Court Martial Lawyer for Fort A.P. Hill Or Fort Walker
Fight back against the misuse of the UCMJ. The cold hard truth is that whether you still refer to court martial lawyer Fort Walker as Fort A.P. Hill or you have embraced the new name, the UCMJ hasn’t changed one bit. The name changes have generated quite the controversy as of late, but in court martial lawyer our view, it is the injustice that takes place at the installation that is the court martial lawyer focus of our concern. Soldiers at Fort A.P Hill have historically had to fight against abuse and misuse of the UCMJ and that’s not going to change now that it’s called Fort Walker. The assumption that only “bad” Soldiers find themselves facing court martials is far from the truth. We know because we’ve defended some of the finest Soldiers to ever grace the court martial lawyer uniform against such court martials and most importantly, we won. So, let’s talk about some of the misuses of the UCMJ that can take place at Fort Walker and why fighting back is your only option to save your career, freedom, and retirement.
When Commands At Fort Walker Have A Score To Settle, Good Soldiers Suffer
Military service, as a rule, is often dominated by the energy and enthusiasm of the young. This youthful vigor not only manifests in the ranks of junior enlisted personnel, often found involved in rather unusual and eccentric activities, but also influences the dynamics of decision making. Occasionally, these decisions may run afoul of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), and this is considered by many to be part and parcel of the learning process. For instance, you might be late to formation due to an unexpectedly long night out, or perhaps a friend’s party went long into the night. Regardless of the reason, disciplinary action usually follows, but these experiences are often seen as memorable rites of passage.
Unfortunately, leadership in the military is also a young person’s game. Meaning a boot LT in his or her early 20’s has the ability to wield disproportionate impact in a person’s life compared to the real lived experience that LT has. When young Lieutenants or Captains feel like they are made to look stupid by more competent junior enlisted, many now have a score to settle.
That same epic night out that would have been overlooked by other officers now becomes the excuse to ruin your career. The young officers take that grievance up the chain of command and higher leadership feels a need to back their junior leaders. If you think that doesn’t happen, then you don’t serve in the United States Military. Sadly, most young Soldiers just assume they have to take it because fighting the UCMJ seems daunting. Little do they know that fighting back is their only option to save what matters to them.
What Types Of UCMJ Charges Have You Defended at A.P. Hill Or Fort Walker?
Below you’ll find just a few of the charges that we defend at Fort Walker and we think you’ll see quickly that we don’t scare easily. We readily take on the cases that most military court martial defense attorneys flee from and most importantly, we win. We are not afraid to take the fight straight to the heart of the military justice system to secure you the best possible outcome. Military prosecutors want an easy win and we fight them at every turn to deny them. Don’t feel guilty about that. You may very well love the military but you cannot coexist with a military justice system that is out to destroy you.
UCMJ Article 120 or Article 134 (Sex offenses) – These cases can include rape, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, abusive sexual contact, sexual assault of a minor, indecent viewing, indecent recording, forcible pandering, indecent exposure, and other Article 120 and Article 120(c) offenses. This is a big one these days as the military is rightly trying to reconcile its struggle with sexual assault in the past. The only problem is that it’s creating a culture of perception where an allegation is treated as guilt.
Look, if you are innocent of the charge then you need to fight. Victims of sexual assault do not receive justice when the wrong person is prosecuted. If the full story of the encounter is not told and weighed, justice is equally denied. Please don’t let a military prosecutor convince you that the honorable thing is to admit guilt and go quietly into the night. No, you must fight and you must press on.
UCMJ Article 121 (Fraud and Larceny) – We defend cases such as conspiracy to defraud the military, BAH fraud, OHA fraud, extortion, larceny, wrongful appropriation, and more. When gear goes missing in the military, someone is going to take the blame. Unfortunately, the person that does is not always the one at fault. Yet, the UCMJ demands that someone take the fall.
BAH fraud is another common charge we see where the perception of the military investigator doesn’t match the reality of the full story. Perception shouldn’t end careers. Young soldiers who know how to fight shouldn’t lose everything because they made a mistake while trying to support their young family.
UCMJ Article 128 (Assault and Violent Crime) – We represent service members facing charges including murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, assault, and cases involving self-defense and defense of another. The reality is that soldiers fight in the military. They just do and there is no use pretending as if that is not going to happen.
Unfortunately, alcohol is often involved and what starts out as a simple soldier’s fight can turn into something quite serious when a makeshift weapon like a pool cue or beer bottle gets involved. Senior leaders tend to have some grace for a simple fight, because they’ve been there. Younger leaders looking to prove a point can take an issue to the point of being ridiculous.
UCMJ Article 112a (Drug Crimes) – We defend cases involving drug possession, drug distribution, drug importation, drug manufacturing, drug trafficking, positive urinalysis cases, tampering with urinalysis cases, and more. These cases often involve illegal controlled substances such as marijuana, LSD, methamphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy, molly, opioids, analogues, and more.
Another reality that will remain constant when Fort A.P. Hill becomes Fort Walker is that drugs tend to find their way on base. Drugs tend to show up at an off-base party. Most often there is some sort of civilian involved who will walk away with a slap on the wrist while you stand to lose everything at the hands of the UCMJ.
Punitive Articles of the UCMJ 77-134 (Military Specific Offenses) – These include charges such as fraternization, unauthorized absence (AWOL), disobeying a lawful order, conduct unbecoming an officer, and much more. Look, we understand the UCMJ has a purpose and when wielded with integrity, it enforces good order and military discipline.
Fight Back Against Abuse And Misuse Of The UCMJ At Fort Walker
We’re not saying that UCMJ abuse is more likely to happen at Fort Walker than any other base and certainly not due to the name change from Fort A.P. Hill. We’re just saying that Fort Walker won’t be exempt from that abuse and we expect to be there fighting side by side with some of Fort Walker’s finest to preserve their careers, freedom, and benefits. Service members fly us in from all over the world to defend their cases and Fort Walker is right in the middle of our AOR.
You have to remember that the military justice system does not exist for the purpose of pursuing justice or ferreting out the truth. The military justice system exists to preserve military order and discipline. For that to work, they have to make public examples out of others and the reality is that a person’s innocence is irrelevant in that equation. If they take someone’s retirement one year before they were eligible that makes all the more frightening case study.
You have to fight back or they will make that example out of you. You have to stand up to fickle commands looking to settle a score and you have to fight for your career. We’re not afraid to cause some trouble and we put together a defense so aggressive that it is almost a sin not to call it an offense. We will shred their witnesses during cross examination, regardless of how much brass is on their collar. We will fight like hell for you and we will win. If you are facing abuse of the UCMJ, just reach out to us. We’ll give you a free court martial defense consultation and as long as you are ready to fight, so are we.