 Behind this door, a United States Army court-martial is about to start. These two men are military lawyers, members of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps. They are responsible for seeing that the soldier on trial is fairly represented and defended. But important as it is, handling the cases of soldiers in court-martial is only one phase of the military advocate's work. One activity in a vast network of legal activities that help the American soldier do his job more efficiently. On today's big picture, I will show you some of the ways in which the military lawyer supports the Army mission and assists the U.S. fighting man. Okay, move out. A briefcase. Exhibits A, B, and C for today's military advocate, who must practice his profession under a variety of conditions which are not always of the best. For instance, the U.S. Army lawyer in Vietnam goes to his job in quite a different fashion from his colleague back home. To the trafficked, bedeviled American, the helicopter may be a commuter's dream, but out here it's often the only way a lawyer can get to his client. A briefcase is standard attorney's equipment. The pistol and helmet are not. Unless you happen to be an Army judge advocate in a combat area. The circuit rider, bringing legal services to remote places, was a familiar figure in the opening of the American West. Today's military lawyer serving in Vietnam also rides a difficult and hazardous route. To reach his soldier client, he may often have to travel over Viet Cong-ridden jungle for hundreds of miles. Some flights are scheduled, others are not. He gets to his destination any way he can. Even if it means hopping a ride in a helicopter brings supplies to a forward area. At the landing field nearest his destination, he checks in by phone with a unit in which his client is serving. That location may still be some distance away. Telephone service in the jungle isn't always reliable, but somehow further travel arrangements are made. The lawyer in the field must be an expert hitchhiker too, and not too particular about a soft ride. Lawyer may finally meet his client in an outdoor office without benefit of desk or swivel chair. Background noises courtesy of Viet Cong. Or lawyer and client may discuss a legal problem over lunch at the club. This United States Army judge advocate sees his client in a tent at an Army encampment. The United States Armed Forces are governed by the most modern system of justice in the world. A soldier facing court-martialed is defended by a highly qualified and specially trained military lawyer who, although wearing the Army uniform, is charged with defending his client by all ethical and honorable means recognized by law. The military lawyer abroad also acts as advisor to local United States commanders, regarding contracts that must be made within the foreign area or additional supplies or services for the troops. Many businessmen in foreign countries have no experience in contracting with the United States government. The judge advocate must make certain that the contractor understands the terms of the agreement and the details of the performance expected. Construction of new buildings used by United States agencies, such as the military headquarters in Saigon, require intensive legal coordination, both in the preparation of the contracts and administration of their provisions. The Army judge advocate plays an active role. Much of the success of the U.S. mission in Vietnam depends on adequate support facilities. While the United States does not pay for the use of land and buildings owned by the South Vietnamese government, it is often necessary to lease property from private individuals. Most of the office space and other logistical facilities used by United States civilian and military agencies in Saigon and in other cities have been acquired by direct lease from their Vietnamese owners. The judge advocate participates in these negotiations, which are coordinated by the Army Central Real Estate Office in Saigon. Judge advocate officers assist in country-to-country negotiations held at the highest government level. They take part in conferences and prepare documents on many subjects involving legal activity. These may include anything from special agreements concerning prisoners of war, such as repatriation of enemies sick and wounded, the joint use of major facilities, and the preparation of final drafts of international agreement outside the major cities. Working in living conditions with a judge advocate serving abroad may call for some firm pioneer spirit. The Hilton was never like this, but it'll do when there's no running water in your quarters for washing or shaving. BS, shower water comes in barrels too, but there are compensation. On off-duty hours, some of the beaches along the South Vietnam coast offer swimming in clear blue water that rivals the Mediterranean. Here the military lawyer, along with our fighting men, may enjoy a brief period of relaxation before returning to their busy schedule. The United States Army Judge advocate in Vietnam works in cooperation with Vietnamese Army advocates on mutual disciplinary problems. Here the knowledge and skills of the soldier-at-law are essential. Troops of both countries, often involved in joint operations, must receive fair application of the law and must show respect for legally constituted authority. Free exchange of ideas between military legal personnel goes a long way toward establishing a stable relationship between the two armies. In this effort, the judge advocate is a key member of the United States Army team. Over 1,500 judge advocates serve in the United States Army around the world, in Japan, in Korea, the Middle East, Okinawa, Germany. Wherever the United States Army is assigned a mission, the judge advocate is there, ready to interpret, to arbitrate, to advise in the sensitive area of legal problems arising from our Army's operations in a foreign country. Sometimes, a trip to the mountains is on the judge advocate's calendar. In the spring of 1967 at Berchtesgarten, Germany, military lawyers from all the United States Armed Forces held a committee meeting to exchange views, offer suggestions, and adopt resolutions aimed at expanding and improving legal military services. Similar conferences are held periodically to keep the military advocates informed on current legal development within each of the services and to give them opportunity to discuss common problems. From this pool of military legal knowledge and experience, each judge advocate gains new insight and is better equipped to continue his job of legal assistance to the fighting man. In order for today's Army judge advocate to fulfill his role as global attorney, he must undergo very thorough preparation. While only qualified lawyers are accepted into the court, they must be familiarized with the knowledge and legal practices peculiar to the Army mission. At Fort Lee, Virginia, the prospective judge advocate gets his first taste of Army life. Here, the young attorney will spend two and a half weeks getting acquainted with the military. Some candidates may be commissioned directly from civilian life and without prior military status, providing they meet the appointment prerequisite. In the case of qualified candidates who have had either active or reserve military status, application may be made for a transfer to and a commission in the judge advocate general's court. Commissioned officers in the regular Army and selected distinguished graduates of ROTC may be granted leave to secure a law school education with a view to ultimate commission in the court. Whatever path brings him to the field of military law, he's in the Army now and no more worrying about what to wear in court today. The record of the judge advocate is carefully processed. Candidates for the judge advocate general's court must be between 21 and 32 years old. They must have a professional law degree and must be members of the bar in good standing. Newly commissioned judge advocate officers are given thorough indoctrination in military customs, courtesies and traditions. Training schedules are explained and activities during their stay are outlined. Like any soldier, the soldier of law must keep in top condition. All newly commissioned judge advocates go through a basic training which includes a course in the firing of weapons. There's no telling where today's Army judge advocate may have to serve. He is trained in basic marksmanship. Judge advocate officers, sometimes called Jags, who have not had ROTC training in college, must take a combat officer's basic training course at Fort Knox, Kentucky. In this period of transition between his role as a civilian lawyer and a practicing military advocate, the soldier at law gains an appreciation of the problems of military command. He learns the kind of spade work he may have to do as a legal representative in the field. He discovers his job must be done wherever and whenever he finds the time and place. Every day is a work day. And with the exception of time out for worship, Sunday may be just like any other day of the week. In getting first-hand experience as legal advisor to clients engaged in a full-time military program, he learns to practice his profession concisely and with due regard for Army schedules. Acquainted now with the backgrounds of Army life, the prospective military lawyer moves on to Charlottesville, Virginia, and the campus of the University of Virginia. Here on the grounds of this historic institution, founded by Thomas Jefferson, is the Army Center for Scholarship and Military Legal Training, the Judge Advocate General's School. The school is the academic headquarters for the vast army-wide network of military legal activity. From all over the nation, students arrive here for specialized education in the many subjects that make up the study of military law. The school administration supervises all academic curriculums and special legal training programs and exercises. Each of the law teaching divisions of the school prepares texts and training materials aimed at providing a total legal environment for the student. Established in 1951 as the first permanent Army training facility for military lawyers, the school has turned out over 9,000 graduate Army Judge Advocates. Officers newly commissioned in the Judge Advocate General's Corps attend a special 10-week course in the fundamentals of military law. The course stresses military legal subjects with which the newly appointed Judge Advocates are most likely to be concerned. Essential to the military lawyer is a basic knowledge of the duties of trial and defense counsel before General Court's Martian. The varied curriculums of the Judge Advocate General's School have won the respect and praise of top legal educators in the land. With a staff and faculty representing the skill and experience of the Army's finest attorney, the school is a step forward in the graduate study of law and has the approval of the American Bar Association. An important feature of the course is the moot court, offering the student Judge Advocates experience in a simulated General Court Martian. Students take the parts of trial and defense counsel in cases based on legal problems developed by faculty members. The part of the law officer is normally played by a member of the instruction staff. These realistic practice court sessions give the prospective Judge Advocate an understanding of military courtroom procedures. A number of specialized courses are offered at the Judge Advocate School. They provide Judge Advocate career officers and selected military and civilian lawyers with training in specific areas of military law. Many of the courses are open to civilian employees of government agencies, who may be engaged in legal duties for the armed forces. For Judge Advocate Reserve officers not on active duty, the Judge Advocate General's School conducts a comprehensive non-resident training program. A planned curriculum offers a variety of educational materials to bring the non-resident advocate up to date on latest developments in military law and legal opinion in this specialized field. Available to the JAG student is a law library which houses one of the finest collections of books on military legal subjects in the country. Studying legal precedent goes a long way toward providing the young attorney with a firm foundation on which to build his own knowledge of the law. As part of a continuing program of cooperation between the military and the civilian lawyer, the JAG School Board of Visitors, a group of eminent civilian attorneys from all over the country, are invited to the school each year for a critical look at the curriculum and facilities. Close relationship between the military and civilian advocate ensures a continuity of legal assistance for the serviceman and his dependent. The student at the Judge Advocate General's School lives among Virginia's many historic landmarks feigned for great men. Serpentine walls, designed and built by Thomas Jefferson, enclose the university's garden area. The walls are just one brick thick and are built on a winding pattern to gain necessary strength. Jefferson's design for the walls was based on similar structures he had seen in France. Nearby, another monument to the genius of the great American patriot. The family home designed by Jefferson at Monticello is a classic example of American architecture. Albemarle Courthouse in Charlottesville was built in 1803 and served for religious as well as civil activity. Jefferson was a frequent worshiper here. It was not unusual before or after Sunday services to observe three presidents of the United States chatting together on the green. Jefferson, Monroe and James Madison who rode over from a neighboring county. Amid these tangible monuments of our nation's birth and growth, the student at the Judge Advocate General's School receives not only essential education and military law, he develops a profound appreciation for his American heritage, graduation and the beginning of a new and important career. Counsel to the United States Army and to the fighting man and his family. Some graduates of the school may be assigned there as instructors. As a career officer now, the Judge Advocate graduate may be selected later to increase his professional knowledge by attending one or more of the Army's senior staff schools, such as the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth or the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. On most large Army posts in the continental United States and abroad, a United States Army Judge Advocate may be assigned as legal assistance officer. Since 1943, the Legal Assistance Program with the cooperation of the American Bar Association has been furnishing legal advice to members of the Army and their dependents on problems of a private civil nature. Problems involving litigation in civil courts are being referred to civilian lawyers in the local community. The Office of the Judge Advocate General has prepared material to help the soldier straighten out his legal affairs. Advanced planning on legal problems is particularly important where the soldier is getting ready to leave the country. Deployment overseas creates many problems for dependents remaining behind. Today the Fighting Man goes off on his assignment with the knowledge that members of the Judge Advocate General's Corps will help his wife and children with legal problems that may arise in his absence. Whether the United States Army Judge Advocate does his job on an Army post, at home, or in a courtroom halfway across the world, he serves the Army mission by protecting the rights of the American military man. In foreign countries, with which the United States has a status of forces agreement, when an American soldier is under accusation by local authorities, the Judge Advocate attempts to secure the man's release and have jurisdiction transferred to the United States military forces for action. When this cannot be accomplished and the American soldier must be tried in a foreign court, he may be represented by an attorney of the local country. But the Army Judge Advocate will acquaint the soldier with his rights and familiarize him with the foreign legal procedures before his appearance in court. While the Judge Advocate does not actually represent the serviceman at such a trial, he is there to observe and report on the proceedings. The Army Judge Advocate serving our troops abroad is keenly aware that he is practicing his profession before a society having a different legal system. It is a delicate job, requiring tact as well as the highest standards of legal ability. Carefully selected from among the finest young attorneys of our nation, these men stimulate interest and respect for the law. They are partners in one of the world's largest and most highly respected law firms, the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps. A helmet, a pistol, a briefcase. They are the balance of today's military lawyer who serves around the world. Like the U.S. fighting man whom he advises, the Army Judge Advocate is a dedicated soldier, ready and willing to wage his battle for justice anywhere, anytime, under any condition.