In honor of Veterans Day each year, we asked our members who have served and continue to serve in the military to share photos and stories. Thank you for your service and dedication to protecting the law and the country! You can hover over or click on the individual images for each veteran’s story.
We put out a call for these photos and service descriptions to all members through our weekly e-newsletter, The Scoop. If you missed the submission time frame and would like to be included in our feature, please email Director of Communications Melissa Warnke, and we’ll add you! #SalutetoVeterans
Major Sydney Dean
Major Sydney Goodwin Dean
Because her husband was an Army Apache pilot on active duty, Major Dean had the privilege of attending two law schools, University of Texas School of Law and Mississippi College School of Law, before she joined him in military service. After graduation from The Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, Virginia, she served both on active duty and as an Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA).
During her military career she was honored to serve as Chief of Legal Assistance, Senior Trial Counsel, and Acting Chief of Justice for the largest combat contingency force armored division in the free world, First Cavalry Division, comprised of 17,000 soldiers. She obtained extensive experience prosecuting a myriad of criminal cases, including attempted murder and child sexual assault. During military service she also served as Senior Trial Defense Counsel, Director of the Division Tax Program, Victim-Witness Liaison, as well as in administrative, contract, medical malpractice, insurance, and law of war arenas, among others.
After their children were born, the demands of family life combined with Army service became intense for this dual service couple. As the deployment pace picked up after the despicable terror attacks on September 11, 2001, and Mr. Dean again left for war in the Middle East, husband and wife began to prayerfully examine what the future could hold for their daughters if they both deployed at the same time, and, perhaps, did not return. Major Dean made the difficult decision to exit active duty, and eventually, the IMA. Sydney then began serving many years fighting the Battle of the Homefront!
The Dean family eventually settled in beautiful Huntsville, Alabama, where Sydney entered private practice. She continues to serve through her law practice, primarily representing the indigent. For her volunteerism she has been recognized by the Alabama Access to Justice Commission and the Alabama State Bar, among others.
Some of the Army awards she was honored to receive include two Meritorious Service Medals and the U.S. Army Chief of Staff’s Award for Excellence in Legal Assistance – but most importantly the privilege to serve soldiers and their families.
She encourages young people, especially women, to consider serving in the armed forces – saying it is well worth the ride! First Team! Go Army!
Hon. James Sledge
After graduating and commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant, James Sledge entered Army with training in Armor School, Intelligence School, Jungle Expert School and Vietnamese Language School.
He was assigned to the Delta in 1970 as an advisor to Vietnamese Special Operations troops, and he was part of the Phoenix Program under the command of CIA. This is only instance in US history for military serving under civilian command. When he finished there, he left the Army and started UA Law in 1971 with a class that included a large number of veterans.
Judge Sledge was appointed on January 11, 2006, by Librarian of Congress Dr. James H. Billington to serve as a six-year term as Chief Judge on the three-member Copyright Royalty Board. He is also a retired United States Bankruptcy Judge from Alabama and has chaired the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association and the National Conference of Federal Trial Judges.
Major M. Arthur “Artie” Vaughn II
Major M. Arthur “Artie” Vaughn II is the Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Staff Judge Advocate for the 23d Wing at Moody AFB, GA. In this capacity, he provides ARC support to the SJA who is responsible for providing full spectrum legal services to the 23d Wing in areas including military justice, civil law, legal assistance, operations, and international law. The SJA supervises a staff of 25 active duty, reserve, and civilian legal professionals. The 23d Wing consists of five groups and one detachment with more than 4,700 military and civilian personnel at two locations: Moody AFB, GA, and Avon Park Air Force Range, FL. Moody is the home of the Air Force's legendary "Flying Tigers" and, Headquarters, 93d Air Ground Operations Wing, which consists of three groups with more than 2,800 Battlefield Airmen at 20 locations throughout the continental U.S. supporting eight of ten active duty U.S. Army divisions.
In 2002, Major Vaughn graduated from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice. In 2007, Major Vaughn graduated magna cum laude from Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia. He received his commission through the Direct Apppointment Program in 2008. He served on Active Duty until joining the ARC in 2019. He also serves as an instructor on the Training by Reservists in Advocacy and Litigation Skills (TRIALS) Team. TRIALS is composed of 30 reservists with extensive litigation backgrounds who coordinate and conduct six trial advocacy courses each year, rotating locating across the Air Force with an emphasis on educating junior active duty judge advocates.
As a civilian, Major Vaughn works for Auburn University as a Title IX and Civil Rights Investigator. In this role, he is responsible for investigating allegations of race, sexual, and gender-based misconduct throughout the Auburn University system which is comprised of 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students and over 5,000 faculty and staff.
John Thomas (Tom) King, Jr.
RETIRED CIRCUIT JUDGE AND BRIGADIER GENERAL JOHN THOMAS (TOM) KING, JR. Retired Circuit Judge and Brigadier General John Thomas (Tom) King, Jr. served
32 years in the United States Army and Alabama National Guard. By all accounts, during his commands dating from 1989-2003, King trained, mobilized, and deployed more soldiers than any commander in the history of the Alabama National Guard.
General King was commissioned a 2LT as a Distinguished Military Graduate on August 15, 1971, concurrent with his graduation from The University of Alabama. During his two years on Active Duty, King served in the Republic of South Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Vietnam Commendation Medal.
Upon entering The Cumberland School of Law in 1973, he joined The Alabama Army National Guard where he served for seven years as Briefing Officer for a Two-Star Commander, during which time he briefed more than 200 General and Flag Officers.
King served as a Battalion Commander from 1989-93, training, mobilizing, and deploying all nine logistical units (more than 1,000 soldiers) under his command to Desert Shield-Desert Storm.
As a Group Commander from 1995-97, King trained, mobilized, and deployed more than 2,000 logistical soldiers to Southern Command in support of the Active Army’s retrograde from the Panama Canal Zone. King simultaneously mobilized and deployed a Maintenance Company of 211 personnel to Croatia and Hungary in support of Allied Forces in the First Russian-Chechen War.
In his final assignment as Deputy Commanding General of a 4,400 personnel command, General King was tasked with training logistical commands across the state without disclosing the ultimate deployment order by The Commander-in-Chief to initiate Operation Iraqi Freedom that resulted in the removal of Saddam Hussein.
Notably, throughout these commands, King continued to practice law and, beginning in 2001, served as a Circuit Judge in Jefferson County.
General King graduated from both the Army War College and Air War College. Upon his retirement in 2003, he was awarded The Legion of Merit.
David Fawal
After law school graduation in 1990, David immediately entered the United States Navy as an Ensign in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. From there, he served in several roles across the country, including: Trial Counsel, Senior Trial Counsel, Staff Judge Advocate, Training Officer, Executive Officer, Legal Assistance Department Head and Legal Counsel. He left active duty in 1995, and continued his service as a member of the Navy Reserve in numerous capacities and units across the country. David retired as a Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps on 1 August 2017. David’s personal decorations include the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal (six awards) and the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards), as well as various unit and service awards and commendations. He is also qualified as an Expert Marksman with both rifle and handgun.
Joel M. Nomberg
Mr. Nomberg is a veteran of the United States Army. He attained the rank of Captain. He served in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969 with the 9th Infantry Division and was the Commanding Officer of the 1097 Boat Company. For his service in Vietnam, Mr. Nomberg was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, and three other Vietnam combat medals. Mr. Nomberg recently served as a volunteer mentor in the Baldwin County Veterans Court. The purpose of the program is to guide, with the court and mentors, any Veteran participant in resolving their infractions with the court system. In 2017, Joel celebrated 50 years as a member of the Alabama State Bar.
Paul Davison
Paul Davison served in the Air Force and the Air Force Reserve as an attorney, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2007. He was assigned in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Florida, and Georgia. The picture is from his retirement at Robins AFB, Georgia, on June 1, 2007.
Lt. Col. Carlissa Carson
Lt. Col. Carlissa Carson is currently the Staff Judge Advocate for the 117th Air Refueling Wing in Birmingham, AL. She joined the Air National Guard in 2012 after serving nine years in the Army Reserve. In the Army, she served as a Military Intelligence officer, and later, as a Judge Advocate.
Carlissa graduated from Emory University School of Law in 2008 (JD). She graduated from Georgetown Law in 2009 (LLM). She practices bankruptcy and commercial litigation as a civilian.
Colonel (Retired) Bryan E. Morgan
Colonel (Retired) Bryan E. Morgan served over 34 years in the Guard and Reserve including tours at the Pentagon and as the State Judge Advocate for the Alabama Military
Department. He is a Graduate of the Army Airborne School, the Army Judge Advocate
General’s School, the Army and Air Force War Colleges and received the Legion of Merit. He
is a 1977 graduate of the University of Alabama and a 1981 graduate of Cumberland School
of Law. He serves as Director of Career Development at Faulkner University Jones School of Law and has served as an attorney with the State of Alabama.
MAJ Ternisha Miles Jones
MAJ Ternisha Miles Jones was commissioned as an officer with the Alabama National Guard in 2010. Se is currently assigned to the State Staff Judge Advocate’s Office in Montgomery.
MAJ Liles C. Burke
Major Liles Burke is a JAG officer in the Alabama Army National Guard . He is assigned to Joint Forces Headquarters in Montgomery, Alabama, where he is the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate. In civilian life Major Burke is a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama with a duty station at the Huntsville, Alabama United States Courthouse.
Thomas Ralston Long IV
After serving 36 years of combined active and reserve service with some of the most effective soldiers and honorable men upon whom our nation relies, Mr. Long retired from the Alabama Army National Guard, and must now deal with obtaining a passport in order to continue his travels to foreign, exotic, and exciting lands. He is in private practice in primarily the Fourth Circuit of Alabama.
Thomas Ralston Long IV
Colonel Harold Howell
Colonel Howell is a WWII veteran and purple heart recipient. He was admitted to practice law in Alabama on September 15, 1949, and he is currently a special member of the Alabama State Bar at age 98. He has practiced law in Autauga County for nearly 70 years.
COL (R) W. Terry Travis
William Terry Travis is a 1978 Auburn Graduate and 1982 Cumberland Law School Graduate. He graduated from the
United States Army War College with a Masters Degree in 2013 and worked 24 years in civilian law practice; 4 years with Montgomery County District Attorney’s office; 10 year partnership with George Beck; 9 years solo practice. in addition, he has 29 years in the Alabama National Guard (ALNG); beginning 1989; Retired as Full Colonel Dec 2017; ALNG State Staff Judge Advocate 2012-2017; Numerous Military awards including: Bronze Star, Legion of Merit
Military Deployments: Iraq 2006-07; Afghanistan 2009-10
Currently a State Employee serving the ALNG Adjutant General as her Executive Assistant/Legislative Liaison.
Major Gary Richardson Jr
Major Gary Richardson Jr. received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves in December 2001 in the Corp of Military Intelligence Corp. He served a one-year tour of duty in Baghdad, Iraq, from 2004-2005. He is currently serving as a Liaison Officer in the 84th Training Command in Birmingham, AL and is an attorney in private practice in Birmingham, AL.
Colonel Charles A. Langley
Colonel Charles A. Langley is a lawyer practicing in Fayette, Alabama with Holder, Moore, Lawrence & Langley. COL Langley serves as the State Judge Advocate for the Alabama National Guard. In 2006-2007, COL Langley deployed to Iraq with the 226 Area Support Group, in 2013, COL Langley deployed with the 135th Expeditionary Sustainment Command to Kuwait.
Luther "Luke" D. Bentley IV
Luke is pictured center on the front row of this photo. He was a C-130 pilot in the 908th Airlift Wing, which is located at Maxwell AFB and went to law school while flying for the 908th. Once during law school, he says he skipped a few days of classes to fly supplies to Haiti after the big earthquake. "I was glad that I was able to support that relief mission to Haiti, and I enjoyed responding to professors asking why I had missed class." After law school, Luke transitioned to the JAG Corps, working for several years as an attorney in the same unit where he served as a pilot. He retired from the Air Force Reserves in July 2019 and feels very privileged to have been able to serve our country, both as a pilot and as an attorney.
CPT Melissa L. Isaak
Melissa L. Isaak is a Captain in the Alabama National Guard and currently serves as Trial Defense Counsel. Prior to accepting a direct commission in the Guard, she enlisted in the United States Army and served on active duty for a period of four years. While on active duty, Melissa obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree as well as a Master of Science Degree in Psychology. After her discharge from the Army, Melissa worked as a child and adolescent therapist and conducted research at the United States Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL) where she became a published author. She also taught courses on psychology, child development, statistics, juvenile delinquency and statistics at Wallace Community College and Troy University. Melissa then used her G.I. Bill to obtain a law degree from Barry University where she was a member of the law review. Melissa was one of the first pioneers in the area of Fathers' Rights. She opened the Isaak Law Firm, limiting the firm's representation to men in family law matters, which has grown into a firm with locations in three cities in the state of Alabama. Melissa has been a speaker at several conferences and CLE's regarding shared parenting, the nuts and bolts of a family law case, representing men in divorce and the scientific data regarding custodial schedules. Melissa continues to advocate for shared parenting and time sharing in family law matters.
Patrick Mahaney, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve, Ret.
Photo shows Major Patrick Mahaney rigging for a parachute jump with the Alabama National Guard 20th Special Forces Group, circa 1992.
Patrick Mahaney is a criminal defense attorney in with offices in Montgomery, Alabama, concentrating his practice in defense of driving under the influence (DUI), drug possession/controlled substances violations, sex offenses and sex offender registration, and driver license issues. Mr. Mahaney established his law office in July 2006 after completing five and half years of overseas service for the United States government. Mr. Mahaney has been licensed to practice law for over thirty years. Mr. Mahaney received his B.A. degree from The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. and his law degree from Jones School of Law in Montgomery, Alabama. He was admitted to the Alabama state bar in May 1989.
Military service: Over 28 years military service as a commissioned officer in the regular and reserve components of the United States Army. Retired as Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve. Branch qualified as an infantry officer, military police officer, and military intelligence officer; airborne and ranger qualified. Previous assignments with light infantry and Army special operations units. Retired from the U.S. Army Reserve in June 2001.
LTC Thomas J. Skinner
Lt. Col. Thomas “Jay” Skinner is an attorney and founder of the Law Offices of Thomas J. Skinner, IV, LLC, with offices in both Birmingham and Valley Head, Alabama. He received his B.S. in Commerce and Business Administration with a major in Real Estate from the University of Alabama in 1990, and his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 2003. Lt. Col. Skinner serves in the Alabama Army National Guard as the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate at the 167th Theater Sustainment Command. In that position, Lt. Col. Skinner assists the Staff Judge Advocate in advising the command on legal matters, oversees the daily operations of the legal section and staff, and serves as a mentor and guide for the junior legal officers in the command. In 2013, Lt. Col. Skinner deployed with the 135th Expeditionary Sustainment Command to Kuwait and Qatar in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Bryan Taylor
Bryan Taylor is an Iraq War Veteran and continues to serve today as an Army JAG officer in the Alabama National Guard. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1998 and the University of Texas School of Law in 2001. He served on active duty from 2002 to 2006. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq. He also received the American Bar Association’s Outstanding Military Lawyer award for 2004. Since his honorable discharge from active duty in 2006, Taylor has held senior positions in three governor’s administrations, most recently serving as Governor Kay Ivey’s chief legal advisor. He also served in the Alabama State Senate from 2010-2014.
BOYD F. CAMPBELL
I served with the Alabama Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve from 1981 to 1993. I served with a Public Affairs Detachment and logistics group in Montgomery and was company commander of a Signal company in Warrior. My last assignment was with Central Command on MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa FL. My basic training was at the Anniston Army Post, and I underwent officer training at Officer Candidate School, Fort Benning GA. I separated as a captain.
CPT Amy Quick Glenos
CPT Amy Quick Glenos serves as Trial Counsel for the 167th Theater Sustainment Command at Fort McClellan, Alabama. She received a direct commission as an officer to the Alabama Army National Guard in 2016. On the civilian side, she is an attorney with the international labor and employment firm of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. Her practice focuses on the representation of management in all phases of employment-related disputes and litigation. She is a former law clerk to the Honorable James H. Hancock, United States District Judge, and also served as the Court Law Clerk to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, reporting to Chief Judge Karon O. Bowdre.
Henry I Frohsin
U.S. Army 1st Lt. 1967-1969
U.S. Army, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate, 1968-1969
U.S. Army, HQS SUPDIST Hessen, Frankfurt, Germany, 1968-1969
U.S. Army Commendation Medal
Christopher K. Richardson
Chris is the managing partner of the Dothan branch of Boles Holmes Parkman White, LLC. His practice is focused on criminal defense, bankruptcy and probate. Chris has served in the Alabama Army National Guard since September 15, 2001, when he joined the 20th Special Forces Group. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2002-2003, before returning home and continuing his undergraduate education at the University of Alabama. In 2005, Chris graduated from the Alabama Military Academy as a Second Lieutenant and from the University of Alabama the following year. In 2010, Chris graduated from the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, after having served as the SBA President. Chris chose not to pursue the JAG Corps and instead continues to serve as a Logistics Officer. "I love being a lawyer, but I also love not being a lawyer when I'm in uniform." Chris was deployed again in 2017-2018, this time to Kuwait. Chris has been married to the former Leanne Massey (attorney with the Houston County Probate Court) since 2011. They have two sons, Charles and William.
Richard J.R. Raleigh, Jr.
Rich attended the University of Alabama on a U.S. Army ROTC Scholarship, graduated in 1992 as a Distinguished Military Graduate, and was Commissioned a Second Lieutenant (2LT) in the U.S. Army Armor Branch. He attended law school from 1992-1995 on an Educational Delay, and then served on Active Duty from 1995 - 2000 as a JAG Officer with U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps in Charlottesville, Virginia, Germany, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Rich also served from 2000 - 2005 in U.S. Army Reserves JAG Corps serving with the 154th Legal Support Organization (Trial Defense Service), completing his service as a Major (MAJ).
MSG Jeremiah M. Glassford
MSG Jeremiah M. Glassford is a Birmingham attorney with over 20 years of Army service. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2001 and to Iraq in 2004 and 2009. In between deployments, he attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and after finally graduating in 2010, he attended the University of Alabama School of Law. Jeremiah currently serves as the senior noncommissioned officer for the U.S. Army Reserve’s Emergency Preparedness Liaison Office team for FEMA Region IV, where he coordinates DOD military assistance to civilian state and federal government agencies during large-scale disaster response operations.
Lt Colonel Mitchell J. Howie
Lt Colonel Howie is an Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) attached to the 100th Air Refueling Wing, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom. In this capacity, he is legal counsel to commanders representing four separate Air Force Major Commands and oversees the provision of legal services supporting more than 16,800 military, civilian, dependent, and retiree personnel. Lt Col Howie entered the Air Force through the Direct Appointment Program on 27 May 2005, and began his active duty service on 3 July 2005. After serving at two different Air Force bases and a deployment to support the war on terror, he separated from Active Duty in September 2009 and entered the reserves. He initially served as an IMA at the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field until 2016 when he transitioned to serve as a reservist in the UK. In his civilian law practice Lt Col Howie represents small businesses and individuals in civil and criminal litigation in Alabama. Lt Colonel Howie teaches Trial Advocacy on the TRIALS team and has been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as one of the Top 100 Lawyers and as one of Top 40 attorneys under 40.
Jack B. Hood
Jack B. Hood was a JAG Captain in the USAF and served his active duty in the Canal Zone in Panama from June 1972 to June 1976.
Jeremy Weber
For the past 23 years, Jeremy Weber has served on active duty as Air Force Judge Advocate. His assignments include a tour as a military judge, the Air Force's chief appellate counsel, and a three-time Staff Judge Advocate leading legal organizations. Currently, he serves as the Director of Law Chair Programs at Maxwell Air Force Base, where he teaches at the Air War College and coordinates the JAG Corps' legal education to more than 23,000 students per year across Air University. He recently became a member of the Alabama State Bar, and he intends to retire from active duty in the coming months and continue public service at the state level in Montgomery.
Loretta D. Collins
Loretta D. Collins, a private practice attorney located in Huntsville, is a native of Birmingham. Sh enlisted in the U. S. Navy after high school and served in the Delayed Entry Program 1 year and on Active Duty for 8 years. While on active duty she received two Good Conduct Metals, Aviation Warfare Wings, a Letter of Commendation and other letters of appreciation and accolades.
Major Elijah T. Beaver
Opelika attorney and Major Elijah T. Beaver currently serves as the Command Judge Advocate for the 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne). He has deployed twice to the Middle East: in support of peacekeeping operations in Egypt, and as part of the Global War on Terror to Kuwait, Jordan, and Qatar. His success as an officer and as an attorney is due in large part to the support of his wife Erin, an educator with Opelika City Schools.
Will Hill Tankersley
Will Hill Tankersley: (ASB 1986 admittee):
Years of Service: 1979-1983 (Active Duty); 1983-1991 (Alabama National Guard and Reserve). Total years of service: 11.
Qualifications: Airborne, Ranger, Senior Parachutist, Jumpmaster, Expert Infantryman, Pathfinder, German Parachutist.
Summary of Assignments:
a.) Infantry Platoon Leader 3rd Bn. 19th Inf. 24 Infantry Division (Mechanized.) (Fort Stewart, GA)
b.) Special Forces A Team Executive Officer and Acting Team Leader 1st of the 10th Special Forces Group (Bad Tolz, Germany)
c.) Armor Company Commander in the 2nd Bn. 152 Armor (Alabama National Guard) (Alabama)
d.) After that, a variety of staff jobs in the Army Reserves.
Highest rank received: Major.
After 30 years in Birmingham, he has moved back to Montgomery and am working out of his law firm’s Montgomery office.
ROYCE GREY WADSWORTH
Attorney Royce Wadsworth served 23 years in the U.S. Air Force. He retired in 2006 having served at various locations at home and abroad including Hill AFB Utah, Gardermoen Air Station Norway, Ramstien Air Base Germany, Langley AFB Virginia, Tyndall AFB Florida, Moody AFB Georgia, Osan Air Base Korea, Fort Hood Texas, Maxwell AFB Alabama, Camp Eggers, Afghanistan.
Donald Mansell
Attorney Donald Mansell was in the Army, serving in both Vietnam and the Middle Eastern Desert. His major awards were the Combat Infantrymen Badge, Pathfinder Torch, Senior Parachutist Badge, Ranger Tab and Special Forces Tab (Green Beret). He was also awarded the Bronze Star for combat action.
LTC Stephen G. Smith
LTC Stephen Smith is currently serving as Regional Defense Counsel, 1930th Regional Trial Defense Team for the Southeast Region which includes Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee. LTC Smith was mobilized in 2002 for 6 months as part of a Joint Task Force in Operation Noble Eagle/Enduring Freedom and was stationed at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. He served on active duty again in 2006 with the 226 Area Support Group, Mobile, Alabama in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was stationed at Al Asad Airbase in the Anbar Province in Iraq. LTC Stephen Smith grew up in Geneva, Alabama and currently resides in Slocomb, Alabama. He was in private practice of law from 1996-2003 in Dothan, Alabama. From 2003-2010 he served in the District Attorney’s Office for Geneva and Dale Counties, as an Assistant District Attorney. In 2010 LTC Smith was elected as District Judge for Geneva County, Alabama and was re-elected in 2016. LTC Smith is married to Brooke Janasky Smith and they have four children: Clay (15), Evie (13), Lyla (10) and Camilla Jane(2).
MAJ Chris Thigpen
MAJ Chris Thigpen has over 22 years of service in the Alabama National Guard in both the Air and Army National Guard. He is presently assigned as Command Judge Advocate for the 62nd Troop Command in Montgomery, Alabama.
James R. Houts
In this photo, James R. Houts is meeting his daughter for the first time. She was born while he was deployed to Iraq with the XVIIIth Airborne Corps in 2005. Houts served as an operational law adviser in Iraq with specific focus on detainee operations and restoration of the rule of law. He's currently serving as a judge advocate in the Alabama Army National Guard.
LTC J. Langford Floyd
LTC Floyd retired after 28 years in the Army Reserves and Ala National Guard. He entered the reserves after law school, and his entire career was as a JAG in legal units throughout the eastern US, including Mobile, Birmingham, Atlanta, DC and NY state. Most of his work centered around providing legal support for reserve troops being deployed as well as active duty soldiers stationed at Ft Rucker, Ft Benning, NAS Pensacola and 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin AFB. He served with trial defense units, mostly supervising JAG defense lawyers that represented soldiers charged under the UCMJ.
LTC Michael D. Anderson
Michael Anderson is an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama in Mobile. Anderson has been in the National Guard, Army Reserve and Marine Reserve. Anderson deployed with a Marine Force Reconnaissance Company during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. He actually dropped out of his first semester of law school at Cumberland to deploy. Upon his return he started again in the next law class. Anderson deployed to Afghanistan in 2013-2014 with the Alabama Army National Guard. He is currently the Chief of Military Justice for the 167th Theater Sustainment Command.
CPT Mike Ermert
Michael Ermert served in the U.S. Army on active duty from 1983-1987, then in the Alabama National Guard from 1987-1988. He was a Captain when he finished his service. His primary duties were serving as a Public Affairs Officer for the Fort Gordon, Georgia, military installation and for the 31st Armored Brigade of the Alabama National Guard.
Ron McBay
Ron McBay (right) first enlisted in the Alabama Army National Guard in November, 1985. Currently, he serves as a Trial Defense Service Judge Advocate on a full-time basis, working from Mobile. This photo was taken in November, 2013, on Thanksgiving Day in Kabul, Afghanistan. Another Alabama Attorney, AUSA Michael Anderson, is seated next to him.
Frank Caprio
Frank M. Caprio is a retired Naval Flight Officer and Mission Commander having served in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s in active duty and reserve squadrons flying the Lockheed P-3 Orion Aircraft, conducting Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Missions, where he and his aircrews located and tracked Soviet ballistic-missile and fast-attack submarines. Their missions also included search and rescue, drug interdiction, weapons firing and testing, NATO coordination, and general maritime patrol. In his last assignment before retirement he served as the Commanding Officer of an Anti-Submarine Warfare Operations Center.
MAJ Donnie C. Hughes Jr.
Donnie C. Hughes Jr. joined the military on his 17th birthday in 1986. He graduated from Corner High School in 1987, and immediately report for basic training at Ft. Knox KY. and trained as a Cavalry Scout. He served as a Scout with the 1/3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Ft. Bliss. While serving with the 1/3 ACR he participated in training exercises at the NTC in California, and the Cold War operation known as Reforger in Germany. After completing his initial enlistment he joined the Alabama National Guard and continued to serve as a Scout with the 152nd Armor in Childersburg. While serving with the 152nd he deployed to Ft. Polk and Ft. Hood to support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991. As a gunner on a Bradley Fighting Vehicle he shot a perfect score of 1000 points out of a possible 1000. He received a Direct Commission in the Army Reserves in 2003 and has since served in the JAG Corp with the Army Reserve and the Alabama National Guard. He recently deployed to the Southwest Border in support of a Joint Mission with Department of Homeland Security. He is currently deployed with the 135th Expeditionary Support Command and serving in Kuwait. He lives with his wife and three girls in Leeds, and is a Creditors Attorney in Mountain Brook Alabama.
Captain Greg Cook
Captain Greg Cook is a partner with the firm of Balch & Bingham LLP where he has practiced since 1991. During his military service, Captain Cook served in the Pentagon from 1984-88 in the United States Air Force. He was a part of the First Information Systems Group, providing communications and computer support to the Air Staff.
MAJ Olan Scott Hewitt
MAJ Hewitt's military career began when he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force in 2003. He served on active duty for 3 years as an aircraft maintenance officer at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana.
After law school, MAJ Hewitt joined the Alabama Army National Guard. He has
served in the Alabama Army National Guard since 2010. His assignments have
included the 167 Theater Sustainment Command at Ft. McClellan, Alabama Trial
Defense Service, the 226 Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in Mobile. He also
spent 20 months on active duty at Fort Rucker, AL where he served as a trial defense attorney.
He is currently a full-time Judge Advocate with the Alabama National Guard
at Joint Forces Headquarters in Montgomery.
Judge John L. Carroll
Judge John L. Carroll was in the United States Marine Corps from June of 1965 to December of 1969. He was a bombardier/navigator in the A6A Intruder aircraft. From October of 1967 to October of 1968, he was with Marine All-Weather Attack Squadron 242 at the Danang Airbase in Vietnam and flew over 200 combat missions many of them over North Vietnam. He was honorably discharged on December 31, 1969 with the rank of Captain. This photo was taken on the Marine Corps birthday in 1969.
Tylynn Griffin
Tylynn Griffin is currently a 1st Lieutenant in the Alabama Army National Guard.
Jimmy Walsh
James F. “Jimmy” Walsh, of Rumberger Kirk in Birmingham, is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, and retired from the Army holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Jimmy is well-known in the State of Alabama for his work with the National Association for Mental Illness (NAMI), of which he is a former President and current member of the Alabama State Executive Board. Other civic activities include the Boy Scouts and the American Diabetes Association. In his practice, Jimmy has led the firm’s Birmingham office through substantial growth over the last several years. He is truly an inspiration for all those who know him.
Neil Fulsang
Major Neil E. Fulsang joined the Army in May 2007, drawn to service in the wake of 9/11, and influenced by the honorable service by both grandfathers and great-grandfather in the United States Army.
Neil commissioned as an Infantry Officer from the New Mexico Military Institute. From the onset, Neil ran to the sound of the guns, expediting the completion of his bachelor’s degree in 3.5 years in order to deploy to combat faster.
As a Lieutenant (Platoon Leader) Neil commanded 35 soldiers in eastern Afghanistan. His platoon conducted over 120 dismounted combat patrols in the Hindu-Kush mountains and decisively engaged (in close combat) with enemy combatants on many occasions.
As a Captain (Company Commander) Neil commanded an infantry Company of 150 soldiers in southern Afghanistan. His company conducted air assault operations to remote locations over 60 miles from the nearest friendly forces, for periods of 14-60 days at a time. “Commando Company” engaged with the enemy combatants on several occasions and was responsible for the disruption of a large drug/weapon resupply route as well as the destruction of Taliban cells in Kandahar and Tarin Kowt.
Major Fulsang’s military awards include: Two Bronze Star Medals, Two Meritorious Service Medals, Eight Army Commendation Medals, Two Army Achievement medals, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the Canadian Parachutist Badge, and the Dominican Republic Parachutist Badge.
“Practicing law in Alabama allows me to continue to serve the people of the United States in another capacity and fight for what’s right.” - MAJ Neil Fulsang