General George Washington

Last November (2009), I was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army (Iowa Army National Guard) Judge Advocate General Corps. A condition of my commission is the successful completion of the Army's eighteen-week Judge Advocate Officer Basic Course (JAOBC), which begins, appropriately enough, tomorrow - July 4, 2010 - at Ft. Lee, Virginia.

I am not the first to complete this training and I certainly won't be the last. Although this site will be written from my perspective and is for the benefit of my family and friends, it is not about me, rather, it is about the one hundred or so members of the 182nd JAOBC class and our transition from Army Officers to Army JAG Officers.

General George Washington founded the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps on July 29, 1775. Judge advocates (JAs) are deployed throughout the United States and around the world. JAs provide legal assistance to soldiers, adjudicate claims against the Army, advise commands on aspects of operational law, and assist the command in administering military justice, including, trying criminal cases at court-martial.

The branch insignia (above picture) consists of a gold pen crossed above a gold sword, superimposed over a laurel wreath. The pen signifies the recording of testimony, the sword represents the military character of the JAG Corps, and the wreath indicates honor. The "1775" on the ribbon below the shields refers to the year of the Corps' establishment (all of the above facts regarding the Army JAG Corps are according to wikipedia, so you know they are accurate).