I loved the legal field. It was exciting. My job was never boring to me. I always wanted to learn something new and as soon as I'd get that down, I'd want to move onto something new. I especially liked working in Admin law because I was the only enlisted soldier in that department. It wasn't too long after my first promotion that I got another, then another and now I was a PFC (Private First Class). That's why when I was informed I'd be moving I was floored and disappointed. What did I want to do? Why of course, cry.
My NCOIC called me into his office one day and told me a soldier in our division was getting reassigned and would be joining JAG and I'd be moving across the hall to Criminal Law. I felt like I was being punished for something -like I was doing a bad job. Of course, I didn't say anything --mostly in the Army you just do what you're told without questions. I was told in a few weeks I'd be training SGT R to do my job. I was devastated. SGT R was not a 71D, she was a 71L (no time to explain the difference and no time to find a link that does but great idea, Andy). I wasn't told why SGT R was coming and why a 71L would be working in JAG but there again, you don't ask many questions in the Army.
When SGT R first arrived I didn't like her after all, she was taking my job! I guess maaaaaybe I might have had a tiny bit of an attitude about it because the NCOIC called me into his office and asked me if I was having any problems training SGT R. Me? Problems? No (oh, you mean besides the MAJOR problem I have with someone taking my job) problems here. Not convinced, my NCOIC pressed on until I finally admitted to him I felt shunned. He laughed, "Seriously? That's what this is about?" Well duh, I thought. How was I supposed to be glad about losing my favorite job? My NCOIC went on to explain to me because I had done so well I was getting a new job which had more responsibilities. He pointed out to me I was an E3 9 (PFC) being replaced by an E5. Hey, I never did think of it in that manner. I'd be working in pre-trial in Crim Law and would have more hands on experience. He also told me SGT R was getting reassigned under special circumstances. He assured me I'd like Crim Law. He was more than right. I got over my little attitude problem and moved across the hall to Crim Law, leaving Admin Law in SGT R's capable hands.
I LOVED Crim Law. I worked with the prosecutors in getting a case to trial; jury selection (personal fav), pre-trial confinement, witness coordination --just to name a few. Remember, this was pre-computer days s everything was typed out. Word processing was coming onto the scene. We had disks that were the size of vinyl albums. Yes, I do realize I just dated myself on both accounts. Sitting here writing about it brings me back --to those dark black screens with the green type. Gosh, I thought we were so high speed. We had pretty big cases, these were all general court martials. Most of what we had to do had to be signed by the CG so our Colonel had a standing appointment with the big man. We'd set up file folders for each case and the prosecutor would brief the Colonel on the case, then it would go up to the CG for signature. We had a lot of drug related cases but also treason, murder, rape. When the crime was committed off of a military installation or against a German national, we had to get a release of jurisdiction from the Germans to try the case. Most often times they would release jurisdiction. I only know of one drug case that they did not release and one murder case, which was quite brutal, they almost didn't release but finally did.
I tore each case apart in that, I read it from cover to cover. I wanted to know it inside and out. If it was a rather large case or had a lot of evidence, I'd sometimes go to the office late at night or on the weekends and just read through cases. If pre-trial confinement was requested, I'd have to set up the orders for the CG to sign and coordinate with Manheim, the prison facility. Days we had a trial, which were held in Nuremberg, were always exciting. We'd anxiously await a call from the prosecutor to learn the disposition of the case which was almost always -GUILTY! Yeah, the military doesn't quite operate like civilian courts. So the big surprise wasn't so much in the verdict but the sentencing. That was the real tell tale of how well we, the prosecuting team, presented the case.
As I was accustom to doing, I was going over a case one day. It was a rape case. The accused name was SGT R, a male that committed a crime while on CQ duty one night. I was behind all the hype in the prosecutor's office. We were the "good guys" putting away the "bad guys" --making the Army and the world a safer place to be. I was proud to have even the smallest part in making that happen. The accused was nothing more to me than a criminal. A crime was committed --punishment must ensue.
One day while spending some time with my replacement, SGT R, I asked why she had gotten reassigned. She told me because her husband was accused of a crime and --she went on to tell me the story, which was the exact same story I had read about in the case file. THAT SGT R was HER husband? Making matters worse, they had a 5 year old son. I wasn't at liberty to tell her anything I knew and from the way she talked, she had no idea I was familiar with the case. I just remember as she was telling me the story from her perspective, I was changing inside. This was no longer just a scum bag criminal whose face I'd never see --this was a husband, a father, a soldier and up until this point, he had a stellar military career. I wanted her to be quiet and go away. I wanted to forget there were real people behind those case files. Up until now, the only "real people" to me were the victims and the families of the victims. SGT R (the wife) was reassigned because she and her husband were in the same unit and the victim of the crime was also She needed to be away from all of that.
Her husband was found guilty and was placed in confinement at Ft. Leavenworth for a long sentence.
I know this isn't a fun or funny post but it the experience changed me both as a person and as a soldier. It changed the direction I was traveling in and my heart was growing mercy.
My NCOIC called me into his office one day and told me a soldier in our division was getting reassigned and would be joining JAG and I'd be moving across the hall to Criminal Law. I felt like I was being punished for something -like I was doing a bad job. Of course, I didn't say anything --mostly in the Army you just do what you're told without questions. I was told in a few weeks I'd be training SGT R to do my job. I was devastated. SGT R was not a 71D, she was a 71L (no time to explain the difference and no time to find a link that does but great idea, Andy). I wasn't told why SGT R was coming and why a 71L would be working in JAG but there again, you don't ask many questions in the Army.
When SGT R first arrived I didn't like her after all, she was taking my job! I guess maaaaaybe I might have had a tiny bit of an attitude about it because the NCOIC called me into his office and asked me if I was having any problems training SGT R. Me? Problems? No (oh, you mean besides the MAJOR problem I have with someone taking my job) problems here. Not convinced, my NCOIC pressed on until I finally admitted to him I felt shunned. He laughed, "Seriously? That's what this is about?" Well duh, I thought. How was I supposed to be glad about losing my favorite job? My NCOIC went on to explain to me because I had done so well I was getting a new job which had more responsibilities. He pointed out to me I was an E3 9 (PFC) being replaced by an E5. Hey, I never did think of it in that manner. I'd be working in pre-trial in Crim Law and would have more hands on experience. He also told me SGT R was getting reassigned under special circumstances. He assured me I'd like Crim Law. He was more than right. I got over my little attitude problem and moved across the hall to Crim Law, leaving Admin Law in SGT R's capable hands.
I LOVED Crim Law. I worked with the prosecutors in getting a case to trial; jury selection (personal fav), pre-trial confinement, witness coordination --just to name a few. Remember, this was pre-computer days s everything was typed out. Word processing was coming onto the scene. We had disks that were the size of vinyl albums. Yes, I do realize I just dated myself on both accounts. Sitting here writing about it brings me back --to those dark black screens with the green type. Gosh, I thought we were so high speed. We had pretty big cases, these were all general court martials. Most of what we had to do had to be signed by the CG so our Colonel had a standing appointment with the big man. We'd set up file folders for each case and the prosecutor would brief the Colonel on the case, then it would go up to the CG for signature. We had a lot of drug related cases but also treason, murder, rape. When the crime was committed off of a military installation or against a German national, we had to get a release of jurisdiction from the Germans to try the case. Most often times they would release jurisdiction. I only know of one drug case that they did not release and one murder case, which was quite brutal, they almost didn't release but finally did.
I tore each case apart in that, I read it from cover to cover. I wanted to know it inside and out. If it was a rather large case or had a lot of evidence, I'd sometimes go to the office late at night or on the weekends and just read through cases. If pre-trial confinement was requested, I'd have to set up the orders for the CG to sign and coordinate with Manheim, the prison facility. Days we had a trial, which were held in Nuremberg, were always exciting. We'd anxiously await a call from the prosecutor to learn the disposition of the case which was almost always -GUILTY! Yeah, the military doesn't quite operate like civilian courts. So the big surprise wasn't so much in the verdict but the sentencing. That was the real tell tale of how well we, the prosecuting team, presented the case.
As I was accustom to doing, I was going over a case one day. It was a rape case. The accused name was SGT R, a male that committed a crime while on CQ duty one night. I was behind all the hype in the prosecutor's office. We were the "good guys" putting away the "bad guys" --making the Army and the world a safer place to be. I was proud to have even the smallest part in making that happen. The accused was nothing more to me than a criminal. A crime was committed --punishment must ensue.
One day while spending some time with my replacement, SGT R, I asked why she had gotten reassigned. She told me because her husband was accused of a crime and --she went on to tell me the story, which was the exact same story I had read about in the case file. THAT SGT R was HER husband? Making matters worse, they had a 5 year old son. I wasn't at liberty to tell her anything I knew and from the way she talked, she had no idea I was familiar with the case. I just remember as she was telling me the story from her perspective, I was changing inside. This was no longer just a scum bag criminal whose face I'd never see --this was a husband, a father, a soldier and up until this point, he had a stellar military career. I wanted her to be quiet and go away. I wanted to forget there were real people behind those case files. Up until now, the only "real people" to me were the victims and the families of the victims. SGT R (the wife) was reassigned because she and her husband were in the same unit and the victim of the crime was also She needed to be away from all of that.
Her husband was found guilty and was placed in confinement at Ft. Leavenworth for a long sentence.
I know this isn't a fun or funny post but it the experience changed me both as a person and as a soldier. It changed the direction I was traveling in and my heart was growing mercy.
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