Operation SafeKeeping

In Arkansas, Trial Lawyers Volunteer to Help Reservists & Their Families

In every state in American, families and communities are feeling the loss of the large number of military reservists who have been called to duty on the front lines in the Middle East. Very often, those mobilized include Staff Advocate Judges (JAGs), whose primary mission is to take care of legal matters for the families of their unit's personnel. This means service members and their families may be left without adequate legal resources and support.

See a need...

That's what happened in the summer of 2003, when approximately 3,000 Army National Guard soldiers from Arkansas' 39th Infantry Brigade were ordered up and sent to Fort Hood, Texas, to begin preparations for their upcoming mission with Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Five of the Brigade's six legal officers responsible for handling legal issues for the command and their families were activated, leaving only one lawyer to assist thousands of families with issues ranging from wills and powers of attorney to various rights avialable under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

... Fill a need

The Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, in conjunction with the Arkansas Bar Association, stepped in to assist the Brigade with a program that provided pro bono legal services to the family members of the 39th Brigade during their mobilization to Fort Hood, Texas, and their eventual deployment to Iraq.

"Our intent is to assure the members of Arkansas' 39th Brigade that we are here for their families," AR TLA President Q. Byrum Hurst, Jr., of Hot Springs, said in a news release announcing the initiative. "We know they have an important mission to accomplish and that they will need to be focused on the tasks at hand. Operation SafeKeeping ensures their loved ones receive free, timely legal assistance, should the need arise."

The 39th Infantry returned to Arkansas last month. AAJ continues to assist the 39th through Operation SafeKeeping and is examining ways to assist the families of others Infantries in the future.

About the Photo

In the above photo, 2004-05 AR TLA President Brad Hendricks is pictured with Lt. Col. John Edwards and Captain Bruce Anible (both with the 39th JAG ) and 2004-05 AAJ Vice President Clark Mason, all of Little Rock, AR. The 39th Infantry Brigade presented AAJ with an Arkansas state flag that flew over every location where the Brigade served during their deployment. The flag flew in Texas at Ft Hood, Kuwait as they "staged" into Iraq and finally flew over "Camp Cooke" outside of Baghdad.