LAMP Distinguished Service Award - Winners

Award Winners

Each year the Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel has the honor of selecting recipients of the LAMP Distinguished Service Awards. Those chosen for the Award are individuals and units judged to have set the bar for military legal assistance, by pushing themselves and their practices in extraordinary ways.

Many Americans seem to assume the Judge Advocates only practice in the areas of military justice and operational law—an impression long reinforced in film, television and the media. But the average servicemember knows and appreciates that most military legal services performed by JAG officers and their civilian-lawyer counterparts fall under the legal assistance banner. These civil-law legal services address the same everyday consumer law, family law, landlord-tenant and other legal problems that entangle civilians, with the added complication that deployed servicemembers are entitled to extra legal protection when deployed thousands of miles from their home jurisdictions, and the understanding that unresolved legal issues imperil military morale and readiness.

To the average servicemember, then, the most important military lawyer is the one who works to get him or her out of a jam with a creditor, a landlord, a former spouse or a civilian court, or who makes sure his or her estate is in order before deployment.

The LAMP Distinguished Service Award program shines a light on those blazing paths in military legal assistance, that others might follow. This year as in years past, all of the nominees of the two uniformed services for the LAMP Distinguished Service Award deserve credit for outstanding performance. The Committee has selected the following recipients of the LAMP Distinguished Service Award.

View Past Award Recipients

2022 Award Winners

Army

OSJA, HQ, Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk Legal Assistance Office, LA

Fort Polk Legal Assistance Office provided in-person high quality legal assistance services to clients during the COVID epidemic shutdown, several major hurricanes, and a record winter ice storm. With an officewide staffing shortage, Fort Polk continued to prioritize clients, while also addressing complicated Federal Tort Claims Act claims and aiding installations nationwide on Louisiana estate planning and other complicated state specific laws. During fiscal year 2022, Fort Polk published multiple preventative law handouts and pamphlets, along with providing mass-briefings, for service members and their families. Knowing the burdensome expense of a divorce, Fort Polk also developed a Pro Se Divorce program for eligible clients who desire to file uncontested divorces that do not involve minor children. Fort Polk attorneys are also uniquely qualified to assist, advise, and prepare Louisiana wills for active duty and retired personnel residing in the state. Fort Polk is frequently called upon by all branches of the Armed Forces for the attorneys’ expertise in interpreting Louisiana’s complex estate laws. Fort Polk continues to go beyond the basic mission, elevating their practice to provide accurate, time, appropriate, and quality legal services to Soldiers, family members, retirees, and their Armed Forces teammates.

Mrs. Sun Im Yi, Camp Humphreys, Korea

Mrs. Yi has made numerous impactful contributions to the United States Forces Korea (USFK) marriage process. While the USFK marriage process is necessarily complex and daunting for many, Mrs. Yi enabled clients to exercise their fundamental right to marriage while ensuring the immigration process was not encumbered. Mrs. Yi expertly leveraged her fluent Korean and niche expertise to interface on behalf of clients with multiple government agencies. Mrs. Yi served as the central point of contact for the Camp Humphreys Consolidated Client Legal Services office by synchronizing Army Community Service, the A-3 Visa office, the United States Embassy in Seoul, and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by acting as the central touchpoint for these agencies to ensure that service members and their families had access to vital visa and naturalization services. On top of this, she took the initiative to improve and codify her lessons learned by editing the USFK Regulation 600-240 on International Marriages of USFK Personnel. This undertaking required Mrs. Yi to provide extensive assistance to the USFK J1 and to advocate for revisions that would reduce regulation-based friction points.

Navy

Region Legal Service Office Midwest, Recruit Training Command, and USCIS Chicago Field Office

The Region Legal Service Office Midwest, Navy Recruit Training Command, and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Chicago Field Office worked together to build an innovative naturalization program for Navy recruits during initial recruit training. Due to strong support from both command’s leadership, along with a close working relationship with the USCIS Chicago Field Office, the program has been able to move from a “Pilot Program” to a fully functioning process where every non-citizen Sailor who wants to become a United States citizen is given the opportunity to do so. These groups creatively collaborated to develop this impressive program without receiving any additional personnel or resources. The results have been exceptional: 70 percent of non-citizen Sailors are now able to take the oath of citizenship prior to their boot camp graduation. This marks a significant improvement from a previous recruit naturalization pilot program where less than 10 percent of recruits were able to take the oath of citizenship prior to graduation.

Mr. Manmeet (Manu) Rana, Pearl Harbor, HI

Mr. Rana is an outstanding attorney who provides exceptional service to the legal assistance effort at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. He distinguishes himself, and the service he renders, in three primary ways. First, his peerless familiarity with the Hawaii legal landscape allows him to guide his clients through local court proceedings and pre-litigation disputes with an effectiveness rarely seen in the military legal assistance context. Second, his limitless dedication to providing clients with his time, and following up on their matters, enables the office he anchors to provide extraordinarily individualized attention and effective support to those they are charged with serving. Finally, his boundless commitment to training and mentoring junior judge advocates acts as a force multiplier, perpetually sustaining the foundation for a practice in which all the attorneys are well-trained, versatile, and committed to the effective sharing of knowledge and institutional experience.

Air Force

Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 502d Force Support Group, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, TX

The 502d Force Support Group Legal Office distinguished itself at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston (JBSA-FSH) as one of the busiest legal assistance offices in the Air Force, providing service to the largest Department of Defense (DoD) joint base, with over 684,000 active-duty members, retirees and dependents, and 266 DoD Mission Partners. Fort Sam Houston serves a joint client base including five service branches and the Public Health Service. They provide expanded and tailored legal assistance services to meet the needs of their diverse military community. In 2022, their team helped 5,000 legal assistance and tax clients, and drafted 5,800 documents, which saved clients $1.2 million in fees. The legal office continued to expand legal services, ensuring availability of legal support and expertise to meet the needs of Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) families. They teamed with Military and Family Readiness Center (M&FRC) to provide over 20 hours of training on EFMP issues to over 100 interested families through quarterly M&FRC EFMP Workshops, monthly Legal Lunch & Learn events, and a special EFMP “Back to School” clinic. Additionally, the legal office led Army and Retiree volunteers to complete 1,700 federal and state income tax returns, yielding $2.8 million in tax refunds for the JBSA community and saving $227,000 in preparation fees. JBSA houses the only Tri-Service Medical Education Training Campus and Fort Sam has been able to provide legal resources for over 200 students by providing legal assistance at the METC campus.

Mr. James Bivens, 502d Force Support Group, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, TX

Mr. James Bivens, Pro Se Program Manager and Air Force Paralegal Specialist at Fort Sam Houston, went above and beyond to provide outstanding legal assistance services to the military community in San Antonio. Mr. Bivens built a world-class pro se program and provided superior support to clients with the probate process, divorces, name changes, and other major legal processes. Mr. Bivens met the legal assistance needs of 684,000 retirees and active-duty members, saving them over $320,000 in legal fees. In 2022, Mr. Bivens assisted 153 military families with filing Pro Se Probate petitions in the Texas courts, and prepared probate cases for three military families stationed overseas. Not only did Mr. Bivens guide these military families through the probate process, but he also drafted numerous filing documents, coordinated in-court hearing dates, and prepared clients for their hearings. Mr. Bivens is responsible for approximately 10% of the Probate Docket in Bexar County. Additionally, Mr. Bivens processed sixty Pro Se uncontested divorce cases, saving clients nearly $30,000 in legal fees, and he processed ten Adult/Minor name change cases, saving clients $6,500. Mr. Bivens participated in the Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Retiree Day, where he provided valuable information regarding legal assistance to 411 attendees. Mr. Bivens’ dedication, technical skills, and contributions to military servicemembers, retirees, and their families, demonstrate the substantial impact a paralegal can make to military legal assistance programs around the world.

Marine Corps

Legal Assistance Office, Marine Corps, Camp Lejeune, NC

The Legal Assistance Office, Law Center – Camp Lejeune provides quality, professional legal services regarding civil matters to eligible service members, their dependents, and members of the retired community, while also providing education about legal rights and responsibilities. In 2022, Legal Assistance provided a total of 31,311 legal services, which included a wide variety of family law matters, immigration and naturalization, real estate, landlord-tenant disputes, consumer law and identity theft issues, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act issues, estate planning matters, and others. Also in 2022, this office oversaw the operation of two tax centers, which included preparing and electronically filing a total of 9,001 federal and state income tax returns, which generated approximately $13,463,583 in tax refunds for an estimated total service value of $1,246,257. In the area of preventative and consumer law, the Legal Assistance office also keeps service members informed of current and emerging legal issues. Through a creative mixture of routine and ad hoc briefs, walk-in services, in-person appointments, and online information, the Camp Lejeune legal assistance team provides extensive legal services.

Capt Stephen Owings, Cherry Point, NC

During 2022, Captain Owings led the Cherry Point Legal Assistance Office and skillfully ensured that more than 14,000 servicemembers and countless retirees of MCAS Cherry Point were provided quality legal services. Captain Owings brought his prior experience as a civil litigator to serve each of his clients, while simultaneously investing time and care into the success and welfare of his Marines. Shortly after graduating from Naval Justice School, while concurrently continuing to provide other legal assistance services, Captain Owings led the Tax Center to perform 1,149 federal and state returns for 573 clients. Under his leadership, the 2022 Tax Center provided an estimated value of $83,284 in tax preparation and filing services, resulting in a total refund amount of $1,539,759. Captain Owings also skillfully transitioned the Tax Center’s services to a hybrid model of both in-person and online services, which paved the way to eliminate the need for a physical tax center aboard MCAS Cherry Point in 2023. After the tax season concluded, Captain Owings made the seamless transition to the role of Officer-in-Charge of the Cherry Point Legal Assistance Office that provided a wide array of legal services to 3,606 individual services for the year. Captain Owings’ outstanding leadership, professional competence, and compassion for his clients and Marines has had a profound effect on the Cherry Point Legal Assistance Office.

Coast Guard

Seventh Coast Guard District Legal Assistance Team

The Seventh Coast Guard District Legal Assistance Team demonstrated exceptional service to the armed forces legal assistance effort during the 2022 hurricane season that significantly impacted the Caribbean and Southeastern United States. As approximately 4,500 Coast Guard personnel spread across five operational units were forced to set protection conditions for their units, the Legal Assistance Team made sure that all affected commands knew to inform their personnel about the Legal Assistance Team’s available services. In total, the Legal Assistance Team assisted over 50 families who suffered wind and flood damage from two historically powerful category 4 storms. Their quick response to Coast Guard families immediately following the storms’ passing ensured those families received prompt payments from their insurance companies and government assistance for damages incurred in government-provided housing, restoring to them peace of mind following these life-threatening events.

Ms. Taylor Hart, New London, CT

As the United States Coast Guard Academy Legal Assistance Attorney, Ms. Taylor Hart re-established the legal assistance office at the Academy, which had not been operational for several years, and she innovated several new processes to improve efficiency. Ms. Hart also has become a subject matter expert on assistance to domestic violence victims and has established partnerships with the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance Program, while also creating client centric intimate partner violence training for Coast Guard Legal Assistance Attorneys. Along with the Special Victim Counsel Program, Ms. Hart worked with the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance Program to identify a gap in services for victims of domestic violence to create the Safe Harbor program designed to support victims escaping violence. Ms. Hart also hosted the Coast Guard’s biennial conference for all Coast Guard Legal Assistance Attorneys to review policy, conduct crucial in-person trainings, and provide opportunities to view the Coast Guard mission in action.

Past Award Recipients

2021

Fort Rucker (United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence) Soldier and Family Legal Services Division

Mr. Yosefi Seltzer, Legal Assistance Attorney, Fort Meade, MD

Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) Western Pacific Legal Assistance Department

LT Michael Killius, JAGC, USN

Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 35th Fighter Wing, Misawa Air Base, Japan

Captain Joyclin Webster, 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth Air Force Base, SD

Legal Assistance Office, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC

Captain Mitchell McCulley, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC

Mr. Richard Harris, District 17 Legal, Kodiak, AK

2020

The California Military Department Naturalization Project.

Mr. Rudolph A. “Rudy” Wartella IV, Chief of Soldier and Family Legal Services, 10th Support Group, Okinawa, Japan

Region Legal Service Office Mid-Atlantic (RLSO MIDLANT), Legal Assistance Department, Norfolk, VA

Lieutenant Amy Zajac, Staff Judge Advocate, Region Legal Service Office Western Pacific Branch Office Guam

Office of The Staff Judge Advocate, 5th Bomb Wing, Minot Air Force Base, ND

Captain Hawar Sabir, 19th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, AR

Cherry Point Legal Assistance Office, Cherry Point, NC

Captain Candace R. Valentine, Legal Assistance Office, Legal Services Support Team, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, NC

U.S. Coast Guard 2020 Contingency Response Legal Support Teams

Ms. Belinda Alcantara, Legal Assistance Attorney, Eleventh Coast Guard District, Alameda, CA

2019

Army National Guard Legal Assistance Office for Area Support Group, Kuwait/38th Infantry Division

Captain Matthew Doyle, Chief, Legal Assistance, XVII Airborne Corps

Region Legal Service Office Southwest (RLSO SW), Legal Assistance Department

Lieutenant Rosemarie Lombardi, Legal Assistance Attorney, Region Legal Service Office Southeast (RLSO SE), Branch Office New Orleans, LA

502d Security Forces Group, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, TX

Captain Adam Zenger, 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess Air Force Base, TX

Camp Pendleton Legal Assistance Office, Legal Services Support Section (LSSS), MCI-W, San Diego, CA

Captain Benjamin N. Goodrich, Legal Services Support Section, MCI-PAC, Okinawa, Japan

Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown Legal Assistance Office, Yorktown, VA

Mr. Benjamin McCarty, Legal Assistance Attorney, USCG District One Legal Office, Boston, MA

2018

502d Force Support Group, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, TX

Ms. Memory Heaton, 2d Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, LA

Stuttgart Law Center Legal Assistance Office, Germany

Ms. Barbara Wold, Legal Assistance Attorney, I Corps Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Joint Base Lewis-McChord Legal Assistance Office, WA

Camp Foster Legal Assistance Office, Legal Services Support Section (LSSS), MCI-PAC, Okinawa, Japan

Captain Kevin S. Estes, Officer-in-Charge (OIC), Legal Assistance Office, Legal Services Support Team (LSST), LSSS MCI-PAC, MCAS, Iwakuni, Japan

Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) Hawaii, Legal Assistance Department

Mr. Jason Lawrance, Branch Head and Legal Assistance Provider, Region Legal Service Office Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia (RLSO EURAFSWA) Branch Office London, United Kingdom

United States Coast Guard 2018 Hurricane Legal Support Teams

2017

Staff Sergeant Brent W. Johnson, 355th Fighter Wing, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, AZ

Special Victims' Counsel Division, Air Force Legal Operations Agency, Joint Base Andrews, MD

Ms. Traci J. Voelke, Legal Assistance Attorney, Fort Belvoir, VA

Fort Gordon Legal Assistance Office, Fort Gordon, GA

LA Office, LSSS, MCI-East: Legal Assistance Office, Camp Lejeune, NC

Captain Robert McManimon, Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Legal Assistance Office, LSSS, MCI-PAC, Okinawa, Japan

Region Legal Service Office Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia (RLSO EURAFSWA)

Ms. Cynthia Catalan-Rodriguez, Legal Assistance (LA) Attorney, Region Legal Service Office Southeast (RLSO SE) detachment Mayport (Det Mayport)

Eleventh Coast Guard District Legal Assistance Team, Alameda, CA

2016

673d Air Base Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, AK

Mr. James Bivens, Jr., 502d Force Support Group, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, TX

The Baumholder Legal Assistance Office

Ms. Dorothy Edgerton, Chief Legal Assistance, Fort Jackson, SC

Legal Assistance Office, Legal Services Support Team, Legal Service Support Section, Marine Corps Installation-West, Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, CA

Captain Joseph Lewis, Officer in Charge, Legal Assistance Office, Legal Services Support Team, Legal Service Support Section, Marine Corps Installations-Pacific, Camp Butler, Okinawa, Japan

Region Legal Service Office Southeast

Mr. Luis Martin Mesa, Legal Assistance Attorney, Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) EURAFSWA

2015

81st Training Wing, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, MS

Captain Travis P. Brinton, 633d Air Base Wing, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA

Mr. Brian J. Novak, 502d Security Forces and Logistics Support Group, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Joint Base San Antonio, San Antonio, TX

The Fort Bragg Tax Center, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Legal Assistance Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, NC

Captain Tanya Mayes, Military Justice/Administrative Law Judge Advocate General, 80th

Thirteenth Coast Guard District Legal Assistance Team (D13), Thirteenth Coast Guard District, Seattle, WA

Mr. James Nicholson, Legal Assistance Attorney/Legal Service Command (LSC), District 5, Norfolk, VA

Legal Services Support Team, Legal Assistance Office, Camp Pendleton, CA

Captain Adam LoCascio, Defense Attorney, Defense Services Office, Legal Assistance Support Team, 29 Palms, CA

Legal Service Office (RLSO) Naval District Washington, Legal Assistance Department, Washington Navy Yard, DC

Lieutenant Sarah A. Aguero, Legal Assistance Attorney, Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) Southeast, Branch Office Corpus Christi, TX

Mr. Daniel G. Jones, Legal Assistance Attorney, Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) Northwest, Branch Office Bangor

Office of the Judge Advocate General (OJAG), Code 16, Disability Evaluation System (DES) Counsel Program, Formal Physical Evaluation Board (FPEB) Section, Washington Navy Yard, DC

2014

87th Air Base Wing (87 ABW/JA), Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ

Captain Morgan Christie, Chief of Legal Assistance & Civil Law, 97th Air Mobility Wing (97 AMW/JA), Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Altus Air Force Base, OK

Legal Assistance Office, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC), Presidio of Monterey, Monterey, CA

Mr. Bradley J. Huestis, Chief of Client Services, 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command (7A JMTC), Grafenwoehr, Germany

Legal Assistance Twentynine Palms, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Legal Services Support Team-Twentynine Palms, Palms, CA

Captain Mika’il Ali, Officer-in-Charge, Legal Assistance Section, Legal Services Support Team-Twentynine Palms, Palms, CA

Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) Japan

Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) Northwest

Mr. Nicholas King, Assistant Department Head, Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) Southwest

2013

502d Force Support Group, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Joint Base San Antonio –Fort Sam Houston, TX

Captain Donald “Rick” Weeks, III, chief of Legal Assistance, 96th Test Wing, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Eglin Air Force Base, FL

The Fort Sill Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Legal Assistance Office, Fort Sill, OK

Mr. Russell H. Putnam, Jr., Legal Assistance Attorney, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 3d Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, GA

Fourteenth Coast Guard District Legal Office, Fourteenth Coast Guard District, Honolulu, HI

Mr. Stephen Crawford, Legal Assistance Attorney, Coast Guard District Eight, New Orleans, LA

Camp Foster Okinawa Legal Assistance Office, Legal Service Support Team, Marine Corps Installations Pacific, Okinawa

Captain Nicholas Mull, Officer-in-Charge, Camp Foster Legal Assistance Office, Legal Service Support Team, Marine Corps Installations Pacific, Okinawa

Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) Hawaii, Joint Base Pearl Harbor, HI

Mr. Dwain Alexander, II, Senior Legal Assistance Attorney, Region Legal Service Office Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, VA

Commander Andrew R. House, Deputy Assistant Judge Advocate General for Legal Assistance, Deputy Chief of Staff, Victims Legal Counsel, Office of the Judge Advocate General (Code 16), Washington Navy Yard, DC

2012

31st Fighter Wing, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Aviano Air Base, Italy

Captain Joe Ahlers, Chief of Legal Assistance, 97th Air Mobility Wing, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Altus Air Force Base, OK

Joerg C. Moddelmog, Senior German Attorney–Advisor, Kaiserslautern Legal Services Center

Mr. Stephen Lynch, Legal Assistance Attorney, Ninth District Legal Office, Cleveland, OH

Legal Assistance Office, Legal Service Support Team, MCRD Parris Island, SC

Captain William Morrison, Officer–in–Charge, Legal Assistance Office, Camp Foster Okinawa

Region Legal Service Office Southwest

Ms. Sarah Courageous, Legal Assistance Attorney, Region Legal Service Office Hawaii

CAPT Kevin Patrick Flood, JAGC, USN (Ret.), Law Office of Kevin Patrick Flood, Jacksonville, FL

COL Mark E. Sullivan, USAR (Ret.), Law Offices of Mark E. Sullivan, P.A., Raleigh, NC

2011

35th Fighter Wing, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Misawa Air Force Base, Japan

Lieutenant Andrew Coffin, JAGC, USN, Naval Legal Service Office Pacific (Guam)

Coast Guard District Seventeen Legal Office, Juneau, AK

Ms. Elizabeth K. Fuglestad, Legal Assistance Attorney, Thirteenth District Legal Office, Seattle, WA

Joint Legal Assistance Office (LAO), Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, CA

Ms. Leah Copeland, Legal Assistance Attorney, 633d Air Base Wing, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE), VA

Mr. Michael Archer, Director of Legal Assistance, Marine Corps Installations East, Camp Lejeune, NC

Naval Legal Service Office Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia (NLSO EURAFSWA)

Mr. Terry Spearman, Paralegal, XVIII Airborne Corps, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Legal Assistance, Fort Bragg, NC

2010

Mr. Charles P. "Chuck" Koutras, Legal Assistance Attorney, US Army South, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Fort Sam Houston, TX

Reserve Judge Advocate Command Support Section, Legal Services Support Section, Marine Forces Reserve (RJACSS)

355 FW/JA, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Legal Office, Tucson, AZ

Mr. Brian Novak, Chief of Legal Assistance Division and Tax Center Manager, 502 Air Base Group, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston, TX

Naval Legal Service Office Mid-Atlantic (NLSO MIDLANT), Norfolk, VA

LT Matthew C. Cox, JAGC, USN,  Naval Legal Service Office Pacific (Pearl Harbor, Hawaii)

North Carolina National Guard (NCNG), NC

2009

Coast Guard Legal Assistance Field Response Team for Lost CG-1705 Aircraft, Alameda, CA

Legal Assistance Division, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Maneuver Center for Excellence, Fort Benning, GA

3d Infantry Division and Fort Stewart Office of the Staff Judge Advocate Legal Assistance Team, GA

Consolidated Legal Service Office, Camp LeJeune, NC

86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany

LT Garrett S. Snow, JAGC, USN, Naval Legal Service Office Pacific, Yokosuka, Japan

LtCol Adam E. Torem, USAFR, 11th Air Force, Elmendorf Air Force Base, AK.

2008

6^th Air Mobility Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida

Warner-Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia

Mr. George Sabga, Volunteer, Naval Legal Service Office Southwest

Naval Legal Service Office Pacific

2007

Lieutenant Graham C. Winegeart, JAGC, Naval Legal Service Office Pacific,  Detachment Guam

Lieutenant Michele V. Rosen, JAGC, Region Legal Service Office, Europe and Southwest Asia, Naples, Italy

Legal Assistance Office, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina

48th Fighter Wing, Legal Assistance and Preventive Law Division, RAF  Lakenheath, UK

Maintenance and Logistics Command Atlantic, General Law Branch, Legal Division

2006

Lieutenant Colonel Ferah Ozbek, Patrick AFB, FL

Legal Assistance Office, 101^st Airborne Division (Air Assault) & Fort Campbell, KY

Legal Assistance Office, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Beaufort, SC

Naval Legal Service Office North Central, Washington, DC

2005

Major Michael R. Martinez, Fort Carson, CO

81^st Training Wing (81 TRW), Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Keesler Air Force Base, MS

Third Infantry Division and Fort Stewart, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate Legal Assistance Office, Fort Stewart, GA

Coast Guard Hurricane Response Legal Assistance Team

• CG Academy, New London, CT
• CG Headquarters (COMDT G-L-6), Washington, DC
• CG MLCA Legal Division, Norfolk, VA
• CG MLCP Legal Division, Alameda, CA
• Eighth CG District, New Orleans, LAFirst CG District, Boston, MA
• Integrated Support Command Kodiak, Kodiak, AK
• Ninth CG District, Cleveland, OH
• Seventh CG District, Miami, FL
• Thirteenth CG District, Seattle, WA
  

Naval Legal Service Office Central, Pensacola, FL

Mr. Dwain Alexander, Navy Legal Service Office (NLSO) Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, VA

2004

Ms. Lisa J. Johnson, Paralegal, Navy Legal Service Office (NLSO) Southeast, Jacksonville, FL

Captain Eric S. Montalvo, Trial Counsel, OSJA, MCB, Quantico, VA

Captain Luisa Santiago, Chief, Legal Assistance/Foreign Claims, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Headquarters, Combined Joint Task Force 73, Bagram, Afghanistan

Lieutenant Jonathan Scott Simpson, Branch Head, Naval Legal Service Office Europe and Southwest Asia, London, UK

“TEAM PACAF”: Headquarters, Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), 15th Airlift Wing (PACAF), 354th

Fighter Wing (PACAF) and 154 Wing (Hawaii Air National Guard), Hickam Air Force Base, HI

2003

Mr. Kenyon E. Luce, Washington State Bar Association

Captain Pete Seidler, Head, United States Coast Guard Office of Legal Policy & Program Development

Lieutenant Jeremy Kimball Call, NLSO PAC, Yokosuka, Japan

Lieutenant Edward K. Westbrook, NLSO SW Branch Office, Naval Air Station Leemore, California

311th Support Command Corps (COSCOM)

2002

Legal Assistance Office, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego CA

Naval Legal Service Office Southeast, Jacksonville, FL

Captain Brandy Falk

Colonel George Hancock

Mr. Stephen Lynch

Captain Samuel F. Wright

2001

Joint Services Family Assistance Center Legal Team

September 11th Pro Bono Legal Relief Project

Colonel John S. Odom, Jr.

Captain Bruce E. MacDonald

Captain Jerry Alonzo Stevenson II

Captain Steven Fromm

2000

Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Legal Office, Georgia

Task Force Falcon Legal Assistance Office, Office of the Legal Advisor, Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo

Mr. Paul K. Davis, Southeast Regional Office, Federal Trade Commission, Georgia

Maintenance & Logistics Command Pacific Legal Assistance Program, California

Joint Legal Assistance Office, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California

Naval Legal Service Office Southwest, San Diego, California

1999

Legal Assistance Office, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, CA

Legal Assistance Office, Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA

Mr. Lou Sherman and the Fort Polk Legal Assistance Division, Ft. Polk, LA

3WG/JA Legal Assistance Program, Elmendorf Air Force Base, AK

Captain James Key, USAF, Anderson Air Force Base, Guam

Mr. John McHenry, Naval Legal Service Office Southwest, San Diego, CA

1998

Naval Legal Service Office Northwest, Naval Base Seattle, WA

Task Force Eagle Legal Assistance Office, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Tuzla, Bosnia Herzegovina

Mr. Jim Brennan, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Fort Eustis, VA

Legal Assistance Section, Client Services Division, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Fort Sam Houston, TX

Lieutenant Brandon S. Keith, JAGC, USNR, Naval Legal Service Office, Southeast Detachment, Mayport, FL

Captain Theresa Bruno, USAF, Peterson Air Force Base, CO

1997

Captain Aaron E. Kornblum, USAF, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, WY

Mr. Kenyon E. Luce, Washington State Bar Association

Ms. Robin Coll, Civilian, Naval Legal Service Office, Mid-Atlantic

1996

US Army 2nd Infantry Division Tax Center

Lieutenant Commander Ronald Johnson, JAGC, U.S. Navy, Naval Justice School, Newport, RI

Legal Assistance Office, Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha, NE

Legal Division, Coast Guard Maintenance and Logistics Command Atlantic

Mr. Richard Arkow, Chief, Marine Corps Legal Assistance Consolidated Legal Assistance Office, Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, NC

Legal Assistance Office, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC

Legal Assistance Division, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Fort Benning, GA

Legal Assistance Office, Joint Law Center, Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, Santa Ana, CA

Legal Assistance Office, Legal Services Center, Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe, HI

1995

Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Block, USA, Chief, Legal Assistance Branch, The U.S. Army Judge

Advocates Generals' School, Charlottesville, VA

Elisa Holland, Eighth Coast Guard District Legal Office, New Orleans, March, 1995

Angel Caldwell, Eighth Coast Guard District Legal Office, New Orleans, March, 1995

Joint Legal Assistance Office, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, CA

Naval Legal Service Office, Southeast Jacksonville, FL

1994

Lieutenant James Walsh, JAGC, USNR, Naval Legal Service Office Northeast, Groton, CT

Lieutenant Colonel George Hancock, USA, The U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's School, Charlottesville, VA

Captain Samuel W. Morris, USA, 1st Infantry Division (Mech) and Fort Riley, Fort Riley, KS

Mr. Jerry E. Shiles, Chief, Legal Assistance Division, 21st Theater Army Area Command Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, NC

Naval Legal Service Office, Europe and Southwest Asia

Colonel Alfred F. Arquilla, USA, Chief, Army Legal Assistance

1993

Captain Laurel L. Wilkerson, USA, Legal Assistance Division, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U. S. Army

Major Mary L. Hostetter, USMC, The U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's School, Charlottesville, VA

Captain Kerry M. Wheelehan, USA, Chief of Legal Assistance, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, NC

Captain Janet K. Mansfield, USA, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, HQ, I Corps and Fort Lewis, WA

Consolidated Legal Assistance Office, Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, NC

Mr. Gunter D. Filippucci, Chief of Legal Assistance, Southern Law Center, Mannheim, Germany

Mr. Daniel McKernan, Fort Bliss, TX

1992

Mr. Juan J. Turull Echevarria, Coast Guard Greater Antilles Section, San Juan, PR

Legal Division, Coast Guard Maintenance and Logistics Command, Atlantic Legal Office, 7th Coast Guard District

Legal Assistance Office, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, NY

Captain Michael McWright,USA, 24th Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, GA

Captain Kurt D. Schmidt, USA, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, NC

Captain Julie Schrenk, USA, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, NC

Office of the District Counsel, Jacksonville District, South Atlantic Divison, US Army Corps of Engineers

Air Force legal personnel involved in the Hurricane Andrew relief efforts

1991

Naval Legal Service Office, Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines

Legal Assistance Offices, Clark Air Force Base, Philippines and Andersen Air Force Base, Guam

Naval Legal Service Office, Jacksonville, FL

1990

Legal Assistance Office, Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Warner Robins, GA

Lieutenant Commander Jay J. Kessler, JAGC, USN, Naval Legal Service Office, San Francisco, CA

The Judge Advocate General, U.S. Army

The Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy

The Judge Advocate General, U.S. Air Force

The Director, Judge Advocate Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps

The Chief Counsel, U.S. Coast Guard

Lieutenant Colonel Gregory M. Huckabee, USA, Deputy Chief, Army Legal Assistance

Major James P. Pottorff, Jr.,USA, The U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's School, Charlottesville, VA

1989

Captain Anthony M. Cacavio, USAF, Eglin Air Force Base, FL

Naval Legal Service Office, San Diego, CA

Family Law Center, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 25th Infantry Division (Light), Schofield Barracks, HI

Major Bernard P. Ingold, USA, The U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's School, Charlottesville, VA

1988

Naval Legal Service Office, Naval Base, Charleston, SC

Major General Hugh R. Overholt, USA, Judge Advocate General, U.S. Army

1987

Major Richard H. McCall, Jr., USA, Chief, Legal Assistance Division, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, NC

The Office of the Attorney General, State of North Carolina

Chief Petty Officer Stephen C. Bowles, USCG

1986

Captain Joseph P. Dugdale, USMC

Major Steven K. Mulliken, USA

Legal Assistance Office, U.S. Army, Berlin

1985

Consolidated Legal Assistance Section, Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, NC

Major Charles W. Hemingway, USA

Gander Legal Assistance Support Team, U.S. Army

Legal Assistance Office, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, CA

Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Plattsburgh Air Force Base, NY

1984

Elmendorf Base Legal Office, Elmendorf Air Force Base, AK

1983

Legal Assistance Office, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Fort Dix, NJ

Joint Legal Assistance Office, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, CA

Major Harlan M. "Mike" Heffelfinger, USA

1982

Captain Timothy J. Grendell, USA

Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, RAF, Alconbury, England

Major J. Edward Reaves, Jr., JAGC, USAF

Captain Steven H. Muse, USA, Chief of Legal Assistance Office, Fort Sam Houston, TX

Legal Assistance Office, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Sam Houston, TX

1981

Legal Assistance Office, U.S. Army Air Defense Center and Fort Bliss, Fort Bliss, TX

Legal Assistance Office, Air Force Systems Command

Lieutenant Byron C. Rhodes, JAGC, USNR

Nellis Law Center, Nellis Air Force Base, NV

Legal Assistance Branch, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 7th Infantry Division and Fort Ord, CA

Lieutenant Leonard F. Villa, JAGC, USNR, Naval Service Office, Norfolk, VA

1980

Legal Assistance Office, Naval Legal Service Office, San Diego, CA

Mrs. Elizabeth F. Buchanan, Legal Assistance Attorney, Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa

1979

Legal Assistance Office, Patrick Air Force Base, Satellite Beach, FL

Mr. James Costello, Legal Assistance Attorney, Seventh Coast Guard District, Miami, FL

Legal Assistance Office, 2nd Armored Division, Fort Hood, TX

Other Awards

Outstanding Legal Assistance Student Award