In Memoriam: Remembering Recently Departed Members of the Regiment in 2020

BG Richard “Dick” Bednar (circa 1982). (Photo courtesy of author)

In Memoriam

Remembering Recently Departed Members of the Regiment in 2020

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By Fred L. Borch III

The following members of our Regiment, in alphabetical order, passed away in 2020.

George Bahamonde (1934-2020)

George Bahamonde served our Corps as a civilian attorney-advisor for almost fifty years, retiring as the Special Assistant to the Judge Advocate, Headquarters, U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR). He remained in Heidelberg, Germany, after retiring and died there on 31 March 2020, at the age of 86.

A native of New Jersey, Mr. Bahamonde graduated from Columbia Law School and, after being drafted into the Vietnam War, served as a Soldier with U.S. troops stationed in Europe. After being honorably discharged, he remained overseas and took a job as a civilian attorney with U.S. Forces in Fontainebleau, France. Starting in the 1960s, after U.S. Army European operations moved to Heidelberg, Mr. Bahamonde worked at that location, in the Office of the Judge Advocate, USAREUR, until he retired in 2002.

Army Lawyer2020 Issue No. 4 has a feature article on Mr. Bahamonde and his importance in the history of our Corps.1

Richard J. Bednar (1931-2020)

Brigadier General Richard John “Dick” Bednar, a procurement law expert who had a distinguished career in the Corps, died in Alexandria, Virginia, of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19)-related pneumonia on 20 December 2020. He was eighty-nine years old.

Born in Omaha, Nebraska, on 31 October 1931, Dick Bednar attended Creighton University. He earned both his undergraduate and law degrees in a unique five-year program. Additionally, while at Creighton, Dick obtained a commission through the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program and began his Army career in the Infantry at Fort Benning, Georgia. He soon transferred to the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, and served in a variety of locations and assignments, including: Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Washington, D.C.; and Charlottesville, Virginia. Dick also had overseas duty in France, Korea, and Vietnam.

After his promotion to brigadier general, Bednar served as the Judge Advocate, USAREUR. This was a turbulent time for Americans stationed in Europe, as U.S. military personnel were attacked by radical elements in various locations, including the attempted assassination of General Frederick Kroessen, the USAREUR commander, in 1982.2

Dick was one of the Army’s experts in contract law and he continued to work in this practice area after he retired from active duty in 1984. He headed the Government Contracts program at George Washington University. After two years of teaching, he accepted a position at the law firm of Crowell and Mooring. He practiced law there for more than 30 years and retired a second time in 2008.

In 2009, Dick joined with his friend and colleague Mike Eberhardt to form a company called Contractor Integrity Solutions. Contractor Integrity Solutions provided ethics and compliance monitoring and risk assessments for government contractors.

Brigadier General Bednar tested positive for COVID-19 on 12 December and was admitted to INOVA Alexandria Hospital with COVID-19-related pneumonia and other issues. He died on the morning of 20 December. Two weeks later, on 2 January 2021, his wife Judy also died from COVID-19-related complications. Dick and Judy had been married more than fifty years at the time of their deaths.

Dick Bednar is survived by a daughter, two sons, four grandchildren, and one great grandchild. His daughter-in-law, Lieutenant Colonel Yolanda Schillinger, currently serves as the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate (SJA), 2d Infantry Division, in Korea.3

Stanley J. Cieslewicz (1956-2020)

Stan, as he was known to family and friends, died on 11 November 2020. He was sixty-three years old.

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 8 December 1956, Stan Cieslewicz graduated from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., and the University of Idaho’s law school. After completing the Judge Advocate Officer Basic Course in 1983, he served in a variety of jobs at Rock Island, Illinois, and Fort Lewis, Washington. Stan also served a tour of duty in Korea.

Mr. Cieslewicz left active duty in 1988. He first worked as a civilian attorney for the Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District, before moving to Germany for the first time in 1990, when the Army Contracting Command-Europe hired him as Regional Counsel in Fuerth, Germany. In 1993, Stan left Germany to take a job at the Defense Commissary Agency, Northwest/Pacific Division, Fort Lewis, Washington. Three years later, Stan returned to Germany as the Regional Counsel, Army Contract Command-Europe, Grafenwoehr, Germany. In 1998, Mr. Cieslewicz became the Attorney-Advisor, Contract and Fiscal Law Division (KFLD), USAREUR. He remained with KFLD until his retirement in June 2019.

While pursuing his career as an Army civilian attorney, Stan also served as a judge advocate (JA) in the Army and Air Force Reserve. He retired as an Air Force Reserve lieutenant colonel in 2010.

Mr. Cieslewicz died less than a month before his sixty-fourth birthday, at his home in Vancouver, Washington. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Paul. He is survived by brothers Mark, Bill, and Greg.4

John J. Cleary (1936-2020)

John Cleary, who died in San Diego, California, on 31 January 2020, was the first JA in history to complete Ranger school while a JA and be awarded the distinctive black-and-yellow tab. After leaving active duty, Cleary had a successful legal practice as a federal public defender and civilian defense counsel in San Diego, California.

Cadet John Cleary. (Photo courtesy of author)

Born in Illinois in 1936, Cleary lied about his age and joined the Illinois National Guard when he was fifteen years old. At the time he enlisted, the Korean War was in full swing, and the Guard was not particularly vigilant when it came to verifying Cleary’s age. He subsequently qualified as an assistant gunner on the .50 caliber machine gun.

After completing high school, Cleary obtained his undergraduate and law degrees from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois. He joined the JAG Corps in 1960 and then served as an Army lawyer with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. While serving with the 101st, then-First Lieutenant Cleary wrote to a letter to The Judge Advocate General, Major General Charles E. “Ted” Decker, requesting that MG Decker permit him to attend the Army’s Ranger School. A short time later, Cleary got a notification that he had a slot for the school. He successfully completed the grueling training and completed Ranger Class No. 7 on 24 May 1962.

Later, while stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Cleary made history again as the first Army lawyer to graduate from the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School’s High Altitude, Low Opening (HALO) course of instruction.

After leaving active duty, “Ranger” Cleary had a successful law career in San Diego, California. He was a federal public defender (1971-1983) and was the first public defender to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys (1979-1985). Cleary had a thirst for knowledge: he learned Russian and then taught at Moscow State University as a Fulbright Scholar (2004-2005). He subsequently lived in China for three years, where he studied at Xiamen University and learned to speak Mandarin.5

A feature article on John Cleary’s military experiences appeared in the June 2017 Army Lawyer.6

SGM Walt Cybart, 10 November 2011. (Photo courtesy of author)

Walter T. Cybart (1940–2020)

Walt Cybart, who died on 28 January at the age of 79, was the JAG Corps Sergeant Major (SGM) from May 1983 to September 1985. He was the second noncommissioned officer (NCO) to hold the position in our history.

Born in Michigan on 13 June 1940, Walt enlisted in the Army in 1957 as a small arms repairer. While he had an Ordnance Corps MOS, when he was assigned to Korea, the Army put him in an infantry unit and reclassified him as an infantryman MOS 11B. Cybart left active duty for civilian life in 1960 but missed the Army and reenlisted that same year—this time in the Air Defense Artillery. He was assigned to Nike Hercules Missile sites in Gary, Indiana, and Wilmington, Ohio, before he reclassified as an MOS 71D Legal Clerk.

Sergeant Major Cybart served in a variety of locations during his career as a legal clerk, including: Fort Polk, Louisiana; Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Lewis, Washington; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; and Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. He also had overseas assignments in Germany, Hawaii, Korea, and two tours in Vietnam.

In the fall of 1982, SGM Cybart was selected to follow SGM John Nolan as the second JAG Corps SGM and, in June 1983, he became the primary advisor to The Judge Advocate General in all matters concerning MOS 71D Legal Clerks. It was during Cybart’s tenure that legal clerks were re-designated as “legal specialists,” as this better described what enlisted Soldiers were doing in the Corps.

After retiring in 1985, SGM Cybart and his wife, Judith, settled in Grovetown, Georgia. She survives him along with his daughters, Laurie Underwood, of Grovetown, Georgia, and Valerie Still, of Augusta, Georgia, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.7

Anthony P. De Giulio (1939–2020)

Anthony Paul De Giulio died on 24 August 2020 in Pingree, Idaho. He was eighty years old and died from a combination of heart and respiratory failure.

Born on Christmas Day, 1939, “Tony attended grade school in Pingree and Snake River Junior High, before graduating from Snake River High School. He then attended Idaho State University where he joined ROTC.”8 After his undergraduate studies at Idaho State, Tony received his legal degree from Willamette University. He then entered the JAG Corps and subsequently served in a variety of locations and assignments, including duty overseas in Germany and Vietnam.

After retiring as a colonel in September 1993, Tony lived in Virginia for several years before returning to Idaho. He opened up the De Giulio Law Office in Blackfoot, Idaho, in March 1996, and practiced law until retiring again in 2005.

Tony was first married to Barbara Marie Whiting and together they had four children. After they divorced, Tony married Nadine Eileen Semler in February 1983. He is survived by Nadine, one son, three daughters, eight grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren.9

Michael P. Finn (1954-2020)

Michael “Mike” Patrick Finn died on 5 July 2020 after a short battle with a rare and aggressive cancer. He was sixty-six years old.

Born in Heidelberg, Germany, on 12 April 1954 (his father was a Command Sergeant Major (CSM) serving in Europe), Mike earned his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He then joined the JAG Corps, serving initially at Fort Hood, Texas. Mike would subsequently deploy overseas three times in his military career: to Hungary in 1995-1996 as part of Operation JOINT GUARD; to Iraq in 2002-2003 for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM; and to Afghanistan in 2005-2006 as part of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

Mike retired as a JA colonel in the Army Reserve. In addition to his military service, Mike worked as the civilian contract attorney for the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate (OSJA), III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas. He is survived by Amy Finn, his wife of thirty-nine years, two daughters, and one son.10

James C. Gleason (1944-2020)

James Creighton “Jim” Gleason, a 1966 West Point graduate who entered the Corps in 1973 and retired as a colonel in 1991, died at his home in Marietta, Georgia, on 3 January 2020. He was seventy-five years old.

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, on 4 March 1944, Jim graduated from Marmion Military Academy in Illinois and then entered the U.S. Military Academy in July 1962. Commissioned in the Signal Corps, he completed airborne and Ranger training before deploying to Vietnam. After a 19-month tour of duty in the 1st Cavalry and 101st Airborne Divisions, then-Captain Gleason attended law school at the University of Maryland on the excess leave program. After passing the bar and entering the Corps in 1973, he served in a variety of assignments and locations, including the Litigation Division and Administrative Law Division in the Pentagon. He also worked as an assignments officer in the Personnel, Plans, and Training Office and was the SJA, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg. Colonel Gleason ended his career as the Chief, Army Procurement Fraud Division at the Office of The Judge Advocate General (OTJAG).

After retiring from active duty, Jim Gleason accepted a position as the First Assistant, Milwaukee Trial Division, Wisconsin State Public Defenders Office. He led an office with a staff of 100 attorneys and support personnel. In 1999, Jim and his wife Candace moved to Gainesville, Florida, where he accepted a job with Cooper-Atkins Corporation. He retired a second time in 2009.

In 2016, Jim was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and was suffering from this neurodegenerative illness at the time of his death. Jim is survived by Candy, his wife of fifty years, four children, and twelve grandchildren. He was interred in the West Point Post Cemetery.11

William P. Heaston (1943-2020)

“Bill” Heaston, who retired as a JA lieutenant colonel, died of cancer in Omaha, Nebraska, on 24 February 2020. He was seventy-six years old.

Born in Omaha on 2 May 1943, Bill earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Creighton University and was commissioned as a JA in 1968. He subsequently served with the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), at Camp Eagle, Vietnam, where he met his wife of almost fifty years, Dorris Hecht, who was employed by the American Red Cross.

Bill Heaston also had assignments in Alaska, California, Kansas, and Germany. After retiring from active duty as a lieutenant colonel, he worked for the U.S. West Legal Department before taking a position as a General Counsel for a regional communications company in South Dakota. Heaston retired permanently to Omaha in 2016.

He was very active in the Retired Association of Judge Advocates (RAJA) and was a longtime member of the RAJA Board of Directors. Bill is survived by his wife, Dorris, four children, and ten grandchildren.12

Gustave F. Jacob (1935-2020)

Gustave Francis “Gus” Jacob, who soldiered for more than twenty-nine years, most of which were as an Army lawyer, died on 18 August 2020 in Rapid City, South Dakota. He was eighty-five years old.

Born in DeSmet, South Dakota, on 27 March 1935, Gus earned his undergraduate degree from the South Dakota State University before obtaining a law degree from the University of South Dakota. He also had an LLM from New York University.

Gus began his Army career with a two-year stint on a Nike Missile site near Chicago. After law school and two years of private practice in Groton, South Carolina, he joined the Corps. The highlights of his years as a JA “were teaching law to cadets at the Military Academy, West Point, New York, a year spent in [Vietnam], and the last half of his career as a military judge. Colonel Jacob presided over all levels of courts-martial involving all types of criminal offenses, including capital murder. He traveled over much of the United States and Europe hearing some of these cases.”13

“After retiring from [active duty as a colonel], Gus spent three years as a staff attorney with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission. Later in Rapid City he taught several courses, including Law for Engineers, at [South Dakota School of Mines and Technology].”14

Colonel Jacob is survived by his wife, Maryann, five children, ten grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He will be interred in Black Hills National Cemetery.15

R. Kevin Kelly (1953-2020)

Kevin Kelly, who served in the Marine Corps before joining the JAG Corps as a legal specialist, died at his home in Galveston, Texas, on 17 April 2020. He was sixty-six years old.

Born in Cumberland, Maryland, on 17 May 1953, Kelly enlisted in the Marine Corps after graduating from high school in 1971. After leaving active duty, he attended college and then joined the Army as an MOS 19D Reconnaissance Scout. He completed a tour of duty in Europe on the East German border and then again left active duty for civilian life.

Mr. Kelly missed soldiering, however, and enlisted once again in the Army in 1979 as an MOS 71D Legal Clerk. Ten years later, then-Sergeant First Class Kelly—who was on the promotion list to master sergeant—accepted an appointment as a warrant officer one legal administrator.

Kevin then served as a legal administrator in the 1st Cavalry Division and at the U.S. Medical Command. He subsequently was a senior legal administrator at OTJAG and at III Corps. He deployed to Iraq as part of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM from 2004 to 2005. He retired as a chief warrant officer four.

Chief Kelly is survived by a son and two daughters. His two sisters and two brothers also survive him. Kevin Kelly is interred in Arlington National Cemetery.16

Thomas M. Kullman (1941-2020)

Thomas Maxson “Tom” Kullman, a West Point graduate who served as an Artillery officer and JA, died on 16 April 2020. He was seventy-eight years old.

Born in Alabama on 11 May 1941, Tom Kullman completed his education at the U.S. Military Academy and was commissioned in the Artillery in 1964. He subsequently served on the staff and faculty of the Infantry School and had a tour of duty in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. Then-Captain Kullman resigned his commission in 1970 to enter law school at the University of Alabama, from which he graduated in 1973. Kullman then rejoined the Army as a JA.

He subsequently served in a variety of locations and assignments, including Fort Knox, the Pentagon, and Germany (8th Infantry Division). Then-Lieutenant Colonel Kullman was the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA), 3d Infantry Division (Germany) from 1983 to 1985 and the Chief, Administrative Law Division, The Judge Advocate General’s School, from 1985 to 1988. He finished his distinguished career as an advisor in the Office of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and as the SJA, Army Materiel Command. He retired as a colonel.17

Tom was living in Springfield, Virginia, at the time of his death. He is survived by his wife, Linda.

Roger Lane (1955-2020)

Roger “Ray” Lane, who served both as a military and civilian paralegal in the Corps, died in Fountain, Colorado, on 21 October 2020. He was sixty-five years old.

Born on 3 June 1955, Ray graduated from high school in 1973 and enlisted in the Army in 1976. He subsequently served for twenty years as a legal clerk and paralegal specialist. After retiring from active duty in 1996, he obtained an Associate of Arts degree in paralegal studies from Washburn University. Mr. Lane then worked as an Army civilian paralegal at Fort Riley, Kansas, and Fort Carson, Colorado.

Ray Lane is survived by his wife, Pat, one son, one daughter, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He will be interred in the Pikes Peak National Cemetery.18

Dwight L. Lanford (1946-2020)

Dwight Lanford was the fourth SGM of the Corps. He was also the first Regimental SGM, as the JAG Corps was placed under the Army Regimental System in July 1986. Dwight died on 20 January 2020. He was seventy-three years old.

Born in Mobile, Alabama, on 6 July 1946, Lanford enlisted in the Army as infantryman and subsequently served in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division as a platoon sergeant. After reclassifying as an MOS 71D Legal Clerk, Dwight served in various positions of increased responsibility during his twenty-three years of distinguished service. Some of his assignments included: Chief Legal NCO, 3d Infantry Division, Germany; Chief Legal NCO, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas; Chief Legal NCO, 8th Infantry Division, Germany; and Staff Sergeant Major, Sixth U.S. Army, Presidio of San Francisco, California. His awards included the Legion of Merit and Combat Infantryman Badge.

Sergeant Major Lanford is survived by his wife of thirty-two years, Susan; their children, Connie, Jay, and Chris; his two sons by a prior marriage, John and Jacob; his fourteen grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.19

Edward Lassiter (1933-2020)

Edward Allen “Ed” Lassiter, who served 30 years in our Corps and retired as a colonel, died on 13 August 2020. He was eighty-seven years old and had dementia.

Born in North Carolina on 7 April 1933, Ed graduated “from Wake Forest College at Wake Forest, [North Carolina,] in 1955 and Wake Forest School of Law at Winston-Salem, [North Carolina,] in 1957.”20 He then joined the Army as a JA. His “[m]ilitary assignments included  Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Denver, CO; US Army Europe, Heidelberg, Germany; The Judge Advocate General’s School, Charlottesville, VA; Fort Eustis, VA; US Army, Vietnam; 1st Armored Division, Ft. Hood, TX; Office of the Judge Advocate General, Department of the Army, Washington, DC; 193rd Infantry Brigade, Panama, Canal Zone; Fort Sill, OK; Fort Stewart, GA; and Fort Riley, KS.”21

After retiring from active duty in 1987, Ed Lassiter and his spouse, Dorene Elaine, moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where they served “as volunteers with Wycliffe Bible Translators. In 2003, the they retired again and relocated to Asheville, NC.”22

Colonel Lassiter was interred in the Post Cemetery, Fort Still, Oklahoma, where he served as the SJA from 1977 to 1982. His spouse and two daughters survive him.23

Ralph L. Lurker (1939-2020)

Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Lee Lurker had a distinguished career as a JA, culminating in his assignment as the Circuit Judge, Fort Benning, from 1981 to 1984. He died at his home in Columbus, Georgia, on 4 April 2020.

Born in Kansas on 6 July 1939, Ralph Lurker enlisted in the Army in 1957 and, after one year of soldiering at Fort Carson, Colorado, obtained an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy. After graduating in 1962, he was commissioned in the Infantry and served as a platoon leader and company commander with the 8th Cavalry Regiment, Korea, from 1963 to 1964. After three years as an instructor at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ralph attended law school at the University of Kansas, from which he obtained his law degree in 1970. He subsequently served in various assignments as an Army lawyer, including SJA, Military Assistance Advisory Group, Thailand, and SJA, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

After retiring from active duty on 31 December 1984, Lurker worked as a court administrator in Erie, Pennsylvania; Birmingham, Alabama; and Jonesboro, Georgia. He retired again in 2005 and settled in Columbus, Georgia.

Lieutenant Colonel Lurker is survived by his wife, Jean, whom he met while he was a cadet at West Point, four sons (Ralph Roger, Jeffrey, Michael, and Gregory), and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.24

George J. Miller (1931-2020)

George Miller, who served three years as a JA in the late 1950s, died of COVID-19 in a retirement home in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He was eighty-nine years old.

Born in Bradford, Pennsylvania, on 28 February 1931, George graduated from Princeton University in 1953 and earned his law degree three years later from the University of Pennsylvania. He then served three years in the Army as a JA. When he left active duty as a captain in 1959, Miller joined the Philadelphia law firm of Dechert, Price & Rhoades.

George Miller specialized in environmental law and was appointed by Governor Tom Ridge to be the Chairman of the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board in 1995. Arguably, his most successful contribution was insisting that the Board create a website and establish an electronic docketing system. Miller served on the Board until 2009.

Miller was predeceased by his wife and one son. He is survived by his former wife, two daughters, and five grandchildren.25

John M. Nolan (1935-2020)

John M. Nolan was the first JAG Corps SGM (as the position was then known). He died of COVID-19 in Seaside, California, on 13 November 2020. Nolan was eighty-five years old.

Born in Evergreen, Alabama, on 6 July 1935, John Nolan was the youngest of eight children. John’s father died when he was only one year old, so his mother and grandparents raised John and his seven brothers and sisters. After graduating from high school, John Nolan enlisted in the Army and completed training in motor maintenance. He then served in a variety of locations and assignments, including: Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Fort Ord, California; Germany; and Alaska.

In 1966, then-Sergeant First Class (SFC) Nolan was serving as a Drill Sergeant at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Based on his exceptional performance as a Drill Sergeant, SFC Nolan was asked to volunteer for Officer Candidate School (OCS). After some resistance—he liked being an NCO—SFC Nolan reported to Fort Benning, where he excelled in OCS—earning the honor of top leadership graduate. After OCS, then-Second Lieutenant Nolan remained at Fort Benning where he served as a tactical officer for one year before attending jungle training in Panama in preparation for service in Vietnam.

Upon deploying to Vietnam, Lieutenant Nolan served as a platoon leader and company commander in the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Division. He was wounded in action and, after his recovery, was assigned to Germany as the Commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division.

In 1973, then-Captain Nolan was serving at Fort Ord, California, as a budget officer. During the Army’s downsizing efforts after the Vietnam War, which specifically included a reduction in infantry officers, Captain Nolan was given the option of retiring or reverting back to his enlisted rank. Nolan had twenty years of service—seven years as an officer and thirteen years as an enlisted Soldier—but under the regulations in force at the time, he needed at least ten years of commissioned service. Consequently, Nolan decided to return to the enlisted ranks. He was given the rank of master sergeant but maintained a commission in the Army Reserve as a captain.

Nolan’s combat wound from Vietnam precluded his return to MOS 11B Infantry and so he chose the only MOS with an opening for an E-8—MOS 71D Legal Clerk. After this shift to MOS 71D, then-Master Sergeant Nolan did on-the-job training as the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the Fort Ord OSJA.

After his promotion to SGM, John Nolan was assigned to serve as the Chief Legal NCO, Taegu, Korea. After a short time in Taegu, SGM Nolan was transferred to Seoul, Korea, with duty at the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Eighth Army Headquarters. On 29 February 1980, John Nolan was selected as “Senior Staff NCO, Office of The Judge Advocate General.” This was a competitive selection process and Nolan was well qualified in both experience and education. While he had only seven years in MOS 71D, significantly fewer years than other NCOs competing against him, Nolan had earned a law degree from the Blackstone School of Law—which may have been given considerable weight in his selection.

In the congratulatory letter SGM Nolan received on 29 February 1980, he was informed that the “specific goal” of his new role was to improve “the status and effectiveness of the enlisted members who support The Judge Advocate General’s Corps.”26

John Nolan retired from active duty and the Army Reserve in 1983. Since he kept his Army Reserve commission, Nolan’s retired pay was based on his rank of captain. With his soldiering at an end, John Nolan worked as a Proceeding Clerk at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission until 1994. After retiring a second time, John and his wife, Arlene, moved to Seaside, California. Arlene predeceased him. 

Brian B. O’Neill Jr. (1947-2020)

Born in Michigan on 7 June 1947, Brian Boru O’Neill was the oldest of six children. His father was an Army engineer and this military background resulted in Brian attending the U.S. Military Academy, from which he graduated in 1969. Commissioned in the Field Artillery, O’Neill served in Italy and Greece for two years.

In 1971, then-Lieutenant O’Neill left active duty to attend law school at the University of Michigan on the excess leave program. Brian was managing editor of the law review and graduated magna cum laude (he was in the top five of his class) in 1974. O’Neill then transferred from Field Artillery to the JAG Corps, and served in the Office of the Army General Counsel until resigning his commission in 1977.

O’Neil then enjoyed a successful career in private practice at the Minneapolis law firm of Faegre & Benson for thirty-four years. He was passionate about using the law to protect the environment and one of the highlights of his legal career occurred in 1994 when, after a nearly two-decade fight with Exxon, he obtained a five billion dollar jury verdict for damages arising out of the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker oil spill in Alaska.27 O’Neill died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) on 6 May 2020 the age of 72. He is survived by his wife, two sons, three daughters, and three grandchildren.28

Robert S. Poydasheff Sr. (1930-2020)

Colonel Robert Stephen “Bob” Poydasheff Sr., an Army lawyer who had a successful career as a politician and attorney after retiring from active duty, died on 24 September 2020 in Phenix City, Alabama. He was ninety years old.

Born in the Bronx, New York, Bob Poydasheff graduated from the Citadel in 1954 and received his law degree from Tulane University in 1957. He began his career as a Soldier as an Infantry officer before transferring to the JAG Corps. He served in a variety of locations, including Vietnam, and was a graduate of the Army War College. His last assignment was as the SJA, U.S. Army Infantry Center and Fort Benning.

After retiring from active duty as a colonel in 1979, Poydasheff remained in Columbus, Georgia, where he soon made a name for himself in local government. Bob was Mayor of Columbus and served on the City Council. He was active in many organizations and served on the boards of the Springer Opera House, Columbus Symphony, and National Infantry Museum.

Poydasheff was known for his sense of humor and outgoing personality. He was affectionately known as “Uncle Bob” to his colleagues and friends. Colonel Poydasheff is survived by his wife, Stacy, son Robert Stephen Poydasheff Jr., five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Bob was especially proud that his son, Bob Jr., also served a tour of duty as an Army lawyer.29

William F. Sherman (1937-2020)

Brigadier General (ARNG) William Farrar “Bill” Sherman died on 11 March 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Barton House Memory Center. He was eighty-two years old.

Born in Arkansas on 12 September 1937, Bill had a rich and varied career as an attorney and Soldier. He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and an Arkansas Securities Commissioner and State Representative. Bill also had a thirty-two-year career in the Army Reserve and National Guard. He served as the Special Assistant to the Judge Advocate General from 1987 to 1990.

Brigadier General Sherman is survived by his wife, Carole Lynn, one son, two daughters, and four grandchildren.30

MSG Brian Tolliver. (Photo courtesy of author)

Brian K. Tolliver (1974–2020)

Brian Keith Tolliver, who most recently served as Command Paralegal, U.S. Army Reserve Medical Command, died of COVID-19 on 17 August 2020. He was forty-six years old.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, on 4 July 1974, Master Sergeant Tolliver enlisted in the Army as a combat engineer in June 1992. He served with the 82d Combat Engineer Battalion, Bamberg, Germany, and, after leaving active duty, reclassified as a Chemical Specialist. Tolliver served with both the 302d Military Intelligence Company and 398th Chemical Company, Memphis, Tennessee, before reclassifying as a paralegal specialist MOS 27D. He subsequently served with the 139th Legal Operations Detachment before accessing into the Active Guard Reserve. Master Sergeant Tolliver then served with the 3d Legal Operations Detachment, Boston, Massachusetts, before joining the Human Resources Command and 83d Army Reserve Readiness Training Center, both located at Fort Knox, Kentucky. While in this last assignment, Tolliver was responsible for the development of more than 350 senior Soldiers as the Chief of Training, Master Leaders Course.

Master Sergeant Tolliver is survived by his four children. He was interred in Memphis, Tennessee.31

Arthur C. White (1926-2020)

Born on 20 May 1926, Arthur Campbell White served as a machine gunner in the Marine Corps in World War II and as an Armor officer during the Korean Conflict before joining the JAG Corps. He died in Williamsburg, Virginia, at his daughter’s home on 4 June 2020. Arthur was ninety-four years old.

Born in Townley, Alabama, Arthur White was the seventh of twelve children. In 1943, at the age of seventeen, he joined the U.S. Marines as a machine gunner and saw combat with an anti-aircraft battalion on Okinawa. After being honorably discharged, White earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Alabama and, having participated in the Army ROTC, was commissioned as an Armor officer in 1949.

After seeing combat in Korea, he left active duty to attend law school at the University of Louisville and, after earning his degree, returned to the Army as a JA. Arthur White served in a variety of assignments and locations, including duty with the 82d Airborne Division, where he was one of the first Army lawyers to complete the Jumpmaster Course.

After retiring as a lieutenant colonel in July 1970, White moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a senior attorney for the Board of Veterans Appeals; he ultimately became a member of the Board. In 1979, White was appointed as an administrative law judge for the U.S. Department of Labor. In 1986, Judge White left the Labor Department to care for his adult son, Stephen, who was terminally ill. He cared for Stephen until his death in 1989. Lieutenant Colonel White also was the principal care giver for his wife, Wanda, until her death.32

Of Note

June C. Fugh (1937-2020)

June Chung Fugh died on 18 June 2020. She was eighty-three years old and was living in Alexandria, Virginia, at the time of her death. Her husband, Major General John L. Fugh, served as The Judge Advocate General from 1991 to 1993.

June was a remarkable person. Born in Suzhou, China, on 2 June 1937, she was the third of five surviving daughters born to her parents. Five of her siblings, including all of her brothers, died during the Japanese occupation of China. Her father, William Ling Chung, an intelligence officer in the Chinese Nationalist Government, was able to move his family from China to India, Iran, and the United States, eventually settling in the Washington, D.C., area. June quickly mastered English and displayed a particular aptitude for math, science, and softball. In her teenage years, she was invited by Clark Griffith, then the owner of the Washington Senators, to sit with his family in their booth or the dugout, thus cementing her lifelong love of baseball.

She started at American University, majoring in chemistry, eventually earning her degree with honors some years later. After marrying John Fugh in July 1960, she drove across country to then-Lieutenant Fugh’s first posting at the Presidio of San Francisco. From that time forward, June Fugh was an integral part of the JAG Corps family, and even after her husband passed away, June continued to support our Corps with her generous support of the bi-annual Fugh Symposium.

June Chung Fugh is survived by her two children, Justina born in San Francisco, California, and Jarrett born in Heidelberg, Germany. She is also survived by four grandchildren: two boys from Justina and two girls from Jarrett.

June Fugh was an indomitable and charming woman who instilled respect, awe, and a bit of fear, in others. She was always her own unfettered self, and you absolutely always knew where you stood with her on any given day.33

Elizabeth Hoyle (1926-2020)

Elizabeth “Libby” Hoyle served for many years as a civilian personnel technician at The Judge Advocate General’s School.34 Born in Halifax County, Virginia, on 26 May 1926, Libby graduated from Montreat College in North Carolina before she moved to Charlottesville. Libby Hoyle died on 1 August 2020. She is survived by two daughters, one son, and five grandchildren.35

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Mr. Borch is the Regimental Historian, Archivist, and Professor of Legal History and Leadership at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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Notes

1. David E. Graham, In Memoriam: George Bahamonde, Army Law., 2020 Iss. No. 4, at 20.

2. Percival D. Park, The Judge Advocate General’s Corps, 1975-1982, 96 Mil. L. Rev. 7, 19 (1982).

3. Lieutenant General Charles N. Pede, Notice of Passing, Brigadier General (Retired) Richard John Bednar, JAGCnet (Jan. 8, 2021, 2:31 PM), https://www.jagcnet.army.mil/Sites/jagc.nsf/homeDisplay.xsp?open&documentId=99541F71B3D2184085258657006B39A5.

4. Lieutenant General Charles N. Pede, Notice of Passing, Mr. Stanley J. Cieslewicz, JAGCnet (Dec. 3, 2020, 2:17 PM), https://www.jagcnet.army.mil/Sites/JAGC.nsf/homeContent.xsp?open&doctype=announcement&documentId=A45598BA505CD643852586330069F0A3.

5. Email from Cal. Att’ys for Crim. Just. to Chuck Sevilla (Feb. 3, 2020, 10:36 AM) (on file with author).

6. Fred L. Borch, Ranger Cleary and the Law, Army Law., June 2017, at 1.

7. Email from Master Sergeant Rick Cox, U.S. Army, to author (8 Dec. 2020, 5:06 PM) (on file with author).

8. De Giulio, Anthony, News Break (Aug. 25, 2020), https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2047171061217/de-giulio-anthony.

9. Id.

10. Lieutenant General Charles N. Pede, COL (Retired) Michael “Mike” Patrick Finn, JAGCnet (July 16, 2020, 8:36 AM), https://www.jagcnet.army.mil/Sites/jagc.nsf/homeContent.xsp?open&documentid=51A3FBFA73720781852585A7004540D4.

11. Obituary: James Creighton Gleason, Dignity Memorial, www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/roswell-ga/james-gleason-8985862 (last visited Apr. 27, 2021).

12. Email from James P. Gerstenlauer to author (Feb. 25, 2020, 10:36 PM) (on file with author); William P. Heaston, Legacy.com, https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/argusleader/obituary.aspx?n=william-p-heaston&pid=195547572&fhid=7335 (last visited Apr. 26, 2021).

13. Gustave Francis Jacob, Kirkland Funeral Home, https://www.kirkfuneralhome.com/obituary/gustave-jacob (last visited Apr. 26, 2021).

14. Id.

15. Id.

16. Lieutenant General Charles N. Pede, Notice of Passing—Chief Warrant Officer Four (Retired) R. Kevin Kelly, JAGCnet (Feb. 26, 2021, 9:51 AM), https://www.jagcnet2.army.mil/Sites/jagc.nsf/homeContent.xsp?open&documentid=505D19DE972264E0852586880051A2F8.

17. Thomas Maxson Kullman, Register of Graduates, Class of 1964, Association of Graduates 586 (1992).

18. Lieutenant General Charles N. Pede, Notice of Passing—Mr. Roger (Ray) Lane, JAGCnet (Nov. 5, 2020, 12:11 PM), https://www.jagcnet2.army.mil/Sites/jagc.nsf/homeContent.xsp?open&documentid=B36BAD01F6099D7C85258617005D67F6.

19. Lieutenant General Charles N. Pede, Notice of Passing—Sergeant Major Dwight L. Lanford, U.S. Army, Retired, JAGCnet (Jan. 31, 2020, 11:13 AM), https://www.jagcnet2.army.mil/Sites/jagc.nsf/homeContent.xsp?open&documentid=606EC54C822EB8C18525850000585FBC.

20. Edward Allen Lassiter, Groce Funeral Home & Cremation Servs., https://www.grocefuneralhome.com/obits/edward-allen-lassiter/ (last visited Apr. 27, 2021).

21. Id.

22. Id.

23. Id.

24. Obituary: Ralph Lee Lurker, Dignity Memorial, https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/columbus-ga/ralph-lurker-9111765 (last visited Apr. 27, 2021).

25. Ed Barkowitz, George J. Miller, Army Veteran, Lawyer, Judge and Loving Father, 89, Phila. Inquirer, June 21, 2020, at B12; Ed Barkowitz, George J. Miller, 89, Was a Pioneering Center City Lawyer, Phila. Inquirer (June 18, 2020), inquirer.com/obituaries/george-j-miller-philadelphia-lawyer-coronavirus-covid19-obituary-20200618.html.

26. Letter from Brigadier General Richard J. Bednar, Assistant Judge Advocate for Civil Law, to Sergeant Major John Nolan (Feb. 29, 1980) (on file with author).

27. For more on the Exxon Valdez oil spill, see Keith Schneider, Tenacious Lawyer Turns Exxon Spill into Pollution Case for the Ages, N.Y. Times, Sept. 9, 1994, at B7.

28. O’Neill—Brian Boru, N.Y. Times, May 17, 2020, at B20.

29. Lieutenant General Charles N. Pede, Notice of Passing, COL (Retired) Robert “Bob” Stephen Poydasheff, Sr., JAGCnet (Oct. 5, 2020, 10:10 AM), https://www.jagcnet2.army.mil/Sites/jagc.nsf/homeContent.xsp?open&documentid=E0B0FB2B15DAE16D852585F8004DD716.

30. Lieutenant General Charles N. Pede, Notice of Passing—Brigadier General William Farrar Sherman, U.S. Army, Retired, JAGCnet (Mar. 30, 2020, 7:39 AM), https://www.jagcnet2.army.mil/Sites/jagc.nsf/homeContent.xsp?open&documentid=F432741DC06AC6928525853B003EE949.

31. Lieutenant General Charles N. Pede, Brian K. Tolliver, JAGCNet (Aug. 25, 2020, 1:43 PM), https://www.jagcnet2.army.mil/Sites/jagc.nsf/homeContent.xsp?open&documentid=7CB8782B80CEB32D852585CF00606CCA.

32. Arthur Campbell White, Wash. Post, June 9, 2020, at B6.

33. Lieutenant General Charles N. Pede, Mrs. June Chung Fugh, JAGCnet ( July 21, 2020, 7:43 AM), https://www.jagcnet2.army.mil/Sites/jagc.nsf/homeContent.xsp?open&documentid=A9B3977A27BFE8B9852585AC003F050F.

34. The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School was then known as The Judge Advocate General’s School, U.S. Army, or TJAGSA.

35. Elizabeth “Libby” Hoyle, Daily Progress (Aug. 12, 2020), https://dailyprogress.com/obituaries/hoyle-elizabeth-libby/article_d49b077e-93f8-5ab6-8b5b-22552a90b5f9.html.