Four month update

Hard to believe I've been in the Pacific Northwest for four months now. I know I'm not doing a good job at updating this blog, part of that is because I really just can't say a whole lot about my job (gotta love attorney-client privilege). I can say though that I'm really enjoying it. On an average day I see between 5-7 clients and then do research, work on cases, perform military duties, and that sort of thing. Some of the cases are interesting and some are just simply listening to the client and giving them a quick piece of advice. It really is amazing how quickly you pick up on some of the things that at first seemed almost impossible to figure out.

This past week, the deputy Judge Advocate General, Rear Admiral Houck, came into town for a visit. My biggest job during the trip was to drive to the airport with my Commanding Officer and pick him and his aide up. Seatac airport is a little over an hour away so it gave me an opportunity to get to speak with the CO and meet the Admiral. The trip went really well and the Admiral turned out to be an incredibly nice guy. It was reassuring to see that as people in the JAG Corps continue to rise through the ranks, they continue to be good people. All of the JAG leaders I have met so far have been wonderful and I can only hope that continues.

Other than that, I continue to live in Silverdale, WA just about five minutes from where I work. Teresa will be moving out here in June and once she arrives we'll find a place in Seattle. Its going to be quite a commute for me, but I'm looking forward to living on the other side of the Sound. The weather is starting to get a little nicer and I'm trying to bike a lot more. I'm going to be participating in the Seattle-to-Portland ride in July. Its a 200-mile bike ride that will be quite a feat if I can finish it.

That's all for now. Looking forward to heading back to MN memorial day weekend!

Whidbey Island

Wow, two posts not all that far from one another...shocking I know. Well, I'm up at Whidbey Island now on temporary assignment duty (TAD) for today and tomorrow. Our command only has one attorney at this branch office and with it being a naval air station (NAS), they are deploying all the time and keep very busy.

Whidbey Island is about two hours from Silverdale and its a pretty nice ride. The weather isn't nearly as bad now as it was when I first got out here. Might rain in the morning, but that's about it right now. LT Head met me and took me out to dinner at a local restaurant and gave me a briefing on all the work we were going to be doing today.

This base has two different types of aircraft, the EA-6B Prower (top), and the P-3C Orion. A lot of the training they do is at night, so you may just see the lights from the aircraft flying away as you hear the roar of the engines. One of my jobs today was to go to one of the hangars and have an outreach with a squadron. What that means is giving them a brief on what a will is, explaining powers of attorney and filling out forms for all of the people who want one. We went through about 50 people in a few hours and at the end of it, you're just exhausted.

Despite all of that, the work we are doing certainly makes a difference. Even though it might just be a will, it certainly can help our sailors and pilots be focused on getting the job done instead of worrying about what will happen if something unfortunate happens while they are away.

Tomorrow is going to be a really busy day and I'll hopefully be able to handle it. Heading home tomorrow night though and then I'll be heading to MN on Friday night to help Teresa get her place ready to sell. Even though it will be a short trip, getting home will be good.

Updates

I know it has been forever since I posted anything on here and I'm pretty sure that nobody is reading it anymore, but I'll write something anyways. My goal originally was to write on this and let my friends know what I was up to and hopefully help prepare some people who were about to go through the same things that I did. Don't know if it helped, but some people have written to ask me follow-up questions, so I guess it meant something to someone.

I've been at Naval Legal Service Office Northwest (NLSO) for about 45 days now. Living on the West coast is certainly a big change, but it has been a pretty incredible experience. For anyone considering a career in the JAG Corps, I would encourage you to do it, no matter what branch you are looking at. You will meet some of the most amazing people and do things that you will never forget.

My position is currently as a legal assistance attorney. Our office helps sailors and their wives with their problems, and everyday you have a new issue walk through your door. In 45 days, I have done over 50 wills, I have assisted people with landlord/tenant issues, I have helped someone get married to a foreign national, I have worked out deals with creditors, I have seen people at their lowest point and found a way to give them hope. Not bad for your first month-and-a-half on the job.

This weekend was President's Day so no work today. It also meant that Teresa flew out to see me and we had a great time exploring the Northwest. If you have never been out here, take the time to see it. If this weekend was any indication, the spring and summer are going to more than make up for the rain we get in the winter. I'm currently living in Silverdale, which is on the western side of Puget Sound, so Seattle is a little ways away.

I should probably write just a small section on Naval Justice School. While it got overwhelming at times, it was a good experience. Newport, RI is a beautiful part of the country that I probably would never get to see otherwise (I'll be going back there in April for more training). You work very hard and you are expected to retain a lot of information, but you meet some great people and get practical experience and education from people who are out in the fleet doing this work. You gain a respect for the Navy and the JAG Corps, and the training does pay off. To anyone who is about to go to NJS, here is my advice: Suck it up and get it done.

Gotta run to bed, anyone who has questions, please feel free to email me or put a comment up on here.