About Me
Hello world. This blog is written by Andrew Cherkasky and occasionally my wife Sarah Cherkasky. I am now a Captain in the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps. The JAG Corps are the military’s lawyers. I graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law in the spring of 2006.
This blog starts with my experiences at Commissioned Officer Training (COT) and JAG School (JASOC) at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL from mid Jan 07 to the end of Apr 07. After my training my wife and I were stationed at Aviano Air Base in Italy for the next 3 to 4 years. Aviano is located about an hour north of Venice. Since arriving in Italy, we have been posting about our experiences with the military life, the JAG Corps, but more importantly, our adventures aboard.
I hope that this site will keep as many friends and family members up to date. I have been a little surprised by the number of people wanting updates. I hope you enjoy.
January 29, 2007 at 6:01 pm |
Good to hear things are getting better….think of those poor recruits going through basic….you are at summer camp!!!!!!!!
Hope you get a good meal this next weekend.
John
May 2, 2007 at 1:54 pm |
Hello Lowly Maggot –
I just wanted to thank you for taking the time and effort to do this blog. I’m an attorney, currently clerking on the Colorado Court of Appeals. I’ve been considering Air Force JAG, and it has been incredibly helpful and informative to follow your experience. So – thank you. I’m inspired to apply.
- Dave Walker
June 30, 2007 at 8:21 pm |
Andy,
Little upset you didnt mention Bentz or me on your site!!! I am gonna have to include this in the JAG(07-b) e-mail chain when I go to work on Monday. I hope you and the Mrs are doin well in Italy. Erin, Noah and I really miss you guys. Right now its a late Saturday night in Fayetteville and I am pretty drunk so I am surprised I can even type. This week was rough. Send me you DSN on my outlook so I can call you. Bush out. By the way, WTF is lowly maggot?
July 13, 2007 at 1:52 pm |
Andy – Whats up man? How is training? Are you closer to Daniel Kaffee in A Few Good Men or the crazy bald guy that blew his head off in Full Metal Jacket? Anyway – 11 days to the Bar out here so everyone is a little stressed and ready to be done. I am sure you hear Trial Team won the Nat’l Championship. I accepted a job at the State’s Attorney’s Office, and will be starting in September. Hope all is well.
DH
July 15, 2007 at 11:16 am |
Lt. Cherkasky,
My name is 2Lt. Ian Holzhauer and I did the Air Force Graduate Law Program (ROTC program). I found your blog on google and found it pretty informative. I’m sitting for the Illinois bar in nine days (huah Conviser) and I had a couple of questions about JASOC and JAG life in general.
Thank you!
V/r,
Ian Holzhauer
Second Lieutenant (inact.), United States Air Force
July 25, 2007 at 2:05 pm |
I just came across your blog today and I was so happy to find it! My husband is leaving for COT in a few weeks and we will be moving to Italy in December sometime. We have found so little information about COT, JASOC and Aviano. We would love to pick your brain a little more. Please feel free to email me if you feel like handing out some advice!
July 25, 2007 at 2:11 pm |
Hi Andy. I’m Hollie’s husband, Tony. Like she said, I’ll be in COT in a few weeks, then JASOC, then Aviano. I think I pmed you on the OTS website (that is, if your handle was “AndyChicago”). Anyway, it looks like I’ll be heading to Aviano for the 2 weeks between COT and JASOC. It’s a little odd, but I wasn’t going to argue. I look forward to meeting you and, like my wife said, feel free to give us advice on COT, JASOC, Italy, etc. We would appreciate it.
November 6, 2007 at 7:24 pm |
Andy,
So I’m headed to Vandenberg AFB in Lompoc, CA. It’s not Europe, but I’m pretty excited. Two months until COT/JSOC. Any advice?
Mike Schwartz
January 5, 2008 at 8:20 pm |
Andy,
I will be attending COT/JASOC in a week and a half before heading to Keesler AFB on the MS Gulf Coast. I am looking forward to throwing myself into it.
I know this was not the purpose of your site, but it is VERY useful to incoming COT students to read your account. For that I thank you. My wife also enjoyed reading it, although first seeing “Lowly Maggot” in our Internet History folder made her a tad bit suspicous.
I had a quick question for you. I am currently trying to fully digest the COT operating instructions. Is this something that students are expected to have committed to memory by their first day, my initial paperwork says so. Or is this something that I am over-preparing for and will learn it better by having myself and my flight screamed at under pressure?
Thanks for any answer or advice you have. And if you are unable to respond that is fine, thank you for creating the blog.
I hope this finds you and your wife happy and healthy in Italy.
Jeff
January 11, 2008 at 3:31 pm |
Hi Lt. Cherkasky,
I came across your blog, and your sponsoree’s blog while searching for information on life as a USAF JAG. How does the first assignment selection work? (how do they decide where you are posted for your first tour?)
I see there is a preference sheet, but are there some general trends to keep in mind (e.g. perhaps Guam is generally not considered a very desirable tour location so more of likelihood of receiving first tour there if listed as 1st choice)
Thanks,
Gene
January 29, 2008 at 12:54 pm |
Hello Lt. (Capt. yet?) Cherkasky,
I too came across your blog while looking for more information on the whole accessions process… it’s been great to actually read someone’s experience, makes the whole process a lot more realistic. I was curious, if you don’t mind answering more questions, if you had any advice on the degree of freedom you get at JASOC. I’m curious because, if things go as planned, I’d likely be assigned to the July JASOC. But for a very delayed medical clearance process, I would have been slated for the February JASOC. The problem with July is that I’m getting married in August, so I’m curious whether and how the Air Force handles existing commitments and the JASOC schedule… Thanks in advance for any thoughts you might have…
Justin Lonergan
February 7, 2008 at 12:36 pm |
Captain Cherkasky–
I commend you on your blog–21 years ago I began my AF JAG career (like you–with a first assignment in Europe), and your blog brought back many memories along with the realization that while time has passed, most of the things I enjoyed about military life remain unchanged.
Good luck with your career–however long it might be.
February 7, 2008 at 1:11 pm |
Good afternoon Lt. Cherkasky,
Currently I am a 3L at Syracuse University College of Law and I would really appreicate some feedback on some questions I have reguarding being a JAG for the AF.
Last week I interviewed with the Army JAG and although I am excited about the opportunity, the problem is that I had my heart set on moving to LA (for family reasons) and the closest Army base is nearly 4 hours away–which is not really feasible. Although I have no military background, I do want to serve and want to be a part of the military– thus I was looking at the AF Jag which has a station in LA. So here are my questions:
1. How does the AF JAG program differ from Army?
2. Is it more competitive?
3. What are the chances of deployment?
4. If deployed– how long can I expect to be gone?
5. What if I am married– how hard does the AF work to keep me near my partner and move me around less?
6. What are your criticisms about being an JAG for the AF?
7. What is the best part of being a JAG for the AF?
8. How important is the interview?
I thank you for your time. If anyone reading this has comments/advice for me you can contact me at naureen.anwar.jd@gmail.com
February 12, 2008 at 8:13 pm |
Andy,
Hey man! I am really of proud of you man! Who would have thought from our days at Camp Interlaken that you would become a JAG attorney! That is so cool. I thought about OCS, but instead ended on a different path. Shoot me an email at sampolland@yahoo.com so we can catch up.
Take Care,
Sam
February 19, 2008 at 7:59 pm |
Just wanted to stop by and say thanks so much for posting about your experiences here. I head out to COT on March 4th, and will be arriving at Aviano in April. I look forward to working with you, and would love to ask you some questions if you have some time. Send me an email if you get a chance.
Thanks!
March 15, 2008 at 3:53 pm |
Dear Lt. Cherkasky:
I am graduating from law school this May and I am interested in applying for a JAG position with the AF.
Your blog is very informative and I thank you for sharing your experiences with us.
Please shoot me an email when you have time.
Thank you,
Edna
April 7, 2008 at 2:06 am |
Dude,
I just heard about your blog. There’s so much stuff on it that I didn’t look at anything. Maybe when I’m in Iraq I’ll have time to read about your life as a JAG attorney. Is it like the tv show???
Do you even check this thing? It might be time to update your “about me” section. Unless you got demoted back to 1st Lt. Remember, you’re supposed to bring me pasta and a gelato when I make my stop in Italia. Talk to you soon.
Joe
June 11, 2008 at 3:00 am |
Lt. Cherkasky,
Thank you for posting your experiences of COT. I will be going on August 25th, and am pretty nervous. I was wondering if you know of a place that mentions what to bring to COT, because I can’t find it anywhere.
Thanks again
Adam
August 5, 2008 at 3:23 pm |
Hi!! I’m also a graduate from AF JAGS school.. Its a very nice experience and I had a lot fun…
August 24, 2008 at 1:10 am |
Cpt. Cherkasky,
Thank you for writing your blog it has given me a great deal of insight into the JAG Corps and the training process. I am a 3L at Hofstra Law School and am interested in joining the JAG corps upon graduation. I was hoping you could give me some information on what it is like being married and going through the experiences you went though. Also how was the process for selecting your first assignment location? You have definitely helped ease some of my concerns about being a part of the military and your blog is great. Hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks
November 3, 2008 at 6:53 am |
JAG? Really andy?
January 9, 2009 at 6:01 am |
I’m in my first year of law school, and I have an interview with a SJA for entry into the JAG’s GLP program this month. I’m terribly excited about, and just completed my package and am getting ready for the interview. My girlfriend and I have been trying to find any and all the information we could about what this type of lifestlye would be like. We just spent the last two hours following your blog, and you have no idea how much you have helped us. We wish you both the best, and can’t thank you enough!
Bill & Patti
January 22, 2009 at 2:19 am |
Oh no . . .what happened after October? What a great read. Someone plz fill me in.
May 4, 2009 at 8:53 pm |
Capt. Andrew
If you want to add Facebook or email sharing buttons to your blog posts, there’s a plugin that does it for you:
http://tinyurl.com/sharebuttons
Hope you find it helpful!
Cheers,
Jerry
July 28, 2009 at 8:15 pm |
Andy. A friend of mine who is interested in JAG is going to be contacting you. Her name is Maria.
Hope all is well.