F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Nearly 50 members of the Ewing T. Kerr chapter of the American Inns of Court, as well as two barristers from the U.K., attended an immersion tour Nov. 8, 2019, at F. E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, to engage with Air Force judge advocates and learn about the installation’s mission.
Organized by Capt. Jacob Smith, Chief of Civil Law, and led by Lt. Col. Sam Kidd, Staff Judge Advocate for the 90th Missile Wing, the wing’s legal professionals opened the doors to the base, offering a view of the ICBM mission as well as the responsibilities of judge advocates in the Air Force.
“The American Inns of Court’s mission is to inspire the legal community in advancing the rule of law by achieving the highest level of professionalism through example, education and mentoring,” said Tyler J. Garrett, president of the Ewing T. Kerr chapter. “Building meaningful relationships with our legal counterparts in the F. E. Warren JAG office achieves that mission.”
Beginning with an introduction to the base courtroom, Kidd gave a short explanation of the responsibilities of a military attorney while explaining some of the differences between military and civilian justice. Shifting from legal to operations, the guests were then shuttled to the Missile Procedures Trainer, where the 90th Operations Support Squadron gave them the sense of what it means to be a missileer. After learning about the ICBM mission, the group went to the base’s Trails End Club for dinner and a more in-depth explanation of the numerous responsibilities of a staff judge advocate, both at an installation and in an deployed status.
“I truly appreciated Major Call’s discussion of his role as legal advisor while deployed in Afghanistan,” said Stephen Easton, Professor of Law at the University of Wyoming. “It was a wonderful reminder of how critical a lawyer’s role as counselor can be and also a reminder of the sacrifices made by those in uniform, including JAG officers.”
The tour was an opportunity not just to familiarize members of the local legal community with the mission of the 90th Missile Wing and the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, but also a chance to build bridges and cooperative opportunities with those individuals.
“The more we make local community leaders aware of the role the wing plays in our national security and the better our relationships are, we will be able to more effectively overcome operational challenges that require cooperation from the local community,” Kidd said.
This is one of several tours and local engagements that the JA office has scheduled or conducted, and the judge advocates plan to continue building bridges with the local legal community.