(Credit: istockphoto.com/porcorex)
Why We Stay
Three JAs and Their Commitment to the Corps
By First Lieutenant Laura D. Jungreis, Major Elizabeth W. Boggs, and Colonel Nicholas F. Lancaster
Editor’s note: Three judge advocates in different stages of their
careers were asked recently to share why they chose to and continue to
serve in the Corps. What follows are their thoughts.
First Lieuntenant Laura D. Jungreis
When applying to the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, I did my
homework: researched online, read all the material I could find, and
spoke with current and former judge advocates (JAs). Those JAs provided
valuable feedback about what it was like to practice military law and be
an officer and Soldier in the Army. When I started at the Direct
Commissioned Officers’ Course (DCC), though, I realized that, despite my
research, I really had no idea what the next few months of my life would
look like as I went through initial entry training. My commissioning
class completed DCC at Fort Benning, Georgia, in mid-February. As I
write this, we are now just over half-way through the Office Basic
Course (OBC) in Charlottesville, Virginia. So, while it is as fresh as
it could be, this is one OBC student’s on-the-ground view of the initial
entry training experience. Perhaps these anecdotes will allow more
senior JAs to both reminisce and better relate to their new lieutenants.
For those considering this profession, this is much of the information I
would have wanted to know while I was applying to the JAG Corps and
while I was anxiously awaiting my DCC “go time,” as well as some things
I never would have thought to ask or consider.
Easy Runs Are a Lie
As of this moment, one of the most memorable takeaways I have from my
as-yet brief stint in the Army is that whenever someone says that they
are taking you on a “nice, easy run,” they are lying to your face. On my
first group run at DCC, our cadre run leader said that we would be
running at an eight-minutes-and-thirty-seconds-per-mile pace, and then
sped away at a seven-minute pace. My hopes of easier runs at OBC were
destroyed on our first group run, when my group zoomed out to and back
from the famous Rotunda on the University of Virginia grounds. I have
never run so fast, so frequently. While I often find myself running much
faster and farther than I would like, I cannot deny that my running has
improved. Although they are not certified coaches, the professors who
serve as fitness group leaders have an ability to recognize when we have
more to give and when we need recovery. All this is to say that you
cannot improve without making yourself uncomfortable, and while you may
have some trouble pushing yourself far enough, the Army has no problem
doing that for you.
Hello and Thank You for Your Service
During our first few days at DCC, everyone who came and spoke to us
thanked us for our service. This included all of our instructors, the
Fort Benning Staff Judge Advocate (SJA), Brigadier General (BG) Joseph
Berger, the Commanding General of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal
Center and School (TJAGLCS), and others. While it may have just been lip
service, it struck me as genuine, because they were the ones in the best
position to understand what we were doing and why. I, and others in my
class, had people in my life who could not understand why I was joining
the military. Like in law school, when the only people who could really
understand what you were going through were other law students and
lawyers, the people who guided us through our first few days at DCC were
some of the first people I met who truly understood why I had joined the
military.
Battle Buddies
Your first day at DCC, when you are sitting in a room surrounded by
strangers, look around you. These people are your battle buddies. For
every time I have been able to assist a buddy, someone else has helped
me figure out how to find a point during a land navigation practice
test, shared a tarp during a downpour, or made a joke when I needed one.
They will share the same experiences with you, and they will probably
share in some of your struggles. Take solace in the fact that if you are
getting rained on, so are all your battle buddies. In misery, there is
solidarity.
First Lieutenant Laura D. Jungreis
Stay Grounded
Although they may not totally understand why you chose this path, make
sure to stay in touch with your friends and family (especially while at
Fort Benning). When surrounded by the same hundred or so people all day,
every day, your world becomes very small. Calls with my loved ones
reminded me that there was a world beyond Columbus, Georgia, and Fort
Benning.
Patience (Hurry Up and Wait for Yourself)
If you are not a patient person, now is an excellent time to learn that
trait. As someone with no prior military experience—and who has been out
of law school for almost four years—there are some things that I find
difficult to master. Type-A person that I am, being bad at something,
even something I have no familiarity with like land navigation, is
endlessly frustrating. I realized that I achieve the best results when I
step back and remain patient with myself. If you do not have a military
background, there will be things (like land navigation) that take some
time to get used to. Be patient with yourself, and give yourself time to
get better—because you will.
Bring Your Grown-Up-Lieutenant Pants
There is a strange dichotomy in our training, especially at DCC. It was
assumed that we knew nothing, yet we were told to “act like officers.”
It is a strange feeling to be held to a high standard while you are also
expected to know nothing. Bottom line is that while you may not know
much about being an officer, you know how to be a professional. Accept
that you know very little about this new world, be kind, courteous,
professional, and humble, and you will be A-Okay.
Drinking from the Firehose
You will hear the phrase “drinking from the firehose” a lot, and for
good reason. If you are like me, you will be thrown into and completely
immersed in a new culture all at once, learning things integral to that
culture that you have no familiarity with, such as land navigation,
orders, marksmanship, and drill and ceremony (to name but a few). Stick
with it, remain calm, and drink water.
Nothing (Much) Sticks
As previously mentioned, if you have no military experience, this might
not be the easiest transition. I have had more than one person tell me
that my mistakes at DCC or OBC (of which there have been a few) will not
follow me the rest of my military career. While I do not think that is
entirely true, I do think that the effort you put in during training
matters more than what you produce. No one should arrive expecting to be
perfect; you can get everything you need from this course by showing up,
trying hard, and passing the tests (because those do actually matter).
Reputations Matter
That being said, while the innocent mistakes you will inevitably make as
you transition into this new and different lifestyle do not matter, the
way you treat people actually does matter. Whether or not you are
planning to serve on active duty, in the reserve, or for the National
Guard, you will see many of these people again. Your reputation matters,
and first impressions are lasting. As we are frequently reminded: the
JAG Corps world is a small one.
Everyone Wants You to Succeed
The Army has spent too much money on you now to let you fail. Really
though, ask for help if you need it. One of the best things I have
discovered during DCC and OBC is the camaraderie. Our instructors are
very aware that they are training their own future colleagues (well,
subordinates), so they want us to be as competent as possible from the
beginning. Your classmates are also your teammates; this is not like law
school, where everyone was fighting to be at the top of the curve. My
classmates have saved me more than once by reminding me about due dates
or serving as a sounding board, and I try to return the favor when I
can.
Don’t Take It Too Seriously
Okay, so do take it a little seriously. This is your job now. But if you
ever feel overwhelmed or anxious, remind yourself to keep things in
perspective—this is probably the least amount of responsibility you will
have for the rest of your life. Work hard, do what you can, but make
sure to enjoy it! The memories of the more senior JAs I spoke to did not
revolve around the stress of failing land navigation or the dread of
waking up early for a hard run. Instead, they remembered those events
with a laugh, and they had plenty more stories to tell about the
relatively carefree time they spent getting to know and love their
classmates.
Ask Questions!
One of the best things I did for myself was reaching out to current and
former JAs to discuss their careers and their experiences in the JAG
Corps. Their overwhelmingly positive responses are part of the reason I
went through with my applications. Talk to as many people as you can,
because everyone is or will be doing something different, and they can
all tell you something new. At the very least, you will meet some
interesting people and gather a few cool stories.
Be Flexible
I started my training in January 2020, right before the coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. While DCC was unaffected by it, things
really hit the fan in our fourth week at OBC. There are some things over
which you will have zero control, like when there is a viral pandemic
and you have to do everything via internet conferencing in your
increasingly smaller and more claustrophobic hotel room. One of BG
Berger’s recurring reminders during this time was “remain flexible, and
keep your sense of humor.” I am working my way through this stay-at-home
order by staying active and staying connected with my classmates and my
loved ones. It is certainly frustrating, but I know that the way a
person reacts to the unexpected is a better reflection of who they are
than whatever it is that has been thrown at them.
Enjoy This Time
This is a brand new experience! Attending DCC, and to a lesser extent
OBC, is a journey unlike any I have experienced before, and one I will
not likely have again. I am a reserve officer, and while I am very happy
with that, it does mean that I will not return to TJAGLCS for an LL.M.,
unlike many of my active duty counterparts. In addition, this is the
least amount of responsibility I have had in years. I cannot speak for
my other classmates, some of whom have families and jobs that require
them to work even during training, but I enjoy the simplicity of the
wakeup-physical training-school-homework (sometimes)-eat-sleep routine.
Charlottesville is a beautiful city to explore, and the surrounding
areas are filled with wineries and mountains (assuming that they are not
all shut down due to a pandemic).
You Are Making the Right Choice
When I started filling out the application for the JAG Corps, it was an
abstract concept. It seemed cool and interesting, but I figured that my
chances of selection were slim and that I was unlikely to ever actually
be accepted. Even after the happy surprise of selection, it was still
two years until I left for DCC. Once I finally got the go-ahead, I was
excited and nervous. How was this going to affect my life and career?
Picking up and leaving for four months is not too difficult when you
have a flexible job and no kids, but there were parts of me that
questioned my choice. After only three-ish months, I cannot tell you
what the rest of my Army career is going to look like, but I can say
that I made the right choice—and you are, too. Whether you are just
thinking about starting your application or if you have already been
selected, choosing to serve in the JAG Corps is the right choice. You
are doing or contemplating something that few people have the skills or
inclination to do, which is impressive in its own right.
While there are one or two things I hope to never experience again
(hello, 0300 wakeups), this time has been a genuinely enjoyable
experience. That was something I had heard from others prior to DCC, and
it is a sentiment that I want to repeat. Current circumstances make OBC
more challenging than it might otherwise be, but they have not taken
away my happiness at being here. For anyone considering applying,
awaiting results, or preparing for DCC—good luck, and I look forward to
seeing you around!
Major Elizabeth W. Boggs
Over the past ten years, people have asked, “Why did you join the Army?”
Whenever this occurs, I instantly fill with joy, pride, and excitement.
The reasons I joined are the very reasons I choose to stay. On paper, my
military career began on 4 July 2010 at Fort Lee, Virginia, when I
commissioned as a first lieutenant with my classmates from the 182d
Judge Advocate Officer Basic Course. In all actuality, my career of
servanthood began long before that.
Memories of Those Before Me
This summer marks my tenth year of active duty service in the United
States (U.S.) Army, but the “whys” started their service decades before
me. It began with my grandparents. My grandfather, Elmer, served in
World War II (WWII) in the Army Air Corps. Growing up, over countless
holiday dinners and family gatherings, my grandfather enlightened me
with stories of his time in the Philippines and Guam. He tested
parachutes in the Pacific for an extra $20 a month, was a machine gunner
on a B-29 Super Fortress, and even drove Jeeps in the Philippines jungle
with a monkey! He quickly earned the rank of staff sergeant during his
six years of service. Elmer’s brother Bill, my great uncle, was one of
the first Underwater Demolition Team sailors—the predecessors to the
Navy SEALs. He was also featured in the book
Naked Warriorsand performed the underwater scenes in the movie Frogmen.1
My other grandfather, Roger, served for three years during WWII as an
aerial electronic engineer in the Navy. He flew numerous combat missions
in some of the most horrendous campaigns the Pacific ever saw. All of
these men who came before me provided examples of selfless servanthood.
They paved the way for me to follow.
Major Elizabeth W. Boggs
The Life I Lived and the Life I Learned I Wanted
In law school, I quickly learned that I wanted a job where I could help
others and make a difference in the community. After I passed the
Michigan bar exam in 2006, I immediately took a dream job with the Kent
County Prosecutor’s Office in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Under the
leadership of Mr. William “Bill” Forsyth—who retired as the Kent County
Prosecutor after forty years of service and was recently appointed as
the special prosecutor to investigate Michigan State’s handling of
sexual abuse claims—I excelled as a young assistant prosecuting
attorney. The pace of district court energized me as I worked closely
with top-notch law enforcement officers and attorneys. This drove home
the idea that I should continue to serve this nation.
In February 2009, I took the Florida bar exam and reconnected with my
college boyfriend, James. At the time, he was stationed at Fort Rucker,
Alabama, finishing up initial entry rotary wing flight training.
Awaiting my Florida bar exam results, I returned to Michigan and my job
at the prosecutor’s office. James and I spoke daily. Those talks made me
fall in love with him and the idea of joining the military. I asked
thousands of questions about the military and became a part of such an
amazing family. I was won over by his stories of camaraderie with fellow
Soldiers, pushing himself both physically and mentally, and the hunger
to protect our freedom at all costs. The discipline, commitment, and
close relationships reminded me of my collegiate basketball days. James
had, and still has, tremendous love for our country, his fellow
Americans, and the military. I wanted to be a part of that. But, first,
I needed to learn more about joining the military and if I was a good
fit for “JAG.” Fortunately, I knew a few defense attorneys who were
reserve judge advocates and had clerked for a reserve O-6 Navy judge
advocate in Kent County during law school. Their advice and guidance
truly helped me realize I was a competitive candidate and confirmed
military service was the right career path.
One of the Happiest Days
After James and I married in July 2009, I left my job in Michigan to be
with him in Alabama. While he finished flight school, I used my time to
get everything together to apply for a direct commission. I set up a
field screening interview in early fall 2009 in Hawaii. The timing was
insane—we had just permanently changed stations to Hawaii, where James
was gearing up for his second deployment to Iraq, and I was adjusting to
life as an Army dependent. In other words, we had a lot going on.
I went in to the field screening interview with confidence. After all,
serving my country was a family trait. It was in my blood. I was married
to a Blackhawk pilot who was deploying soon, my grandfathers served, and
I enjoyed serving my community—I belonged here. The adventure and
variety of legal work, coupled with military service, was what I wanted.
In January 2011, I cried when my field screening officer called to tell
me that I received an offer of a direct commission to the world’s
largest law firm. I was going to be a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army
Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. I immediately sent a downrange
Skype message to James. We celebrated, cried, and laughed; all the
emotions of what had been in the works behind the scenes for years
spilled out.
The Rest Is in the Making
I share this story because it’s the reason, background, and foundation
on why I choose to stay in the JAG Corps. I stay for the service, my
grandfathers, my husband, and our two children. I stay for the people,
the relationships, and the camaraderie. I have served with some of the
fiercest, yet most humble, leaders on this planet—including commanders,
officers, noncommissioned officers, warrant officers, enlisted Soldiers,
and Department of Defense Civilians. I am honored to be on their team,
to wear this uniform, and to serve with them to accomplish our mission.
I admire my teammates, peers, and colleagues in the U.S. Army JAG Corps.
And, from deep down in my heart, I can say that I look forward to
another decade of service alongside the very best legal professionals.
The rest is in the making.
Colonel Nicholas F. Lancaster
I stayed in the Army for twenty-eight years for three main reasons: the
people, the opportunity to serve my country, and the incredible variety
of assignments and opportunities found in our branch. As a matter of
fact, I doubt that anyone was surprised when I went to college on a
scholarship from the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and became a
second lieutenant. After all, I grew up as an Army brat in a military
family.
I was born in an Army hospital at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana and
moved around with my family. We lived in Texas, Indiana, Hawaii,
Virginia, and Germany. In 1988, I graduated from high school in
Carlisle, Pennsylvania—the same year that my dad was a student at the
Army War College. I attended Xavier University on an ROTC scholarship,
and, in May 1992, I commissioned as an infantry lieutenant. As the son
of an Army judge advocate (JA), I was vaguely aware of the educational
delay program, and, as a political science major, I probably could have
pursued that opportunity. But, I was tired of going to school and wanted
to be a part of the “real Army.” And that’s exactly what I did.
I spent a year at Fort Benning, Georgia, learning to be an infantry
officer. After that, I spent the following three years in an infantry
battalion as a rifle platoon leader, mortar platoon leader, and an
assistant operations officer at Fort Carson, Colorado. I enjoyed being
an infantry officer; however, if I decided to stay in for twenty years,
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to spend 200 days out of the year sleeping
on the ground in a field. It was the mid-nineties, and we trained
constantly for our annual “super bowl,” otherwise known as the National
Training Center. Little did I know that I would spend two and a half
years deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq after 9-11. Eventually, I
realized two things. First, I wanted to go to law school. Second, it was
a tremendous opportunity to have the Army pay for school. Once these two
things were clear, I applied for the Funded Legal Education Program
(FLEP) while still serving on active duty as an officer. Lucky for me, I
was selected for the program and went to Indiana University’s Maurer
School of Law.
I would venture to say that almost everyone who stays in the Judge
Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps past their initial commitment would say
it was because of the people, and I am no different. I have met so many
fantastic people in the Corps that it would take the whole
Army Lawyer just to list them. Instead of listing individuals, I will try to describe why I think our people are amazing. It ultimately comes down to a group of talented people who love serving their country and whose diverse backgrounds and experiences are nothing short of incredible.
I know many JAs that are just like me; in other words, they love national security law and deployments. Fortunately, though, I know just as many great JAs who are experts in criminal law or contracts, or who know how to operate in the U.S. Army Legal Services Agency (USALSA) or the Pentagon. There are people I consider close friends from my Officer Basic Course (OBC) and my first assignment. But, even better, every assignment has fantastic people of equal value. Every time I move to a new assignment, I connect with stunning people. When you spend years in the Army JAG Corps, you develop a vast network of contacts—mainly because Army lawyering is a team sport that not only allows, but actually demands, that you call on your brothers and sisters for assistance. I may not know every officer in the JAG Corps, and it is a good bet that I do not know many younger captains and majors, but I can guarantee I know somebody that knows every single JA. If a name comes up, I simply reach out to my network and I will get a response—often within hours. That is why we tell every basic course their JAG Corps reputation begins in OBC and follows them throughout their careers and beyond.
On a personal level, and beyond the professional competence we take for granted, people in the JAG Corps tend to be renaissance men and women. It is rare to meet somebody in our corps who does not have a secret skill or talent. We have tremendous musicians, craftsmen, athletes, and volunteer leaders. Even if one allows for the fact that lawyers can be difficult, opinionated people who all think they are the smartest person in the room, something about serving as JAs turns them into people you want to spend time with.
I stayed in the JAG Corps because I like that, rather than simply a job, we have a mission. Being an Army officer is a significant part of my identity. As a kid growing up in an Army family, I knew that my dad—and even our family—was serving our country. As an Army officer myself, I take tremendous pride in being part of the Army team. Every member of the JAG Corps is working to accomplish the mission; nobody in the Army is in it to simply draw a paycheck. The pay and benefits are good, but not good enough to motivate twenty-plus years of service on their own. People in the JAG Corps serve because they believe in our mission and enjoy working as part of a team committed to serving our country.
Colonel Nicholas F. Lancaster
Finally, I stayed in the Army JAG Corps for twenty-eight years because of the personal and professional opportunities. The range of opportunities found in the Army are difficult to find in many other organizations, particularly as a lawyer. I know some judge advocates wish for more opportunities to, like civilian lawyers and their niche practices, specialize; but, I am the opposite. I love the fact that I get to change jobs every two to three years or even more often. When I first came in the JAG Corps, I was desperate to avoid any hint of operational law because I believed that my infantry background might pigeonhole me. I already knew about operations; I wanted to learn how to be a lawyer. To this end, the majority of my pre-graduate course time was spent in criminal law, and I was fortunate to be selected to teach in the criminal law department at the school for three years after the grad course.
At seventeen years of service, I was promoted to lieutenant colonel and finished my time on faculty. Regardless of where I was assigned next, my family planned to remain in Charlottesville. I tried to figure out what I could do for three more years so that I could retire at twenty years of service. To be honest, due to a torn ACL from soccer, I could not exercise the way that I wanted to. In conjunction with the surgery and the long recovery, I was depressed; so, a lot of my time at that point was spent sitting around, drinking beer, and feeling sorry for myself. Right in the middle of that, I got a call from my former Staff Judge Advocate (SJA)—then-Colonel Rich Whitaker—asking if I wanted to compete for a job as command judge advocate for a special operations forces (SOF) unit. I did not know anything about it and had never been assigned to a SOF unit, but it sounded interesting. I ended up getting that job, and it changed the direction of my JAG Corps career. I spent three years immersed in intelligence and national security law (NSL) and loved every minute of it.
The opportunity to serve in SOF changed the course of my career and opened doors I did not know existed. Without that NSL experience, I would not have been considered qualified to be the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) SJA and probably would not have been the U.S. Forces-Afghanistan SJA a few years later. In the time that civilian lawyers complete half of their careers, few—if any—have the chance to change their area of expertise as I did in the Army JAG Corps. I am grateful for that.
After all is said and done, in the end, I stayed in the Army JAG Corps because of the people, the mission, and the opportunities for personal and professional growth that is only found in our great Corps. After a bit over twenty-eight years, I will retire this Fall. But I am proud that I will remain a Soldier for life. TAL
1LT Jungreis graduated from OBC in May 2020 and currently serves in the 6th Legal Operations Detachment, Anchorage, Alaska.
MAJ Boggs is currently a strategic initiatives officer, Office of the Judge Advocate General, Washington, D.C.
COL Lancaster is currently the Director, The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center, Charlottesville, Virginia.
Notes
1. Francis Douglas Fane and Don Moore, Naked Warriors: The Story of the U.S. Navy’s Frogmen (1995); Lloyd Bacon, The Frogmen (1951).