Judge Advocate General - Army Strong Stories

Blast from the Past

Thomas Harper — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:44:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
21 May 2012 (I carefully considered a title for my first post in 6 months. So carefully, in fact, that I decided on the same title as the miserable Brendan Fraser movie from '99. Hello $1.99 DVD bin.) Some of you reading this may have read my JAG OBC/DCC blog from February – June 2011. Others of you may have clicked on this particular blog for the first time as you saw it pop up on the Army Strong Stories...read more

A Macabre Anniversary

Benjamin Grimes — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:41:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
On 13 April 1961 -- 51 years ago -- Private John Bennett was hung by the neck until dead. PVT Bennett was the last service member to be executed for a death sentence imposed by court-martial. There are currently 6 people on the military's 'death row.' The military -- like civilian courts -- has a long history with capital (death penalty) litigation, and it seems that recent history is giving us ample opportunity to continue this piece of our criminal practice....read more

Am I Really That Old?

Benjamin Grimes — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:05:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
If you're like me, you probably don't realize you're getting older. Despite all the signs -- regrettably thinning hair, a few more pounds on my used-to-be lithe frame, two kids at home -- I just don't picture myself much older than the young, stupid kid who can do anything and is always right (even though I know and can acknowledge I'm sometimes -- sometimes -- wrong). But a couple weeks ago, a conversation at the office hit home and made me realize how old...read more

Life of a Judge Advocate

Michael Kanabrocki — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:03:00 GMT

By: Michael Kanabrocki
The first order of business is my disclaimer: The views expressed in my “Army Strong Story” are mine alone, and do not reflect the official policy, position, or opinion of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the United States Government. With that out of the way, let’s begin. I know nothing about any of you who my read my story, but here is a little about me. I was born a little over four decades ago, and raised in Brooklyn, New...read more

SXSW Recap

Benjamin Grimes — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:54:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
Austin was great! This was my first trip and let me put all the Texas-phobes (like me) at ease, it was nothing like the Texas I feared it might be. Austinites are an eclectic bunch, and the addition of thousands tech conference goers just added to the mixed bag of folks we got to rub elbows with. The town's motto is "Keep Austin Weird," and weird it was, in the best way. Great food, great people (of all stripes) and some welcome sunshine for my rain-weary...read more

SXSW!

Benjamin Grimes — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:34:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
It feels like I've been working at full speed for weeks. Part of that is self-imposed stress -- like most Soldiers, I try to hold myself to high standards -- and part of it is that the business of justice rarely takes a holiday. But this week I have a pretty rare opportunity to step back and spend some time doing something completely different. If you follow me on Twitter (@MAJGrimes) you know that I'm in Austin this week for SXSW. I can't tell you how...read more

A New Model for Leadership?

Benjamin Grimes — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 04:38:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
This is a little late in coming, but an article I read earlier this month in Harvard Business Review caught my attention and got me thinking again about how leadership is evolving in the civilian world and what - if anything - that means to us in the Army. "Is Command and Collaborate the New Leadership Model" offers some interesting thoughts on how the democratization of business and information is changing subordinate expectations and leadership methods....read more

Don't Mess with Your Attorney

Benjamin Grimes — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:58:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
Last week the Fort Lewis (JBLM) Trial Defense Service office took another trip to the indoor marksmanship range. Though the light wasn't the best for shooting pictures with my phone, it was sufficient for all of us to qualify on both the 9mm pistol and the M-4 assault rifle. I managed to shoot 30 for 30 with the pistol and 38 for 40 on the rifle -- not bad for a lawyer! Here are a few pics of the team in action. These are the folks you want defending you - in court...read more

Message Matters - Soldiers and Crime?

Benjamin Grimes — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:13:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
This week saw a pair of headlines -- one on Sunday and one this morning -- that had me thinking about more than just what the news is, but also how it's reported. Our local paper, the Tacoma News Tribune, led with these front page headlines headlines: "With more soldiers comes more crime" (29 Jan 12) and "'Kill team' saga ends as charges dropped" (4 Feb 12) -- attention-grabbing to say the least. The first story was about how the rate of crime has...read more

Views on the JLTV

Veronica Hansen — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:46:00 GMT

By: Veronica Hansen
One of the many things I have learned as an Intermediate Level Education (ILE) student here at Fort Gordon are the principles of Force Management. Specifically, how a new weapon or system or vehicle needs to be assessed using DOTMLPF (Doctrine, Organization, Training, Material, Leadership, Personnel, and Facilities) and how the Army needs to equip to meet ARFORGEN requirements. In this context, my blog contribution is focused on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). Before...read more

Training Trial Counsel

Carlos Ramirez-Vazquez — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:07:00 GMT

By: Carlos Ramirez-Vazquez
Well, I can't believe it's been a year since I've posted. A lot has happened since the thick of the 2010 tax season. I finished up at the Tax Center in May of last year and transitioned over to Criminal Law. I'm currently serving as the trial counsel (prosecutor) for the Army Logistics University, US Army Garrison Fort Lee, Kenner Army Health Clinic, Bull Dental Clinic and HHC, CASCOM. This is a challenging job where I advise 4 Special Court Martial Convening...read more

The Content of Our Character

Benjamin Grimes — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:36:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
I spent most of the day returning from a short - but needed, and appreciated - family vacation. We didn't go far, but we did enjoy spending some quiet time together hiking, reading, and enjoying some beautiful views (and the season's first snowfall). On the way home, while listening to NPR, I caught the replay Dr. King's 'I Have a Dream' speech from 1963. I'm a bit ashamed to admit I'd never heard the whole thing, but I listened today and it got me...read more

Old Hobbies are New Again

Benjamin Grimes — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 08:27:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
Christmas and the Northwest's almost never-ending rain have collided to bring me back to a minor hobby I had in college. Though it pains me to think about how long ago it was, I have to admit it's been nearly 17 years since I did any rock climbing. I was never great, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. I picked it up while spending a semester at the Coast Guard Academy (a story for another day) and found it really suited me at the time. I took a class and then stuck...read more

What's Next

Benjamin Grimes — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:29:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
In the midst of a crazy time of new babies, courts-martial, and assorted office fires to put out, I found out last week what my next assignment will be. I'll be headed back to the JAG School to teach criminal law! This is a GREAT job, and one that I honestly didn't expect to get. Not only am I looking forward to getting back east and back to a place I know (instead of starting from scratch again), I'm also looking forward to getting back into an assignment that...read more

Training to Defend Soldiers

Benjamin Grimes — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 03:38:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
I'm wrapping up a week in San Antonio with much of the Army's Trial Defense Service (TDS), talking about defending sexual assault cases. Over the last couple years, the Army (and the military generally) has made a big push to ensure our Soldiers remain safe within the ranks and has gone to great lengths to educate everyone about the dangers of sexual assault and to punish those who commit those crimes. Part of the TDS mission is to ensure the rights of those accused are...read more

Week 6 at DCC and Final Thoughts

Gary Owen — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:42:00 GMT

By: Gary Owen
Last week was the end of what seems like a long journey. “Graduation week” was a relatively uneventful period. Monday started off with PT for most folks. I say most folks because there were two-dozen class members who went to the Medical Clinic to have their injuries evaluated and recorded. As two-thirds of the class is from the Reserve Component, any injury sustained during active service must be documented as a “line of duty” injury or the...read more

Veterans' Day Melancholy

Benjamin Grimes — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:05:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
I went into this Veterans' Day weekend watching a Soldier being found guilty for murdering three Afghan civilians while deployed last year. Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs was charged with being the ring leader in what the media has dubbed a rogue 'kill squad.' The defense of these Soldiers at trial fell to the Army's Trial Defense Service and a collection of civilian attorneys who took on these cases. I wish I'd had a more significant role in preparing these...read more

A Brief Return to the Recruiting Trenches

Benjamin Grimes — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:31:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
As we do every year in November (and March), the JAG Corps recently closed another application window for folks interested in becoming Judge Advocates or summer interns. In a previous assignment (way back when, when I first started writing here at ArmyStrongStories), I used to manage our Field Screening Officer program, the group of officers we send out to law school campuses to interview applicants. Since leaving that assignment, I really had been a bit out of the recruiting...read more

Week 5 at DCC

Gary Owen — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 18:46:00 GMT

By: Gary Owen
This week was “Patrolling Week”. It is the one chance we get to truly taste the life of an infantryman. Monday started with PT for those that had already been through the convoy simulator. For those that had not, we made our way over to complete the simulation. The simulator was an interesting experience. Basically, 20 people mounted 5 Humvees and conducted a four truck route clearing mission. A driver, truck commander, two dismounts and a gunner...read more

A New Grimes

Benjamin Grimes — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 21:40:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
I finally have a good excuse for a long absence -- my wife and I recently welcomed our second child to the family. Work has continued to be crazy (and to inspire concern about command concern for Soldiers and the legal advice they get) and coupled with sleepless nights at home has meant that I haven't had the energy to sit down and write. Now that my baby girl is about 2 months old - and we're both sleeping a little more - I've got a lot to catch up on. So...read more