-
I’m in Las Vegas for three days, attending BlogWorld, talking about the Army and its social media position. I stopped for coffee this morning and started thinking a bit about how I ended up here. I mean, really, how in the world did I get here? I haven’t talked much about growing up, but I did so in a single-parent family in York, PA. My mom has been a social worker her entire adult life. (And for those who don’t know, that doesn’t...read more
-
It's official - I'm headed out next week to Las Vegas to talk about the Army and Army Strong Stories at the BlogWorld & New Media Expo! I'll be out there with a few other folks, spreading the word about what the Army has to offer and why blogging is important to us. We'll be there for the whole conference, from Thursday to Saturday and you can expect to get updates from me both here at ArmyStrongStories.com and via my Twitter feed (@MAJGrimes). Stay...read more
-
This week I'm spending a few days in Chicago with my supervisor (the Regional Defense Counsel), one of my subordinate counsel, and a conference room full of defense and prosecution attorneys. We're here talking about sexual assault and the sorts of expert testimony that is available and useful in these sorts of cases. We started yesterday, and if the rest of the week is as good, this is going to be a really good week. Each day we have a few hours of presentation from two...read more
-
Last time I wrote, I mentioned two administrative actions that were worrying me. What I didn’t do, though, is explain how those actions work or what Trial Defense attorneys can do for Soldiers dealing with them. Today I’ll start a series of TDS 101 articles, describing what the Trial Defense Service is, what we do, where we came from, and why we’re the premier public defender organization in the United States. First, admin actions. Much of...read more
-
One of the reasons I love being part of the Army's Trial Defense Service (TDS) is the opportunity to make a direct impact on Soldiers' lives at some of their lowest, toughest times. I like to think that the compassion that I and my attorneys have for them is shared by their commanders and the military justice system at large. The last few weeks, however, my faith in the inherent fairness of "the system" and the reasonsed discretion of commanders has been shaken....read more
-
My new role as part of the Trial Defense Service (TDS) is a little bit different from every other legal job in the Army. TDS attorneys work for Soldiers and officer accused of crimes just like any civilian attorney would. We are there to represent the Soldier, not the commander, not the Army. In the Army, the opportunity to form attorney-client relationships is rare, and even more rare is a chance to be an advocate for someone when so much can be at stake for your...read more
-
Long absences from the blog before were usually 2-3 weeks. It's been nearly 2 months now since I've last written and I've got far more to cover than I can do in just one post. I want to talk about a few things, but some it is just going to have to be left out. I graduated from The Judge Advocate Graduate Course on 20 May and shortly thereafter set off on a 3-week cross-country odyssey with my family. Preparing to move -- as it always is in the Army -- is both...read more
-
As part of the Graduate Course here at The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center & School, we've had the opportunity to take a number of elective course, and I've spent most of my available credits studying International Law topics. One of the most interesting (and the last class of the year I need to attend) is my Rule of Law elective. We've spent our time discussing what 'rule of law' really is and how the United States is working to establish and...read more
-
It's been a great week here at the JAG School and I've got three great events I'd like to share (in addition to a re-cap of BG McMaster's leadership discussion, which I have mentioned before). Keep reading for a follow-up on the leadership discussion that started a few weeks ago, involving the JAG Corps' warrant officers; and stay tuned for two more posts coming shortly to talk about a visit from one of the Army's senior trial judges (he spoke to my Military...read more
-
While I still need to review my notes from BG McMaster's discussion with us (a few weeks ago), I thought I'd jump right on some thoughts from a senior Marine Corps officer who spoke with us today. (Remember, The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center & School enforces a non-attribution policy - an important feature that fosters open conversation - so no names.) Suffice it to say, this was an officer who's been around and offered some thoughts on legal service that are definitely...read more
Soldier Blog Posts Rss
Profile
Benjamin Grimes
| Affiliation: | Active Duty |
|---|---|
| Rank: | Major |
| Branch: | Judge Advocate General |
| MOS/AOC: | JAG Corps Attorney/27A |
| Location: | Tacoma, WA |
| Hometown: | York |
About Me:
MAJ Grimes has been in the Army since graduating from the United States Military Academy (West Point) in 1996, spending his first 4 years in service as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot before being selected to attend law school under the Funded Legal Education Program.
Since graduating from New York University School of Law, MAJ Grimes has served as an Administrative Law Attorney, Trial Counsel (Prosecutor) and Senior Trial Counsel, Brigade Legal Adviser, Trial Defense Counsel, and Judge Advocate Recruiting Officer. After earning his LL.M. from the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center & School, he was assigned as the Senior Defense Counsel for Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in Washington state.
His previous assignments include Fort Rucker (Alabama), South Korea, Fort Campbell (Kentucky), Germany, Fort Myer (Virginia) and Washington, D.C., and deployment to Iraq as the Senior Trial Counsel for Multi-National Corps -- Iraq. MAJ Grimes is married and has two children.
Since graduating from New York University School of Law, MAJ Grimes has served as an Administrative Law Attorney, Trial Counsel (Prosecutor) and Senior Trial Counsel, Brigade Legal Adviser, Trial Defense Counsel, and Judge Advocate Recruiting Officer. After earning his LL.M. from the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center & School, he was assigned as the Senior Defense Counsel for Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in Washington state.
His previous assignments include Fort Rucker (Alabama), South Korea, Fort Campbell (Kentucky), Germany, Fort Myer (Virginia) and Washington, D.C., and deployment to Iraq as the Senior Trial Counsel for Multi-National Corps -- Iraq. MAJ Grimes is married and has two children.
Social Media