Guam for my first duty assignment. 

After 15 hours on a flight from San Francisco, I was 

exhausted but excited about starting my life in the Navy. 

I was relieving “Scotty”, the command judge advocate at the Naval Air Station. Scotty introduced me to 

my legal secretary, handed me the keys, and took off 

with a smile. I turned to leave and the phone rang. I 

dutifully answered, “LTJG Almand speaking, can I help 

you?” “This is LCDR LeGrand at the Naval legal Service Office (NLSO), who are you?” “I’m the new guy 

at the air station – just arrived on island and hour ago.” 

Biff – “Stay where you are, I’ll be right over!” About 

an hour later Biff hurried in with a stack of folders and 

books in his arms. “Hey, welcome aboard. I’m the 

head trial counsel at the NLSO. We’re in the middle 

of a contested drug distribution case that has gone awry 

with some investigative problems, and you are the only 

one on island who isn’t “tainted.” I can’t tell you anything other than that you need to be in court tomorrow, 

ready to pick this up and run with it!” He left me with 

the files, smiled, shook hands with me, wished me luck, 

and told me he would see me in the morning. Biff and 

the rest of the NLSO sat in the peanut gallery the next 

day, told me I “was doing great” during breaks, etc. By 

the way, I lost the case! 

I took an instant liking to Biff – as most people did. 

His energy and affable nature immediately won you 

over. He always listened – a valuable trait we all need 

to develop. I admired and respected him. 15 years later 

Biff tagged me to be his executive officer at NLSO 

Southwest. I relieved him less than a year later when 

he was selected as the Deputy Judge Advocate General, 

and I worked for him again as the commanding officer at NLSO Northeast. I started “working” for Biff 

as a lieutenant junior grade, and promoted to 06 working for him 15 years later. Dedication of a courtroom 

to a man who spent so much time in court himself, who 

trained others to work in them, and who, as the CNLSC 

improved and constructed them, is most appropriate. I 

am honored to have known RADM LeGrand and the 

JAG Corps is better for having him as a senior partner. 

Courtroom continued from page 25

By Lawson Almand

Administrative Law (Code 13)
32 JAG Magazine - 2011 I

Milestones Around the Corps

Milestones Around the Corps! 

Submit your achievements to natalie.morehouse@navy.mil

2009 Naval Legal Service Command 

Superior Performance Awards 

LT James Michau of Naval 

Legal Service Office (NLSO) 

Southwest was selected as the 

Junior Officer of the Year. 

LT Thomas Byrnes of Region 

Legal Service Office (RLSO) 

Southwest was selected as the 

Trial Counsel of the Year. 

LT Kiersten Korczynski of 

NLSO North Central was selected 

as Defense Counsel of the Year. 

LT John Bartlett RLSO Southeast was selected as Command 

Services Attorney of the Year. 

LT Lauren Mayo of NLSO MidAtlantic was selected as Legal 

Assistance Attorney of the Year. 

LT Tracy Kirby of RLSO Southwest was selected as Recruiter of 

the Year. 

2009 Office of the Judge Advocate 

General Legal Excellence Awards 

LT Brian Korn and LCDR 

Marc Brewen were selected 

as the Military Justice Officer 

of the Year and Action Officer 

of the Year, respectively. As an 

appellate defense attorney with 

the Appellate Defense Division 

(Code 45), LT Korn filed more 

than 30 substantive pleadings 

with the Navy-Marine Corps 

Court of Criminal Appeals, 

Court of Appeals for the Armed 

Forces, and the U. S. Supreme 

Court, resulting in the establishment of significant legal precedent. As the Information Litigation Branch Head in the General 

Litigation Division (Code 14), 

LCDR Brewen achieved victories in some of the Navy's most 

important and sensitive litigation cases. Among other accomplishments, LCDR Brewen provided outstanding litigation 

support to the U.S. Attorney's 

office in their prosecution of the 

Somali pirate captured during 

the hostage rescue operations in 

April 2009. LCDR Brewen also 

represented the Navy's interests 

in a class action lawsuit against 

the Department of the Defense 

addressing the disability rating 

given to veterans discharged 

with post-traumatic stress disorder.

RADM Steven Talson, the 

Deputy Judge Advocate General 

(Reserve Affairs & Operations) and 

Deputy Commander, Naval Legal 

Service Command, was promoted to 

Rear Admiral (Upper Half) on Oct. 

1. 

LT Jocelyn Loftus-Williams, 

head of legal assistance for NLSO 

Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia, 

was selected as Naval Legal Service 

Command’s Junior Officer of the 

Quarter for the period April to June 

2010. LT Loftus-Williams oversaw the delivery of legal assistance 

across five offices and three continents. 

The American Bar Association (ABA) selected CDR Caren 

McCurdy to receive the ABA Outstanding Military Service Career 

Judge Advocate Award sponsored 

by the Standing Committee on 

Armed Forces Law. The award recognizes a member of each service 

for demonstrated excellence to the 

legal profession and dedicated community service over an entire legal 

career. 

LT Christopher Toscano was 

awarded the ABA Outstanding 

Young Military Service Lawyer 

Award for the Navy. This award 

recognizes the dedication and excellence of young military attorneys in 

each service.

Every year, a reserve JAG unit is 

selected as the best legal command in the nation. Naval Reserve 

Legal Service Office Northwest (NR 

LSO NW) was recognized for this 

special honor by being chosen as the 

recipient for 2009’s Rear Admiral 

Gilbert Cup Award. 

NR LSO NW is a very small but 

extremely active unit in its accomplishments. Comprised of only eight 

Reserve Legal Service Office Northwest Awarded Gilbert Cup

By CDR Jeremiah J. Sullivan, III

Naval Reserve Legal Service Office Northwest

officers and four enlisted, the unit 

is responsible for covering Alaska, 

Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North 

Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. To serve such a 

broad geographic area, NR LSO NW 

became adept at dispatching mobile 

pre-deployment teams on short 

notice to serve units mobilizing for 

Iraq and Afghanistan. 

During 2009, the unit provided 

372 categories of legal services more 

than 300 clients, with more than 400 

documents prepared and executed. 

Under the leadership of commanding 

and executive officers, NR LSO NW 

conducted 11 mobilization support 

exercises both individually and in 

teams, at eight different Navy Operational Support Centers in Oregon, 

Washington, Montana, Idaho, and 

Alaska. NR LSO NW achieved 100 

percent on Navy Operational Support Center Kitsap’s scorecard for 

mission accomplishment, training 

and unit readiness. 
jag.navy.mil 33

Milestones Around the Corps

The ABA named LCDR Matt 

Sklerov as the winner of the 2010 

Keithe E. Nelson Distinguished 

Service Writing Award for his submission to the Fall 2009 Military 

Law Review entitled, “Solving the 

Dilemma of State Responses to 

Cyberattacks: A Justification For 

The Use Of Active Defenses Against 

States Who Neglect Their Duty To 

Prevent.” This award, in honor 

of the late MG Keithe E. Nelson, 

former Judge Advocate General of 

the Air Force, recognizes professionalism in the field of military law. 

LCDR Nieva Brock was selected 

as the Navy’s 2010 LATINA Style 

Magazine Distinguished Service 

award winner. This award honors 

military members and Department 

of Defense (DoD) civilians who 

supported the DoD mission, overseas contingency operations, and 

demonstrated role model qualities 

and the core values of their respective military service. 

LCDR Christopher Mora and 

LN1 Marcella Begay were recently 

selected to receive the 2010 American Indian Government Employees (SAIGE) Meritorious Service 

Award for their support of Native 

American/Alaskan Native issues. 

LT Janelle Kuroda was awarded 

the Military Service Spirit Award by 

the New York Mets on behalf of all 

Japanese American service members. Japanese Ambassador Shinichi Nishimiya presented the award 

prior to a Mets baseball game at Citi 

Field in New York City. The Spirit 

Award pays tribute to all Japanese 

Americans, past and present. LT 

Kuroda served with Multi-National 

Forces-Iraq in Baghdad, as legal 

advisor to the Commander of Navy 

Region Southwest Asia in Bahrain, and as the legal advisor to the 

Combined Maritime Forces multinational counter-piracy mission. 

The Federal Bar Association 

selected LT Derek Butler as the 

winner of the 2010 Younger Federal 

Lawyers Award. This award recognizes outstanding federal attorneys 

who have three continuous years of 

federal service and who are under 

the age of 36. LT Butler was nominated for his exceptional advocacy 

skills and superb leadership ability 

while serving at RLSO Southeast. 

CDR James Kraska, International Law, has been selected by 

the U.S Navy League to receive the 

2010 Alfred Thayer Mahan Award 

for Literary Achievement. This is 

named for the American naval historian and theorist, RADM Alfred 

Thayer Mahan. 

S.M.A.R.T Moves 2010 has 

selected LT Ayana Pitterson

(Code 61), LN1 Robbin Swilley (RLSO SW), and LNC Megan 

Wenthur (RLSO NW) as recipients of the S.M.A.R.T. Moves 

2010 Outstanding Diversity Military Service Active Duty Awards. 

The S.M.A.R.T. Moves 2010 Outstanding Diversity Military Service Active Duty Awards recognizes 

men and women who best champion 

opportunities for diversity in the 

military.

LN1 (EXW) Richard R. Cocklin was named the first 

Staff Sailor of the Year for U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/

U.S. Tenth Fleet (FLTCYBERCOM/C10F) on Nov. 18. 

“I am very proud and honored to be selected as the first 

Fleet Cyber Command Staff Sailor of the Year,” LN1 Cocklin said. “I know my fellow candidates are all worthy of this 

title, and I find it humbling to be among such exceptional 

Sailors.”

“Standing up the newest echelon II command and numbered fleet staff required nothing but top-performers and 

that is what we received, which made our inaugural Sailor 

of the Year board that much more difficult,” Master Chief 

Petty Officer William A. Lovejoy, Headquarters Staff senior 

enlisted leader said. “Petty officer Cocklin epitomizes the 

Navy’s core values and is a clear leader among his peers. 

His shipmates and family should be very proud!”

LN1 Cocklin, 37, has served in the Navy for more than 

19 years, including two tours supporting security and stability operations in Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa. He 

arrived at Fleet Cyber Command in February.

In addition to supporting the command as an independent duty fleet legalman, LN1 Cocklin played an integral 

part in moving the Navy’s newest fleet toward achieving 

full operational capability by providing meticulous input on 

the command’s initial directives and instructions, ensuring 

that FLTCYBERCOM/C10F started out with a solid administrative foundation. 

He spearheaded the stand up of the high-impact Command Career Counselor program and Morale, Welfare and 

Recreation committee. He also mentored more than 35 

second class petty officers in the Fort Meade-area E5 to 

MCPON program.

CAPT Denise Stich, fleet judge advocate, said LN1 Cocklin exemplifies the complete Sailor and is an exceptional 

representative of Fleet Cyber Command and the Navy.

“From my personal observations as his supervisor, petty 

officer Cocklin is most deserving of this recognition,” she 

said. “He stands out among his peers because he not only is 

an outstanding legal specialist but also a superior leader with 

great initiative. Petty officer Cocklin is definitely one of the 

best Sailors that I’ve been privileged to serve with during my 

24 years in the Navy.”

Cocklin will now represent FLTCYBERCOM at the Vice 

Chief of Naval Operations Shore Sailor of the Year competition in Washington, D.C. U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. 

Tenth Fleet serves as the Navy’s central operational authority 

for cyberspace operations supporting forces afloat and ashore. 

Legalman Named Fleet Cyber Command's First Sailor of the Year

By Fleet Cyber Command Public Affairs
34 JAG Magazine - 2011 I

Photos From The Fleet 

Officers from Navy Legal Service Office Northwest competed in Seattle’s, “Escape From the Rock” Triathlon on Sept 12. Participants swam one-half mile, biked 

8.5 miles and finished with a 2.5 mile run. Pictured from left to right are LTJG Jevon Gibb, Commanding Officer Captain Robert Johnson, LTJG Maggie Villagran, 

LTJG Adrianne Mittelstaedt, LTJG Jarrod Franks and LTJG Leigha Fassett.

CAPT Tammy Tideswell volunteered at the second 

annual Girls Make History Day celebration at the 

U.S. Navy Museum. She, along with other uniformed volunteers, made history come alive for 

nearly 800 children the event. 

MMC Alfred Fuller begins timing as LN3 Tricia Timothy responds to a pipe patching exercise during a 

Damage Control (DC) Olympics competition aboard USS Harry S. unit cohesion in timed events including 

stretcher bearer, FFE/self contained apparatus, shoring, hose team, emergency communications, hose 

handling, and pipe patching.
jag.navy.mil 35

Photos From The Fleet 

CAPT Kevin Brew and LCDR Ed Westbrook are assigned to NATO Training Mission/Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan. CAPT Brew is the 

Senior Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Interior and Afghan National Police. LCDR Westbrook is the Deputy Legal Advisor. CAPT Brew recently helped the Afghan 

National Police initiate recruiting efforts in both the Islamic Law School and the secular School of Law and Political Science at Kabul University. The goal of the 

Afghan National Police is to recruit trained lawyers into their ranks to serve as legal advisors to police commanders throughout Afghanistan. Left to right: MAJ 

Alan Sputz, CAPT Kevin Brew, and LCDR Ed Westbrook at the Islamic Law Faculty of Kabul University.

Officers from Naval Legal Service Office Pacific, Detachment Pearl Harbor gather for a Photo at the 

Region Legal Service Office Hawaii-Naval Legal Service Office Pacific Dining Out in Waikiki July 10. 

Left to right: LTJG Chris Cox, LTJG Phil Rolfing, LT Dom Antenucci (AOIC), LCDR Colleen Harris 

(OIC), and LT Joe Toth.

LCDR Rich Federico and Linguist Khushal 

Ahmadzai about to board a C-130 at Transit 

Center Manas, Kyrgyzstan during an investigative 

mission to Afghanistan.
Photos From The Fleet

Office of the Judge Advocate General

Public Affairs Office

1322 Patterson Ave., SE, Suite 3000

Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5066

Reserve Legalman LN1 Marcheline Robert, LNCS Erin Meadows, LNCM Karen Colaiacovo, LNC 

Sally Webster, and LN1 Jennifer Sikes during their deployment in Afghanistan. (By UT2 Vuong Ta)