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A word from your Staff Judge Advocate

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Michael Blackburn
  • 325th Fighter Wing Legal Office
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Hello Tyndall! My name is Lt. Col. Michael Blackburn, and I have taken over as the Staff Judge Advocate for the 325th Fighter Wing Legal Office.

Commanders and supervisors are at the front line of ensuring discipline in their units. They rely on a properly functioning military justice system in their quest for good order and discipline. The three central tenants of our military justice system are:

· Commanders at every level must be free to act with independent discretion.

· The accused Airman must be free to build his case without outside influences, limiting their ability to obtain evidence and witnesses.

· The decision maker(s) must be free to decide the case on the merits.

A healthy military justice system ensures that these legal tenants stay intact to ensure good order and discipline throughout the Air Force.

Each and every Airman on Tyndall also has a vital role in ensuring good order as well. Airmen can prevent many crimes from ever occurring by engaging with fellow Airmen before they commit a crime. Alcohol continues to play a role in many incidents of misconduct across the Air Force, with DUIs continuing to result in many Airmen deaths. Your intervention could prevent many crimes involving alcohol from ever occurring.

If your friend drinks, be a good wingman, and take their keys! This is what it means to be a good wingman. I challenge all of you to address this issue.

People often complain that the military justice process is too veiled in secrecy. I believe that it is important for Airmen to see the discipline occurring at Tyndall, so every quarterly newsletter will include summaries of all courts and non-judicial punishment actions on base.

Although summaries non-judicial punishment actions will not identify members because of their privacy interest, it will provide a summary of the punitive action. As you review these cases, it is important to note that punishments against officers are limited primarily to fines by statute.

The Air Force expects a lot from us. Set the example, be a good wingman and I will do my part helping Commanders maintain good order and discipline here.