Celebrating Black History Month

  • Published
  • By Colonel Ja Rai A. Williams and Lieutenant Colonel Velma Gay Thompson

MY History, YOUR History, OUR History

Highlighting 75 Years of Integration in the Armed Services with a Brief History of Black/African Americans in the United States Regular Air Force[1] JAG Corps

 

The 75th anniversary year is a joint celebration of the establishment of the Air Force JAG Corps and the integration of the U.S. Armed Forces. The historic year of 1948 opened the door to greater opportunities for Black/African Americans to serve their country in their chosen profession.


Over 75 years ago, on 26 July 1948, President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981 directing the military services to enforce “equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin.”[2] During the time of integration, the Air Force, required many Airmen with technical skills and expertise to ensure the aircraft worked properly; therefore, they needed to enlist trained specialists. Initially, to abide by the Executive Order, the Air Force only trained enough Black/African American specialists to keep a single segregated flying group in the air. However, once they realized this was a waste of resources, they began fully integrating.[3] The Air Force went on to become the first branch to fully integrate in 1952.[4] Other branches began to follow suit, and in 1954, the military finally completed integration, which was the same year the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education, overturning the “separate but equal” precedent.[5]

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VIDEO | 00:50 | Black History Month (2024)

 

Approximately one year after the establishment of the Air Force, and one month before the Air Force started integrating, Congress established The Office of The Judge Advocate General on 25 June 1948.[6] Fifty-nine officers were on the list to transfer from the Army JAG Department to the Air Force; however, as integration had not taken place when the Air Force JAG Corps was formed, there are no records of Black/African American judge advocates who transferred from the Army to the Air Force in 1948. Subsequently, on 25 January 1949, the Secretary of the Air Force issued General Order No. 7, officially establishing The Judge Advocate General’s Department.[7]

Consequently, the 75th anniversary year is a joint celebration of the establishment of the Air Force JAG Corps and the integration of the U.S. Armed Forces.[8] The historic year of 1948 opened the door to greater opportunities for Black/African Americans to serve their country in their chosen profession. This article will provide a brief history of the service of some notable Black/African Americans who served in the U.S. Regular Air Force JAG Corps.[9]

Black/African American JAGs

In 1950, there were a little over 500 attorneys in the Air Force JAG Department.[10] Notably, the first historical data of a Black/African American officer in the Air Force JAG Department was in 1952, as reflected in a photograph from the Judge Advocate General Staff Officer Course (JAGSOC).[11] JAGSOC, which was renamed the Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course (JASOC) in 1969, is the technical training course where new judge advocates learn Air Force legal practice.

 
Close-up of JAGSOC 1952-A class photo highlighting a Black/African American officer, name unknown
Close-up of Judge Advocate General Staff Officer Course 1952-A class photo, Air Command and Staff School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Highlighted individual's name is unknown. (Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps courtesy photo)

 

 
JAGSOC 1952-A Class Photo
Judge Advocate General Staff Officer Course 1952-A class photo, Air Command and Staff School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. (Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps courtesy photo)


 

From 1952 through 1969, photographic records indicate at least five Black/African American male students attended JAGSOC during that time (names unknown). In 1970, Colonel Howard Patrick (“H. P.”) Sweeney, retired, attended JASOC. He went on to become the Air Force JAG Corps’ first Black/African American Major Command Staff Judge Advocate and the first Black/African American judge advocate to serve as a White House Fellow. He promoted to the rank of Colonel and retired from the Air Force in 1999.

 
Close-up of JASOC 1970-A class photo, highlighting H. P. Sweeney
Close-up Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course 1970-A class photo, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Highlighted individual is H. P. Sweeney. (Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps courtesy photo)

 

 
JASOC 1970-A Class Photo
Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course 1970-A Class Photo, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
 
1st Row (left to right): Tucker, Q. W. Jr.; Russell, C. W.; Johnston, J. R. Jr.; Orton, G. A.; Potts, G. C. J.; Riccio, C. A. Jr.; Ramirez, J.;
2nd Row: Kastl, J. W.; Morford, D. H.; Lasater, W. R. Jr.; Peterson, R. G.; Pyle, R. D.; Wright, D. P.; Colon, F. J.; Smith, R. F.;
3rd Row: Russell, R. L.; Rice, D. E.; Phillips, R. A.; Hermann, D. M.; Tate, R. W.; Borgersen, S. B.; Harrison, D. B.; Forbes, C. W.; Foray, J.;
4th Row: Murphy, P. L.; Hartman, J. P.;  Sweeney, H. P.; O’Reilly, J. F.; Anderson T. G., Crawford; W. A. Jr.; Rains, C. E.;
5th Row: Higgins, R. F.; Eddy, R. L. Jr.; Davis, R. J.; Adams, R. M. III; Bumpass, T. M. Jr.; Pepper, W. L.; Mabrey, W. C. III

(Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps courtesy photo)


 

Colonel Bruce Brown, retired, and Colonel William Orr, retired, are two judge advocates who also paved the way for many Black/African American JAG Corps officers. Colonel Brown (JASOC 1980A) served as a Major Command Staff Judge Advocate at Air Education and Training Command, the first Black/African American Commandant of The Judge Advocate General’s School and the second Black/African American Chief Judge of the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals (AFCCA),[12] retiring from the Air Force in that position in July 2007.


 
AFJAGS Faculty & Staff Photo
The Judge Advocate General's School Faculty and Staff Photo (2001–2002), Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
 
1st Row (left to right): Maj Herthel, Lt Col Evans, Maj Bethel, Lt Col David, Maj Anderson, MSgt Alves, Maj Keeler;
2nd Row: SSgt Snider, Mr. Marmolejo, SSgt Pfender, TSgt Wicks, SMSgt Pridgen, Maj Carnes, Mr. Stevens, TSgt McGhee, Col Brown, Col Davis, SSgt Goforth, Lt Parks, TSgt Downey, TSgt Leatherman, Maj Kenny, Maj Castro, Mr. Whitaker, Capt Madsen;
3rd Row: TSgt Brown, Maj Guerrero, TSgt Kooken, SSgt Packard, Maj Mitchell, Maj Mejia, Lt Col King, SSgt Raford, Mrs. Dennington, Mrs. Snow, Mrs. Howard, Maj Mink, Maj Bennett, Mr. Phillips

(Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps courtesy photo)


 

Colonel William Orr, retired

Colonel William Orr (JASOC 1983A) twice served as a military judge and was appointed to the AFCCA three times. He also served as the Chief Judge of AFCCA, retiring for the first time in 2012. Colonel Orr was recalled to active duty by the Secretary of the Air Force for two years and retired again in 2014.

Colonel Will Gunn, retired

Another notable legend is Colonel Will Gunn, retired. Colonel Gunn graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1980 with military honors, was a Funded Legal Education Program (FLEP) student and a 1986 cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School. Colonel Gunn also received his Master of Laws degree in Environmental Law from The George Washington University Law School and a Master of Science degree from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Colonel Gunn served as a White House Fellow during the President George H.W. Bush Administration. He retired from the Air Force in 2005 after serving as the first-ever Chief Defense Counsel for the DoD Office of Military Commissions. After retiring, Colonel Gunn was President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington from 2005-2008 and later served in President Barack Obama’s Administration as General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. As of December 2023, he was the General Counsel for the Legal Services Corporation.[13]

Colonel James Durant III, retired. (Courtesy photo provided by individual)

Colonel James Durant III, retired, who commissioned in 1987 through the Educational Delay program, interned under Colonel Patrick Sweeney in 1989. Early in Colonel Durant’s career, he met Colonel Gunn who became a mentor to him and had a direct impact on his future success. From 1996 to 1999, then-Captain Durant was the first Black/African American JAG Corps Accessions Officer and first Black/African American JAG Corps Recruiting Officer. Colonel Durant retired in 2013 after 26 years of distinguished service in the Air Force. As of December 2023, Colonel Durant was a member of the Senior Executive Service and the Chief Counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

Captain Jacqueline Guess Epps of Richmond, Virginia, was the first Black/African American woman to receive a commission as an Air Force judge advocate in 1974.[14] Captain Epps graduated from Howard University and Rutgers Law School and after separating from the Air Force, she was the first Black/African American woman in the Newport News Commonwealth Attorney’s office. Years later, Attorney Epps joined the law firm of Browder, Russell, Morris, and Butcher and became one of the first Black/African American women to become a partner in a major law firm in Virginia.[15] After a successful career filled with many honors and recognitions, Ms. Epps passed away on 14 September 2018.

 
Close-up of JASOC 1974-C Class Photo highlighted Captain Jacqueline Epps
Close-up Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course 1974-C class photo, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Highlighted individual, Captain Jacqueline Epps. (Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps courtesy photo)

 

 
JAGSOC 1974-C Class Photo
Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course 1974-C Class Photo, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
 
1st Row (left to right): Lt Col Schrader, Capt Booker, Capt Ramsey, Capt Morris, Capt Bagliebter, Capt Debnam, Capt Bragg, Capt McArthur, Capt Olsen, Lt Col Peyser, Col Brundage, Capt Epps, Capt Settle;
2nd Row: Capt Freeman, Capt Cavanaugh, Capt Pedersen, Capt Preston, Capt Donovan, Capt Murchison, Capt D’Alessio, Capt Bailey, Capt Waller, Capt McGovern, Maj Carretto, Capt Bottorf, Capt Maus;
3rd Row: Maj Kuhnell, Capt Dolle, Capt Keeler, Capt McNamara, Capt Mimikos, Capt Rosnick, Capt Babbin, Capt Frasier, Capt Capone, Capt Wertz, Maj Bexten, Capt Jontz, Capt Corbin;
4th Row: Capt Thiessen, Capt Neihaus, Capt Sewell, Capt Odom, Capt Head, Capt Chandler, Capt Street, Capt Shaughnessy, Capt Darugh, Capt Dietz, Capt Hedlund, Lt Col Arrowood, Capt Erickson

(Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps courtesy photo)


 

Four years before Captain Epps commissioned as an Air Force JAG, Colonel Susan McNeill, retired, commissioned into the Air Force in May of 1970 as a procurement officer during the Vietnam War after graduating from Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. In 1975, Colonel McNeill attended Creighton Law School as a Funded Legal Education Program (FLEP) student and earned her law degree in 1978. During her career, she was a government contracts law subject matter expert and was stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where she witnessed the first space shuttle landing in 1981.

Colonel Susan McNeill's promotion ceremony
Colonel Susan McNeill's promotion ceremony. Then DJAG (Brigadier General Norman Skulte) and her father pin on her colonel rank. (Courtesy photo provided by the article's authors)

In 1991, Colonel McNeill became the highest-ranking Black/African American woman judge advocate of all the military branches and the first in history to promote to Colonel in any of the armed services’ JAG Corps.[16] She credits the women who came before her as her trailblazers, like Colonel Jean Simpson, who was the first woman judge advocate to be promoted to Colonel.

During Colonel McNeill’s promotion ceremony, which took place in Brigadier General Nolan Sklute’s office (the then-Deputy Judge Advocate General), Colonel McNeill invited then-Captain Pamela Stevenson to attend. Colonel Pamela Stevenson, retired, went on to become the second Black/African American woman promoted to Colonel in the Air Force JAG Corps. Colonel Stevenson retired from the Air Force in 2011, and she was also the second Black/African American woman elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives.[17]

Since 1982,[18] there have been approximately 26 Regular Air Force judge advocates who identified as Black/African American selected for promotion to the rank of Colonel. The 2022 Colonel promotion board resulted in the selection of four Black/African Americans, marking the first time in the Air Force JAG Corps’ history that more than two were selected to promote to Colonel at one time.[19]

Brigadier General Gail Crawford

Brigadier General Gail Crawford is the first Black/African American selected to promote to the general officer ranks in the Regular Air Force JAG Corps. In addition, at the time of her promotion, the Regular Air Force had not promoted a Black/African American woman to one-star in over 20 years.[20] Having served as both a paralegal and as a judge advocate in the Air Force JAG Corps, Brigadier General Crawford was inducted into the Air Force Enlisted Heritage Museum in 2023, showcasing her commitment to service.[21]

Black/African American Legal Specialists and Paralegals

Before 1955, administrative personnel who received legal training were given a letter for their records indicating that they were “legal specialists.”[22] On 1 May 1955, the legal specialist career field was implemented.[23] Fifteen years later, on 3 September 1970, the position of Special Assistant to the Judge Advocate General (TJAG) for Legal Airman Affairs (for a time, the Senior Paralegal Manager and now the Senior Enlisted Advisor) was established.

By 1983, the Air Force Career Management Newsletter routinely referred to legal specialists as “paralegals,” but it was nearly thirty-three years after the establishment of legal specialists, in 1987, the Department was finally given authority to establish a separate career field, which ultimately led to the creation of the paralegal career field in 1988.[24]

Chief Master Sergeant David Haskins

Since 1955, many Black/African American legal specialists and paralegals have served in our Air Force JAG Corps. It was not until 1998 that the first Black/African American paralegal, Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt) David A. Haskins, retired, was selected to serve as the Senior Paralegal Manager to TJAG. CMSgt Haskins was also the first Senior Paralegal Manager who practiced the Islamic faith. He entered the Air Force “open general” in 1976 and started as a medical administrator stationed at Wilford Hall.[25] In 1980, he retrained into the legal services career field and his first assignment was at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. CMSgt Haskins held many assignments at base legal offices until 1994 when he became the Command Paralegal Manager at Headquarters Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. CMSgt Haskins held that position until 1998 when he became the ninth Senior Paralegal Manager to TJAG. He held that position for two years until his retirement from the Air Force in 2000.[26]

Chief Master Sergeant Clemencia Jemison

The first woman Black/African American chief master sergeant to serve as the Senior Paralegal Manager to TJAG was CMSgt Clemencia G. Jemison. CMSgt Jemison entered the Air Force in 1972 as an administrative specialist.[27] In 1981, CMSgt Jemison retrained into the paralegal career field. CMSgt Jemison had several assignments before becoming the Command Paralegal Manager, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio in 1995. From 1996 to 2000, she was the Command Paralegal Manager, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.[28] Finally, in 2000, she became the tenth Paralegal Senior Manager to TJAG, serving in the position until her retirement in 2004.

Including CMSgt, retired, David Haskins and CMSgt, retired, Clemencia Jemison, six Black/African American paralegals have served as the Senior Paralegal Manager to TJAG.

Chief Master Sergeant Avis Dillard-Bullock

CMSgt Avis Dillard-Bullock (“DB”), retired, served as the Senior Paralegal Manager to TJAG from 2004 to 2008. CMSgt DB retired in 2008 and received her Master of Divinity degree from Howard University in 2015. As of December 2023, CMSgt DB was the Senior Vice President of Program Operations and Chief Operating Officer at JMA Solutions in Washington, D.C.

Chief Master Sergeant Larry Tolliver

CMSgt Larry G. Tolliver, retired, served as the Senior Paralegal Manager to TJAG from 2014 to 2016. CMSgt Tolliver entered the Air Force in February 1987. His first ten years were spent as an Air Traffic Control Radar Maintenance technician.[29] CMSgt Tolliver retrained to the paralegal career field in November 1996. He held leadership positions at the Wing, Numbered Air Force and Major Command levels before becoming the Senior Paralegal Manager to TJAG in 2014. CMSgt Tolliver retired in 2017 and, as of December 2023, was a Service Support Specialist at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Chief Master Sergeant Ralph Oliver

CMSgt Ralph E. Oliver, who served as TJAG’s Senior Paralegal Manager from 2020-2021, was the first Senior Paralegal Manager who did not retire in that position. After serving as the Senior Paralegal Manager in 2021, he served as the Senior Enlisted Leader, 423d Air Base Group, Royal Air Force Alconbury, United Kingdom. As of December 2023, CMSgt Oliver was the Command Chief, 352d Special Operations Wing, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom.[30]

Chief Master Sergeant Tynisa Haskins

CMSgt Tynisa T. Haskins, retired, (no relation to CMSgt David A. Haskins) met her namesake when he spoke at her paralegal initial skills training graduation, what we now call the Paralegal Apprentice Course or PAC. During graduation, CMSgt David Haskins summoned newly minted paralegal then-Senior Airman Tynisa T. Haskins and two other Senior Airmen to the stage. He presented them all with his Chief’s rank and CMSgt Haskins asked then-Senior Airman Haskins to finish reading his keynote speech to the entire graduating class. Approximately 20 years later, CMSgt Tynisa Haskins would serve in the very same position, as the Senior Paralegal Manager and Senior Enlisted Advisor to TJAG from 2021 to 2023.

Our paralegals are invaluable assets across the enterprise. Since 1970, there have been numerous Regular Air Force legal services specialists and paralegals who identify as Black/African American selected for promotion to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant.[31] Additionally, only two paralegals in the history of the JAG Corps have been selected as Legislative Fellows and both are Black/African American women: Chief Master Sergeant Terrell Mickens and Master Sergeant Precilla Lawrence.

 

Chief Master Sergeant Terrell Mickens
Chief Master Sergeant Terrell Mickens
(Courtesy photo provided by individual)

Master Sergeant Precilla Lawrence
Master Sergeant Precilla Lawrence
(Courtesy photo provided by individual)

Conclusion

Much progress has occurred since the Air Force was integrated and the Air Force JAG Corps was established 75 years ago. However, there is still work to be completed in collecting and recording the history, heritage, firsts, and traditions of our JAG Corps. Out of this labor of love, the authors sincerely hope this is but one step of many to highlight this deeply rooted organization with its many branches of historic narratives.

 

About the Authors

 
Colonel Ja Rai A. Williams

Colonel Ja Rai A. Williams, USAF

(B.A., Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia; J.D., Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Masters of Military Operational Art and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama) is the Staff Judge Advocate, 19th Air Force, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.
 
Lieutenant Colonel Velma Gay Thompson

Lieutenant Colonel Velma Gay Thompson, USAF

(B.A., Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida; J.D., St. Thomas University, Miami, Florida; LL.M., The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.) is the Staff Judge Advocate, 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
 
Edited by: Colonel Michelle A. Quitugua, Lieutenant Colonel Adam N. Olsen, Major Allison K.W. Johnson (Editor-in-Chief), Major Victoria H. Clarke and Major Andrew H. Woodbury
Layout by: Thomasa Huffstutler
 

Endnotes


[1] As defined by 10 U.S.C. Section 9066(a), “The Regular Air Force is the component of the Air Force that consists of persons whose continuous service on active duty in both peace and war is contemplated by law, and of the retired members of the Regular Air Force.” This is, in contrast, to the “Reserve of the Air Force,” which according to Department of the Air Force Instruction 36-2110 (dated 15 November 2021 and certified current on 16 November 2022) is “[t]he federal status possessed by Airmen of the [Air National Guard] and the [U.S. Air Forces Reserve].” 
[2] Exec. Order No. 9981, 13 Fed. Reg. 4311 (July 28, 1948).
[3] Walt Napier, A short history of integration in the US armed forcesAir Force (July 1, 2021), https://www.af.mil/News/Commentaries/Display/Article/2676311/a-short-history-of-integration-in-the-us-armed-forces/
[4] Id. At the time, an integrated unit was considered any unit with 49% or less Black representation. 
[5] Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
[6] Pub. L. 80-775, 62 Stat. 1014 (1948).
[7] Dep’t of the Air Force General Order No. 7 (Jan. 26, 1949).
[8] Special thanks to Colonel Susan McNeill, USAF (Ret.), Colonel Bruce Brown, USAF (Ret.), Colonel William Orr, USAF (Ret.), Colonel Will Gunn, USAF (Ret.), Colonel Pamela Stevenson, USAF (Ret.), Colonel James Durant, USAF (Ret.), Lieutenant Colonel Tamara Miller, USAF (Ret.), Chief Master Sergeant David Haskins, USAF (Ret.), Chief Master Sergeant Avis Dillard-Bullard, USAF (Ret.), Chief Master Sergeant Beverly Miller, USAF (Ret.) and Chief Master Sergeant Tynisa Haskins, USAF (Ret.) for their assistance with preparing this article.
[9] As defined by 10 U.S.C. Section 9066(a), “The Regular Air Force is the component of the Air Force that consists of persons whose continuous service on active duty in both peace and war is contemplated by law, and of the retired members of the Regular Air Force.” This is, in contrast, to the “Reserve of the Air Force,” which according to Department of the Air Force Instruction 36-2110 (dated 15 November 2021 and certified current on 16 November 2022) is “[t]he federal status possessed by Airmen of the [Air National Guard] and the [U.S. Air Force Reserve].” 
[10] History of the Office of TJAG, USAFD, 1 July 1950 thru 31 December 1950, p.6.
[11] From 1950-1955, Judge Advocate General Staff Officer Course (JAGSOC) was conducted at Maxwell AFB, Alabama before the name changed to JASOC in 1969. We were unable to determine the name of the African American Student at JAGSOC in 1952. The Reporter, Vol. 34, No. 4 (2007) at 2. 
[12] The first Black/African American Chief Judge of AFCCA was Colonel William Snyder. Colonel Snyder retired as the AFCCA Chief Judge in June 2000. 
[13] Telephone Interview with Colonel Will Gunn, USAF (Ret.) (Feb. 3, 2023).
[14] Scott’s Funeral HomeAtty. Jacqueline G. Eppshttps://localonlineobituaries.com/ArticObits/ObitsNew/Landing_Obituary.aspx?oid=144318 (last accessed May 3, 2023).
[15] Id.
[16] Id.
[17] Telephone Interview with Colonel Pamela Stevenson, USAF (Ret.) (Feb. 2, 2023).
[18] Board records statistical data published online only dates back to 1989. A review of congressional approval of appointments and witness interviews revealed the names of individuals dating back to 1982. 
[19] The following is a list of known Regular Air Force judge advocates who identified as Black/African Americans selected for Colonel: Colonel (First name unknown) Fuller, Colonel William Snyder, Colonel John Duncan, Colonel Thomas J. Hasty, Colonel Michael McDonald, Colonel Susan McNeill, Colonel Howard Patrick Sweeney, Colonel Bruce Brown, Colonel William Orr, Colonel Will Gunn, Colonel Pamela Stevenson, Colonel Gary Jackson, Colonel Charlie Johnson, Colonel James Durant, Colonel Lance Mathews, Colonel Kevin Ingram, Colonel Tammie Sledge, Colonel Tiaundra Moncrief, Colonel Ryan Hendricks, Colonel Naomi Dennis, Colonel Simone Davis, Colonel Ja Rai Williams, Colonel Tiffany Williams, Colonel Sandra Nensala, and Colonel (select) Velma Gay Thompson.
[20] Major General Marcelite J. Harris was the first Black/African American female general officer of the United States Air Force when she was promoted to Brigadier General in 1991. Major General Marcelite J. Harris, Air Force Biographies, https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/106829/major-general-marcelite-j-harris/ (last visited May 14, 2023). She passed away in 2018 at the age of 75. The authors would be remiss if they did not highlight Major General Brian C. Newby, USAF (ret.), the first Black/African American judge advocate to be promoted to the general officer ranks. Major General Newby served a total of 35 years in the Air Force and Texas Air National Guard before retiring in 2018.
[21] While this article will not capture all of the notable achievements of Black/African American Air Force JAG Corps members, we wanted to highlight a few notable attorneys: Colonel Stephanie Finley, retired, served as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana during 2008-2017. Angela Williams served on active duty for about six years in the early 1990s, and she is the first Black/African American woman CEO of United Way Worldwide. Before taking her current position, Attorney Williams was the General Counsel for the YMCA. Yvette Bourcicot was a FLEP student at Georgetown Law before entering the JAG Corps. She left active duty as a Major and, as of December 2023, was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. Lieutenant Colonel Tamara Miller, retired, served on active duty, reserve and in the Maryland Air National Guard. She has served in Senior Executive Positions of Deputy Chief, DOJ, Civil Rights Division, Director of Civil Rights, Transportation Security Administration (“TSA”) and as Special Counselor, TSA. As of December 2023, she was a partner at Miller Masciola law firm in Washington, D.C.
[22] Patricia A. Kerns, The First Fifty Years of the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Department: 1949-1999, 148 (2003).
[23] Staff Judge Advocate, Each General Court-Martial Jurisdiction from AFCJA-33, Subj: Legal Career Field for Airmen, Sep. 19, 1955. 
[24] Kernssupra note 21 at 170-171.
[25] Telephone Interview with Chief Master Sergeant David Haskins, USAF (Ret.) (Feb. 2, 2023).
[26] Id.
[27] Official Air Force Biography of Chief Master Sergeant Clemencia G. Jemison.
[28] Id
[29] Official Air Force Biography of Chief Master Sergeant Larry G. Tolliver. 
[30] Official Air Force Biography of Chief Master Sergeant Ralph E. Oliver.
[31] The following is a list of known retired and current Chief Master Sergeants in the Regular Air Force JAG Corps. Chief Master Sergeant (First name unknown) Russell, Chief Master Sergeant Alvin Hall, Chief Master Sergeant Angela Dodd, Chief Master Sergeant Genie Burrows, Chief Master Sergeant Carla King, Chief Master Sergeant Katherine Rutledge, Chief Master Sergeant Jeff Williams, Chief Master Sergeant Beverly Miller, Chief Master Sergeant (First name unknown) Maupin-Anderson, Chief Master Sergeant Tavia Whitley, Chief Master Sergeant Tijuana Hannibal, Chief Master Sergeant Alexius Reid, Chief Master Sergeant Edward Thomas, Chief Master Sergeant Sylvetris Hlongwane, Chief Master Sergeant Michael Stevens, Chief Master Sergeant Natasha McCracken, Chief Master Sergeant Renee Cenov, Chief Master Sergeant Terrell Mickens, Chief Master Sergeant Jason Brown, and Chief Master Sergeant Veronica Logan.