US Army Judge Advocate in Friedberg, Germany Contact: Joseph B. Berger, III, Captain, U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps Chief, Legal Assistance 1st Armored Division Law Day Action Officer Friedberg Legal Center, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany HHC, 1BDE Unit 21104, Box 107 APO, AE 09074 E-mail: bergerj@sja.1ad.army.mil Activity Summary: We, the Judge Advocates of the 1st Armored Division, sponsored and/or conducted five major activities: We held an essay contest in seven of the eight elementary schools located in the 1st Armored Division-supported region of Germany. Winners in each of the three grades in each of the eight schools were selected and rewarded with AAFES-donated $10 gift certificates. We held small group discussions in seven of the eight elementary schools located in the 1st Armored Division-supported region of Germany. We spoke at Career Day at the eighth of the eight elementary schools the 1st Armored Division-supported region of Germany. We published four articles in various local newspapers in an effort to make the public aware of Law Day, as well as educate them about the interaction between law and education. We held a Law Day Dinner at which the local German prosecutor for our region of Germany spoke to the officer and civilian attorneys who are assigned to 1st Armored Division. Activity Narrative: Our situation is unique. We have three separate offices supporting various elements of the same major unit, the 1st Armored Division. Our Judge Advocates are involved in all aspects of the law, from criminal to administrative, and form environmental to international. The geographical situation adds to the complexity of coordinating efforts between offices located in a triangle that is 63 miles by 37 miles by 102 miles. Our celebration of Law Week began two weeks prior with an essay contest in seven of the eight elementary schools located in the 1st Armored Division (hereinafter “Division”)-supported region of Germany. These elementary schools, part of the Department of Defense Dependent (DoDD) Schools system are located through an approximately 2,000 square mile area of Germany. The contest was open to students in the 4th, 5th and 6th grades. Principals were initially contacted and the groundwork for the contest begun. Teachers were given the contest rules and asked to select the top essays from each of their classes. The rules required the students to write about how the main character in a book of their choosing was or was not treated fairly. Students were also encourage to explore how the character could have been better treated. These essays were then judged by attorneys assigned to each of the Division’s three offices. Students read a broad variety of books, including biographies of prominent civil rights activists. Students also picked less-conventional stories, ranging from Charlotte’s Web to There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom. Winners in each of the three grades in each of the eight schools were selected and rewarded with $10 AAFES-donated gift certificates. Winners were recognized as part of the small-group discussions held after the essays were collected and scored. We continued our celebration with small-group discussions in the seven participating elementary schools. Judge Advocates traveled to each of the schools and conducted 45-minute to an hour discussions with each class. Classes ranged in size from 12 to 42 students. Talking points were distributed to the Judge Advocates prior to their visits, and these were used as starting points for beginning the discussions. Students were actively engaged in discussing what “fair” means, and how concepts of fairness apply in the students’ day to day lives. Students were also given an opportunity to ask questions, not only about the theme for this year’s Law Day, but about the full spectrum of legal issues. And ask questions they did! We spoke at Career Day at the eighth of the eight elementary schools in the 1st Armored Division-supported region of Germany. This involved two Judge Advocates speaking to the student body about what being an attorney is like, and more specifically, what being a Judge Advocate is all about. We published four articles in various local newspapers in an effort to make the public aware of Law Day, as well as educate them about the interaction between law and education. Those included two editorials, and two general topics. We held a Law Day Dinner at which the local German prosecutor for our region of Germany spoke to the officer and civilian attorneys who are assigned to 1st Armored Division. The dinner was well-attended by both local German attorneys and our own Judge Advocates, giving all involved an opportunity to learn a little more about our different legal systems, as well as establish and solidify local working relationships. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization