Chapter 15 - The Final Inspection
A few weeks later, I received an official correspondence from the Department of the Navy inviting me to speak as the keynote guest lecturer at the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia. The topic of the symposium was The Intersection of Military Discipline and Civilian Domestic Justice: Protecting the Defenseless.
Juliana flew up to Virginia with me, sitting in the front row of the massive military auditorium surrounded by two hundred young, sharp-eyed Navy lieutenants and captains who were currently training to become the next generation of military prosecutors and defense counsel.
I stood at the podium in my Class-A dress uniform, the silver eagles of my retired rank gleaming under the stage lights, looking out over the sea of white dress shirts and black shoulder boards.
"When you step into a courtroom, whether it is a military court-martial or a federal district hearing, you are carrying the immense weight of the United States Navy on your shoulders," I told the assembly, my voice projecting with decades of earned authority. "You will encounter men and women of immense wealth, high military rank, and political influence who believe that their status exempts them from the basic rules of human decency."
I paused, looking directly at my daughter in the front row before turning my gaze back to the young officers.
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"Never allow rank or privilege to blind you to the truth," I continued. "Never let a rehearsed smile or an expensive suit intimidate you into backing down when a victim is crying out for justice in the shadows. Your duty is to strip away the armor of power and hold predators accountable to the law, no matter how comfortable the lives they rely on may be."
The auditorium erupted into a thunderous, standing ovation. The young officers rose to their feet in unison, rendering a sharp, synchronized military salute to the message of unwavering integrity.
