Promotion, Part Two: The Reception!

I know this post is a bit delayed, but I definitely want to talk about this!  Along with the great promotion ceremony I had, I also planned (with lots of help) a great party afterwards!

Thanks to my friend, Gabi, an amazing chef and party planner herself, I decided to make quiches for the event.  It was my first try, and after a week-before dry run that had rave reviews, I bit the bullet and made 7 different quiches for the big day, using this amazing recipe.  Easy, delicious, do it.

The spread

 I went with a fall theme since my promotion was at the end of September and did brown tablecloths, gold plates, lovely metal touches here and there, and orange serving platters.

My friend Kathleen volunteered to help and made this AMAZING cake.  Seriously, what a feat, and delicious.  Other pals chipped in with baked goods, and I even got to use my little major's leaf cookie cutter to make some imprints in some sugar cookies!

Seriously, wow.  A cake shaped like an oak leave on another cake!  Mind blown.

As you might have noticed, I used Scrabble tiles to label all the food

But the best part was seeing people from my past and present in a great celebration!!

Promotion, part 1: The ceremony!

Well, I'm officially a Major Beach!  (Ha ha, hilarious, no, you aren't the first one to say that to me).

On the 30th, I had a ceremony where I promoted from Captain to Major, which was a LOOOOONG time coming.  Because it was over 8 years since I had pinned on Captain (I had a break in service), it feels very very strange to be a major.  I caught myself in the mirror today and thought, "who's playing dressup?"

Anyway, I'll be back next week with some great info, recipes, and tips on the kick-ass reception that I threw, but I thought I'd start with the ceremony and all the great things that happened there!

First, my special guests were my old boss (who presided over the ceremony), my parents, my sisters, my husband, my kids, and my two friends who pinned on my oak leaves (which my mother pointed out do NOT look like oak leaves from Indiana!)

Oak (?) leaves

Also I had some Army folks (my ROTC instructor, a college/ROTC classmate, and a fellow member from my battalion in Germany), lots of folks from the legal office on Joint Base Andrews, one (sob!) rep from OSI, the entire Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, lots of commanders and first sergeants and a ton of friends!  You can see, it was a packed house in the Appellate Courtroom that morning:

My favorite part of the ceremony, besides seeing all these people come out to help celebrate, was the fact that my sisters and I sang the National Anthem at the beginning.  We didn't record DURING the ceremony, but here's our rehearsal footage:

So, in a promotion, the presiding officer talks a lot about the person being promoted and why they are so awesome.  While my old boss was doing that, Avery decided to take advantage of his empty chair and come out and hang with me:

Discussing my awesomeness

Avery...not impressed

 Following that, some orders are read and then I get to choose people to pin on my oak leaves.  I chose my friends Gabe and Craig (both amazing guys who are really there for me), and Jon helped Avery pin my hat.

Next, my old boss gave me the officer's oath again, reaffirming my allegiance to the Constitution as a major in the United States Air Force.

And last, I got to make a speech.  I hate when people talk for a long time, but I had so many people to thank, from my family to my friends to my old Army buddies to my current influences.  Just amazing people I've had in my life that I was excited to share the day with.

And with that, and a quick singing of the Air Force song, it was over and it was time for the reception!  I worked super hard on all the party details and food, as did a LOT of people who helped me, so stay tuned for those details soon!

Caveat:  I JUST realized it's "Climbing" high into the sun, not "Flying" high into the sun.  Ha ha ha.  I'll learn one day!!

Make-Me-Smile Monday!

For those who haven't been on a military base, they play Taps at 9pm (I mean 2100!) every night.  Avery used to get super excited and run to the front porch to listen and then say good night to everyone :-)

I especially like his whispering "over the truck" under his breath as he gets over that obstacle.

Thrift Frame Re-do

Take an ugly thrift store frame ($3)

Spray paint the frame white, the brackets oil-rubbed-bronze, and put some scrapbook paper in it.

Put it on your desk and annotate your moods for your co-workers.

Ali Force One

Working inside the legal office here on Joint Base Andrews, I forget that there's a whole bustling base outside my dark, interior prison workspace, and it's easy to forget that other people have REALLY cool jobs.  I recently got to see folks do their thing on the runway as President Obama arrived by helicopter and took off by that little plane we call Air Force One. 

You have to admit, it's a pretty cool sight to see the President go about his business.  He landed, crossed over to Air Force One, climbed up the stairs, and then turned to wave goodbye.  I mean, he waved PERSONALLY to me, even though there were other people standing there as well.  We had a moment, I could tell.

Note to self:  It's bright on the runway.  Bring sunglasses. 

My heart's a-racing

And hopefully my body is, too, because I signed up for a 5K at the Alexandria Running Festival!

Now, I know some of the things going through your mind:

1. A 5K?  Really?  That's all?
2. Don't you run all the time anyway for your job?
3. You're actually "training" for a 5K?
4. Didn't we run a 5K last week for PT?

Fair enough, and the answers are:

1. Yes, Yes, Yes
2. No
3. Yes
4. Probably....but I likely skipped PT

So I have a few pounds of baby weight to lose, I need to get into good bathing suit weather, and I would like to be able to run without feeling miserable (and NOT feel like passing out running through the parking lot of my building during an active shooter exercise).  So, I signed up.  Free T-shirt and all!  I'm doing a training plan that I found online, my friend Gabe is running with me, and it should be a good time.  AND, since I already signed up, I can't exactly back out without looking stupid :-)

A Major Change

The day in day outs of my military life is pretty hectic.  Get to the office, check emails, answer phone calls, update reports, call a million people, go to meetings, repeat repeat.  But everyone once in a while, something happens that shakes up your day, and last month, that "something" was my name coming out on the major's list!

I'm currently a captain, and have been since I pinned on the rank while I was in the Army on 1 September 2005.  When I left the Army and joined the Air Force, my date of rank (when I pinned on my most current rank) changed from September of 2005 to December of 2006 to adjust for active duty, inactive, and reserve time.  Some crazy formula that I can't even begin to understand - whatever.

So, even though I joined the JAG Corps and the Air Force in May of 2011, the Air Force calculates that I've been a captain since December of 2006.  Great for pay and prestige purposes, but a bummer for experience.  You see, the years you spend as a captain in the JAG Corps are the years you do a bunch of trials, get in the court a lot, etc.  While I've had the chance to do a few courts, I won't be able to spend a lot of time as a captain developing those courtroom skills because I'm simply too high ranking.

And with that....I made the major's list!  77 members of the JAG Corps made the list, which means that we've been selected for promotion.  How it works is a little weird:  we all have a number (I'm actually #2) that is based on our date of rank.  Starting at some soon-to-be-announced month probably this fall, the JAG Corps will start promoting a handful of people a month.  The good news about having a low number is that the first month, they will definitely promote at least two of us, so I won't have to wait TOO long to pin on.

So what does being a major mean?  First, it's a new echelon of officer.  Lieutenants and Captains are "Company Grade Officers", meaning the lowest operational officers.  However, when you pin on major, you become a "Field Grade Officer", which means higher than a company grade officer, but lower than a general officer.  So, I'm now among the Lieutenant Colonels and Colonels and other Majors.  There's a sense of greater responsibility, greater knowledge, and greater respect for this rank.

I remember what seems like yesterday sitting in ROTC in college under my instructors who were captains thinking that they were 1) so old and 2) so wise.  Now I'm older, getting ready to be ranked higher, and don't feel that wise.

My boss told me I was on the list and then my wing commander and vice wing commander came down and presented me with a gold oak leaf (the symbol for a major) that he had worn as a major, which really meant a lot to me.  I also co-hosted a little free drink party with my friend and fellow promotee, Eric, and lots of commanders, first sergeants, members of OSI, and co-workers came.  I was touched to find that so many people were willing to stop by and offer congrats, although I'm sure the promise of free drinks didn't hurt :-)

So, I'm officially "Major Select Beach" which simply means I'm waiting to pin on, although I just keep using the phrase "captain" until that happens.  Sad to give up my captains bars, but on to bigger things!!

The Way to Lead

The military will show you two types of people:  those who can lead, and those who can't. And while every job doesn't require leadership skills, working for a leader beats working for a non-leader.  I'm fortunate to work for a leader.

Now, this isn't a sing-the-praises-of-my-boss post, because, let's face it, he's doing what everyone's supposed to be doing.  But rarely do people do what they are supposed to do, so I'm pleasantly surprised.  It's like getting good customer service at the DMV or the post office.  You're supposed to get good customer service, but I'm so used to NOT getting it that I'm surprised when I do.

But I digress.  Basically, I'm going to be a single mom next year because Jon is moving to Alabama, and my assignment manager can't, or won't, find me a job down there.  Without me even asking, my boss, a well-known guy in the JAG corps, started making calls trying to get me a job in Alabama.  When that fell through, I resigned myself to staying in my office an extra year, working the insane hours that I work now all while having two babies to take care of myself.  So what did my boss do?  He made some more calls and got me a job that is not only highly coveted, but has normal work hours.  Likely it's something I wouldn't normally get, but this guy vouched for me, and that really meant the world to me.

So next year, even though I'll be alone with the kids and it will be difficult, I'll have better hours, probably little to no early morning requirements, and still be doing great work for the JAG Corps.  Oh yeah, the job is clerking for the judges in the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.  Great stuff.

Sunday Linky Dinkie

 What is it that I do all day at work?  Work on courts-martial in the Air Force! Want to see a list of all the courts-martial docketed currently in the Air Force?  Check out the docket list HERE.

It's interesting to see what rank, what crimes, and what locations are involved in various courts-martial.  If you can get into your local base to take a look at a case, I highly recommend it!

Latest Case

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present:

The Case of the Unstoppable Airman

My latest case was prosecuting a Reservist who was activated so he could learn how to be a great fuel cell maintainer.  Unfortunately, he learned that he could take advantage of the trust that's inherent in the Air Force and go AWOL multiple times, lie to people, violate lawful orders, use his Government credit card to rack up hundreds of dollars in charges, and steal his co-workers' credit and debit cards to do the same. 

This case was crazy because the man couldn't be stopped.  Like seriously.  He would go AWOL, get caught, apologize, and go AWOL a few days later.  His unit tried everything to stop him from telling him to stop all the way to putting him into confinement before trial. (Note to civilians: we don't just toss people in jail before their trials - we have to keep them with their unit unless they really really really need to go into confinement.)

At his court-martial, he pled guilty to everything, which is to say, 18 different crimes.  EIGHTEEN that he racked up in just two months.  Crazy.  So after pleading guilty to everything, I put one of the people whose card he stole on the stand to tell us what it was like to have his card stolen and his trust violated.  Then, defense counsel and I argued to the judge as to why various sentences were/were not appropriate.

After a short deliberation, the judge decided that the man (a 22-year old Airman Basic - the lowest rank in the AF) should get a reprimand, forfeit money, spend 5 more months in prison, and be discharged from the Air Force with a Bad Conduct Discharge.  That last one is pretty harsh.  Deserved in this case, but every time the kid applies for a job, he's supposed to put down that he left he Air Force and not under honorable conditions.  That affects a lot of future job prospects, which is a hard thing to swallow, even for me, and I asked for that sentence.

I learned a lot in this court - this is the first one that I've done from the beginning, so I learned a lot about what paperwork goes into a trial.  Here's a clue: a lot of fucking paperwork.  I also learned that I need to stop being afraid (not so much afraid as not knowing when it's appropriate) to object when the defense counsel steps out of bounds and says something they aren't supposed to.  I also learned that my maternity service dress, when properly altered, looks pretty good and is WAY more comfortable than my regular service dress.

So, that's it for this case, now it's on to the next!

Latest case

Ladies and gentlemen, I present.....

The Mysterious Case of the Last Minute Criminal

Welcome to the latest installment of "My Life as Trial Counsel".  Let me fill you in on my latest case.  I was assigned as assistant trial counsel in a case of US v. Senior Airman B, who was charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine with the intent to distribute. 

The facts were pretty simple.  B gets pulled over in Philly for having dice in the mirror (go ahead, sing the Fresh Prince theme song now) which apparently is a crime in Philly.  Brutal.  B hands over his military ID to the cop.  Smart move -  I do the same thing to get out of tickets.  It's cool to be a Soldier.  The cop assumed that every military person carries a weapon (don't we??) and asks if B has a weapon in the car.  Of course, he does, and he gestures down to the floor where the cop spies the handle of a pistol.  That's loaded.  And rolling around in the car.  Exactly how I keep my handgun when I travel.  Cop, a tad concerned for his safety, gets B out of the car, does a quick pat down and reaches in to retrieve the weapon (this is all lawful under several United States Supreme Court cases, like Terry v. Ohio and Michigan v. Long and it allowed me to actually use my crim pro from law school to argue).  While he's retrieving the weapon..what's that weird smell?  Why, that's MARIJUANA!  Cop opens up the center console (also legal for various reasons I won't bore you with, but I totally won this motion) and lookey here, there's marijuana and 15 little bags of cocaine in the car.  You guessed it - under arrest.

Then it gets interesting.  B tells the the cop that he loaned his car to someone he couldn't name for $250 and that guy left the drugs in there.  (That poor mystery guy is out $250 AND all those drugs?).  Later, he tells his Air Force leadership that the cops found the drugs in a gym bag in his car along with his friend's ID and his friend confessed.  Philly doesn't care about this crime because this is pretty standard for this part of Philly (sad, but true) so they give the Air Force jurisdiction.  Well, guess who takes this seriously?  Uncle Fucking Sam!

So, we prosecute.  Now, the week before and of trial is pretty exhausting.  Last minute witness interviews, getting the defense's motions to suppress everything their client did, trying to write intelligible responses to the motions - it's insane.  The night before trial, I was at work until nearly midnight.  Had I stayed ONE MINUTE later, I would have seen, you guessed it, ANOTHER MOTION from the defense counsel roll in my inbox at 12:00 on the dot.  Just like civilian court, we have timelines in which to turn things in, and although a defendant always gets the benefit for having bad counsel who can't turn in motions on time, it's still pretty poor lawyering to throw motions at the other side that late in the game.  

But believe it or not, that's not the most interesting thing that happened the night before trial.  Lo and behold, one of B's friends in Philly contacts the Air Force Investigators and says to them over the phone "Oh hey, those were my drugs that I left in the car."  What, what, WHAT?!  This is what we call a Law and Order moment - so ridiculous it never happens.  Except it totally did.  So, we let the defense know, assuming they are going to ask for a continuance (delay) because hey, their guy looks innocent.  Well, turns out the defense already knew about this, but for some reason were choosing not to call this new guy as a witness.  I still don't know why.  But, because the defense was woefully unprepared for trial, they ask for a continuance anyway.

The day of trial, the judge decides to rule on other motions first before dealing with this last minute criminal.  We argue about getting the drugs in (win for Ali!) and get them in.  We argue about getting in statements made to the cops (win for Ali!) and we get them in.  I got to interview one of the Philly cops on the stand, a big young hilarious cop that likes to talk A LOT.  He told me to give him "the look" when he was talking to much and after he was done, made me rate him on a scale from 1-10.  Luckily he was an 8.7 that day.  And during one of our late afternoon breaks, my boss comes into the courtroom to inform me and my co-counsel that last minute criminal not only told the Air Force he committed this crime (we can't do anything to civilians so it wasn't very credible information), he's now walked into the Philly police department and turned himself in and is currently being booked.  Holy crap.  

Can you say "acquittal"?  I sure can.  Now, we can continue to prosecute B.  If he knew the drugs were in there, he's guilty of possession.  And we know he knew they were in there.  It just becomes harder to convince a jury that he knew when someone else has already confessed.  Of course, THAT guy is being released in Philly because, again, Philly doesn't care about this minor little drug possession.  We delay trial for a day, argue more motions (more wins for the government) and have to sit through a very awkward chastising on the record of the defense counsel by the judge for turning in motions late.  It was pretty embarrassing.  For defense.  Not for me.  

We then agree to all delay trial for a month.  Over the next week, we find out some pretty interesting things, but the powers that be decide to withdraw charges, so the trial is over.  I got to get some great experience, interview a witness on the stand, argued motions, wrote responses to motions, and really felt like a team with my co-counsel.  

An exhausting experience, but never a dull moment!

I just didn't agree with you

Every JAG gets their first court.  Will it be a sex case?  Child porn?  Drugs?  Mine was none of these, but was the first in a string of copper thieves.  And, since I like to give my cases Nancy Drew names, I called this one:

Lieutenant Colonel Vivians and the Case of the Missing Copper

See?  Doesn't that make it more fun?  Anyway, there were four stupid Airmen all stealing copper wire from a warehouse, when they were supposed to be moving it.  I guess technically they moved it...to their house.  They'd strip off the wire then go off-base to sell the copper for cash.  Nice, huh?  Wish I'd thought of it.  Oh wait, no, that's illegal.  It violates Article 81 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (conspiracy), 108 (larceny), 121 (wrongful sale of government property) and we threw in a little Article 92 actions (failure to obey an order) because none of them could keep their trap shut when the cops told them not to discuss the case.

So I went first with my guy...the ringleader.  And, it was a guilty plea - he admitted to EVERYTHING!  Already starting with a "win".  I like it.  Now, all I have to do is get the judge to grant a good solid sentence to set the tone for all the rest of the courts and to break the ice with my first case by getting some good justice done for the old U.S.A.

I got up in my argument, called the accused a conspirator and thief (it's ok - he IS a conspirator and thief), justified my recommended sentence, had a great theme, was clear and calm, but indignant that this Airman thought he could steal from MY Air Force.  The judge seemed to love what I was saying.  Someone started to softly hum Battle Hymn of the Republic (not really).  The defense did a good job, and the accused's tears (and those of his pregnant wife) were a nice tough - obviously staged.  I had this locked up, and the accused soon would be. 

Have I mentioned overconfidence as one of my faults?

And then the judge gave out his sentence (enter screeching sounds of halting justice here.)  A reprimand, some money taken away, reduction in rank, and....wait for it....hard labor without confinement for 45 days.  

The eff?  Now, my non-JAG friend, that may sound horrible.  But it's not.  It's extra chores.  He doesn't get a punitive discharge, he doesn't even get CLOSE to the 6 months of confinement I urged the judge to impose (we had an agreement beforehand that he wouldn't ever serve more than three, so I have to aim high - Air Force pun intended).  The last time this guy did chores, he FUCKING STOLE COPPER.  But, who cares about that?  The judge, in his feedback to me said things like:

• Loved your argument
• Don't change a thing
• You said XYZ - that was great.
• You said ABC - I was thinking the same thing
• "I just didn't agree with you"

Hard to work on your advocacy skills when obviously I am the greatest attorney ever....to not listen to. 

The light sentence wasn't my fault - I did a great job.  But, it's tough knowing that the ringleader of a copper-stealing conspiracy of idiots is getting off pretty light.  Especially since it's my first case. 

But, C'est La Vie.  There will always be more cases for this Captain Nancy Drew to solve/prosecute.  Hopefully the other attorneys on the rest of the conspiracy case give better arguments or have more prosecution-friendly judges!

Court-Martial - take 1

Last week, I had my first practice court-martial here at Air Force JAG school.  The scenario was pretty simple, and the exercise wasn't too hard, but it provided some GREAT insight to my practice style and what I need to do to be a better trial counsel.

The facts were that an airman was pleading guilty to using, possessing, and distributing LSD.  He got it in the mail, gave some to another airman, and they used together.  He also sold to a civilian off-base.  So, the judge takes him through all the elements of his crime, he admits to everything, the judge decides he is pleading guilty because he believes he's guilty, and that's that.

Mainly the point of today was to argue sentencing.  After someone is found guilty or pleads guilty, they are sentenced.  In our scenario, we had a deal with the accused to 18 months of confinement.  If the military judge listens to are argument and decides the airman should receive more than 18 months, he only gets 18 months.  If the judge decides the airman should receive less than 18 months, he receives whatever that lesser sentence is. (weird, I know)

Basically what we do in this situation is introduce document evidence and call a couple of witnesses who can provide extra information as to why this airman deserves what we're going to ask the judge to give him. These documents are his enlisted performance reports, negative counseling, etc.  The witnesses are 1) the other airman he did drugs with, who is testifying under immunity, and 2) the investigator who headed up the case.  After all of that is done, the airman gives a statement, and both sides make a final argument and the judge decides.

Here's my good points from today, things that the "judge" and "defense counsel" (they are both instructors) thought I did well.

• Argument: I tried to throw in a little of my natural sarcasm.  It's hard to develop a "tone" for argument.  They tell you to be yourself, but I don't want to be too jokey/sarcastic.  I said things like "He's provided letters of support that say he's an asset to the Air Force.  As what?  If the Air Force needs drugs dealers, then sure, he'd be a great asset!"
• Pre Trial Conference.  I ran a pre-trial meeting with everyone just laying out the situation for the "judge" and he appreciated my organization.
• Introduction of Evidence: My instructor thought I correctly and thoroughly introduced the evidence that I had.
• Answers to objections:  I did a good job of answering the objections that I KNEW I was going go get (see below for the counter to this)

Here's some improvements I have to work on:

• Volume:  I'm actually not loud enough in the courtroom.  I feel like I can hear myself, but the judge, and sometimes the jury (we call them "members") might be further away.
• Answer to objections: I'm not great with answering objections that I DO NOT know I'm going to receive.  What can I say?  I hate improv, I love scripts.  I made some objectionable statements today and when the other side objected and stated their reason, I was quick to just withdraw my statement instead of try to rephrase it or argue the objection.
• Objections:  Along the same lines, I need practice running through objections so I can better hear when the opposing makes objectionable comments.  I don't think I objected once today where I wasn't expecting to before the trial.
• Being Myself: I still don't feel like "me" in a courtroom, and I make it too much of a performance than a conversation, which I think is where I need to get.

So, all in all, not bad.  Speak louder, get more comfortable with objections.  Not a problem.  I lucked out and had a great set of instructors acting as the judge and opposing counsel that really could point me in the right direction for help.

Court-martial #2 is coming up next week and it's a doozy - let's hope I learned something that will be useful!

Air Force School

Well, here I am at lovely, hot, rainy Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama with 48 of my newest and closest lawyer friends learning how to be an Air Force Lawyer.

As far as schools go, this is pretty great.  As I mentioned on my other blog, I'm living in a 2-room hotel suite with a little kitchen and a walk-in closet, and a housecleaner who comes in every day.  Completely spoiled.

There are 49 of us divided into 4 "flights" each headed by the highest ranking person.  I'm in Alpha flight, which is led by a major.  There are three majors in our class, 8 captains, and the rest are all lieutenants.  Throughout the course we have competitions among the flights to see who wins the Commandant's Cup at the end.  Just like Harry Potter.

My daily schedule generally like this:
7:30-12: Classes on lawyering.  So far we've done all civil law, which means everything that's not criminal.  We've covered wills (the #1 military issues), legal assistance, private organizations, administrative discharges, claims, torts, communication, consumer law, and a few other topics. 
12-1: Lunch
1-5: More classes
And...that's all.  We do have PT twice a week, usually at 6:30 which means we don't have to be in class until 9.

The best part of my first week was discovering that I kinda love volleyball.  In high school, I hated it.  The ball hurt my arms, I couldn't hit the ball well, and the other team would consistently hit it to me so I kept losing point after point for my team and couldn't get away from it.  I was dreading our first "Commandant's Cup" event, which was a volleyball tournament.  But, I sucked it up, and it turns out the ball doesn't hurt my arms anymore, I'm pretty good at returning, and I got really really into the match.  We came in second, and there were times when I rotated out that I couldn't wait to get back in the game.  Now I want to play pick up matches and everything!

Other than learning to be a lawyer, I have a couple of personal goals during this 9 weeks.  I want to drop the last few pounds of baby weight and get this little tummy to disappear.  So, I found a friend to hold me accountable and tomorrow we start our 5am running workouts, which will not only help me to improve my run time, but will hopefully take care of my jiggle.  I'm eating very very healthy while I'm here, following the recipe guidelines that my husband Jon drilled into my head over the last few years, and not snacking a lot.

I also am enrolled in Squadron Officer School which is a correspondence course for captains the Air Force has set up.  I'm trying to find time to do these tests to try to knock out this course while I'm down here to impress my boss.  They just cover random leadership stuff, so hopefully I can guess my way through most of the questions.

One week down, Eight to go!

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

We've been anxiously awaiting several things: bar exam results, our next assignment, and that pesky baby.  Well, we got Jon's next assignment:  the Pentagon.

Ok, civilians, take a sec and get the "Oooo, the Pentagon!"  sentiment out of the way.  It's not as cool as it sounds.

Now, here's the frustrating list of things about all of this:  We specifically asked NOT to go to the Pentagon because JAG had told us that DC was not a good place for me to go.  Granted, there are a lot of lawyers in DC, but most of the military ones are older lawyers, not fresh new JAGs like myself.  We didn't list DC anywhere on Jon's assignment preference sheet, and when we talked to his assignments folks, they assured us that they were working diligently with JAG to find a place where it was likely we could both get stationed (like Florida, Colorado, or the other MILLION places we listed for them).

When I told JAG, they laughed, told me to put down Ft. Meade, MD and Andrews AFB in DC, because those are my only two options, and hopefully I passed the bar and they can get me Andrews.  Jon is also putting in calls to his assignment people to find out what the hell the thought process POSSIBLY could have been here.

Granted, we've been lucky in our assignments and have always gotten what we wanted.  But going from getting your first choice to getting an assignment you didn't even consider, and one that might not put us together is very frustrating.

Will keep everyone updated!

Plans coming together

Exciting news! After a tough interview and a little waiting, I've been accepted into US Air Force JAG Corps, which is the ONLY job I wanted and the ONLY job interview I was planning on taking. Add that to the fact that they ONLY accepted about 20 of the 200-some applicants, and that makes Ali Beach a lucky girl!

I'm a law student - with a job!!!