US Army Judge Advocate in Heidelberg, Germany Contact: Charmaine E. Betty-Singleton, Chairperson, Law Day 1998 Office of the Judge Advocate HQ, USAREUR and Seventh Army, Unit 29351 Attn: AEAJA-KLD, APO AE 09014 E-mail: singlestonc@hq.hqusareur.army.mil Activity Summary: The goal of the Office of the Judge Advocate (hereinafter "OJA") was to remind as many people as possible of what "Celebrate Your Freedom" really means. To do this, we decided to involve all the Judge Advocates in Europe in the project. To ensure maximum public awareness, Major General LeMoyne, the USAREUR Chief of Staff, signed the proclamation launching Law Day. OJA commenced Law Day 1998 with a picnic. May 1 is a Germany holiday and so, to ensure the presence of our German colleagues and their families, we decided to hold our first annual Law Day picnic on April 30. Military and civilian lawyers as well as our enlisted soldiers and our U.S. and German civilian employees working in both the Heidelberg and Mannheim legal offices were able to come together to celebrate their freedom. Our families also attended and the children were given special "Law Day sacks" to take home. Over 80 people attended the picnic. We scheduled several events at our neighborhood schools to continue our relationship with them and to educate the children about the Law Day theme. Our intent was to emphasize the freedoms that our legal systems provide. On May 1, we performed the mock trial "The Wicked Witch v. Snow White" for students at Patrick Henry and Mark Twain Village Elementary Schools. The morning performance was for the fourth and fifth graders at the Patrick Henry Elementary School. The audience included visiting British elementary school students. The children were encouraged to ask questions and 12 students were selected to serve as jurors. About 375 children attended. After the performance, several members of the cast went to a fourth grade class which was studying the American judicial system to speak about their jobs as military lawyers and answer questions posed by the students. That afternoon we performed for the first through the fifth grades at Mark Twain Elementary School. Over 400 children attended. On May 5, to help celebrate Law Day, the International Law Division of the OJA held an International Law Day Seminar and invited several members of the University of Heidelberg Law Faculty. The topic of discussion was "Implementation of Transit, Stationing, and Status of Forces Agreements for IFOR/SFOR in Support of Operation Joint Endeavor. A luncheon followed the presentation. This event continued our partnership with German legal community. On May 8, we sponsored a Law Day golf tournament for all Judge Advocates, civilian employees, enlisted personnel, German colleagues and family members. Several Reserve Judge Advocates from the U.S. performing their active duty training at OJA competed in the tournament. Over 200 people participated. On May 13, OJA personnel stationed at the Office of the Legal Advisor, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina held a barbecue at park by the Bosna River. Two hundred children from various sections of Sarajevo were present. To start the event, a Bosnian translator read the letter proclaiming Law Day and further explained the basic aspects of American Law. Questions were posed to the lawyers in attendance. At the Heidelberg American Middle School (grades 6-8), we sponsored a poster contest. The contestants made posters demonstrating their vision of "Celebrate Your Freedom." Over 70 posters were submitted. They were displayed at OJA where personnel voted on winners for each grade. On May 14, 1998, the USAREUR Judge Advocate attended the award assemblies for each grade, announced the winners, and presented $50 Savings bonds to the 1st place winners and certificates to the 2nd and 3rd place winners. Approximately 600 students, their parents and teachers attended this event. Finally, at the Heidelberg American High School (grades 9-12), we sponsored an essay contest. Each contestant was asked to submit a 500 to 1000 word essay on an issue related to this year’s Law Day theme. Over 300 essays were submitted. The essays were reviewed and graded by officers in OJA. On May 27, 1998, the Judge Advocate attended the High School award assembly and announced the winners for each grade (who received $50 savings bonds), the 2nd and 3rd place winners (who received certificates), and the overall winner the High school (who received a $100 savings bond). Over 700 students were in attendance with their parents, teachers and various members of the Heidelberg community. Personnel from OJA also taught several "Street Law" classes to High School students. This will be an ongoing project between OJA and the High School. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization