Monroe colonel earns top Army JAG title

By Ms. S Amersonzavala (TRADOC)July 8, 2009

Monroe colonel earns top Army JAG title
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT MONROE, Va. (TRADOC News Service, July 8, 2009) -- A Fort Monroe colonel has earned the title of Outstanding U.S. Army Career Judge Advocate Officer of the Year.

Col. Donald G. Curry received confirmation of the award during a June 30 phone call from Lt. Gen. Scott Black, The Judge Advocate General of the Army. Col. Curry, who is the lead Staff Judge Advocate officer for Headquarters TRADOC, will receive the actual award during the July 31 American Bar Association annual meeting in Chicago.

"When you get recognized for doing something you love, it really is the icing on the cake," said Col. Curry, who has served in the Army JAG Corps for nearly 29 years. "I greatly appreciate this selection and, like others before me, I'm not sure if I'm the most deserving, especially when I consider so many of my Army JAG peers and friends who are such incredible leaders, lawyers and Soldiers. Many of them have deployed, some more than once, and that sacrifice is very much worthy of such recognition as well."

The Outstanding Career JAG Officer of the Year for each service is chosen by an American Bar Association Standing Committee on Armed Forces Law. The selection criterion includes contributions to the community and performance in the legal profession over the nominees' career, with particular focus on the three most recent years of service.

Col. Curry has been the TRADOC SJA since July 2004. He has been a member of the Alabama Bar since 1980. His military and civilian educational accomplishments include: the U.S. Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga., in 1977; a Bachelor of Science in Corporate Finance (1977) and Juris Doctorate in Law (1980) at the University of Alabama; graduation from the Judge Advocate Officer Basic Course at Charlottesville, Va. in 1980; a Masters of Law degree from the Judge Advocate General's School, University of Virginia, (1989); attendance of the U.S. Army Command General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan., in 1995, and a 2004 Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.

"I am particularly pleased that this career award has a focus on leadership and the last three years of service, which for me have all been here at HQ TRADOC as the senior lawyer for the command," Col. Curry said. "I believe this is recognition of the very important, challenging and complex work done by TRADOC and the role that my terrific legal team plays in support of that work."

The SJA mission is to "provide legal support to the Commanding General, Deputy Commanding Generals, Chief of Staff and all staff directorates at Headquarters, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. The TRADOC legal office provides accurate, timely and practical legal advice at the Army Command level in the areas of Ethics, Environmental Law, BRAC, Contract Law, Fiscal Law, Labor Law, Military Justice policy, Soldier adverse administrative actions, Military Personnel Law, Initial Entry Training policy, Operational Law doctrine, and a myriad of complex legal issues regarding installation operations at 16 TRADOC commands and 32 schools; and monitors force structure/budget for delivery of efficient legal services and activities throughout the United States," according to the TRADOC SJA web site.

"I have heard it said that our contribution to the fight here at TRADOC is not necessarily proportional to our proximity to the theater of operations ... I believe that to be true, and I hope this award is a testament to that statement and the hard work TRADOC does in support of our deployed forces, who really are the tip of the spear."