Photo By Lance Cpl. Kelcey Seymour | CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan –Sgt. Tyler Marrisett looks through court exhibits Dec....... read more read more
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CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan – There are some challenges faced while being stationed in a foreign country such as wills, power of attorney and working with a host nation’s government laws. Legal Services Support Sections can be found Marine Corps wide, and is a place where all service members, and their families, can go legal assistance. For Marines in Okinawa however, the LSSS has a few specialties such as extra legal paperwork for a child born off American soil, marriages and emergency powers of attorney.
LSSS is a fundamental part of the Marine Corps that provides military members and their families’ critical readiness assets. Their mission is to provide units, Marines and their families with legal counsel for all aspects of the legal system. The LSSS on Camp Foster plays host to all the service members, retirees, and their families on Okinawa.
The tax center and legal assistance are two of the most used sections of LSSS. The tax center opens each year in February. It is able to assist Marines and their families with federal and state tax filings. The center prioritizes Marines with an income of $54,000 or less a year, but they will help these with higher incomes and civilian department of defense employees as well.
Down the hall of the tax center is the legal assistance branch. This section handles civil legal issues which includes: marriage, immigration, child support and child custody.
“We assist in counseling, drafting and executing of those documents,” said Capt. Kyle Owens, legal assistance officer in charge for LSSS. “That is essential to mission readiness, to give military members and their families’ peace of mind, if nothing else.”
They also help with wills, certain powers of attorney, and health care documents for all service members, family and military retirees.
“Power of attorney is a document that allows a person to appoint another person as your agent so that they can take on certain actions on your behalf,” said Owens. “They can take control of goods for you, sell certain items, file taxes, and things of that nature. This allows someone else to step into your shoes and be you for a short amount of time.”
A general power of attorney gave an individual broad power while a special power of attorney is a limited power over specific things. This could be used in cases where a child is transported for medical or developmental needs, and the guardian taking temporary custody of the child has a special power of attorney to care for the child. A special power of attorney can also be used for something as simple as selling a car if the owner is not there to do it themselves.
The section next door, is the administrative law section. It is tied closely to the military defense counsel, due to its focus on dealing with administrative military service separations.
“We deal with primarily the administrative separations that involve board proceeding,” said Chief Warrant Officer Ralph Rivera, administrative law officer for LSSS. “These are cases where a Marine is being processed for separation for the least favorable characterization of service that can be awarded, which is an other-than-honorable discharge. The board is a way for a Marine to have his day in court, so to say. They can go and fight for retention or fight for a better characterization of service.”
Marines will always have a chance to be heard when it comes to legal proceedings, according to Rivera. They will have a chance to present their facts and allow for their case to be made.
“We help them get the fair treatment they are due,” said Cpl. Ryan Belliveau, a defense noncommissioned officer for LSSS. “We double check facts and talk to witnesses. I’m motivated to help Marines when they come here and making sure that everybody is following the rules.”
The defense section looks over all facts and findings in a case, checking and double checking everything, looking for a way to help their client get the most favorable outcome. If the client is facing a separation the defense section will help them put together a case that proves the client deserves to stay in the Marine Corps. Or, if the client does desire to be separated from service, the defense section will help them achieve a better discharge classification.
Legal support helps gather facts on a case and assist the attorneys in any way they can. Some of the experienced Marines who have seen many cases in their careers will sit down and talk to the attorneys about the cases, sharing their knowledge and past experience so that the attorneys can get a realistic understanding of the proceeding for a case. This is crucial, as the outcome may be punitive in nature.
"What drives me is ensuring my Marines are utilized properly and the junior attorneys get trained,” said Master Sgt. Trent Williams, the service support team chief for LSSS. “Even though I'm not an attorney, they utilize me for my experience and I want them to get all they can. The teaching aspect of this is billet is what I enjoy most."
The last two sections of LSSS are so closely tied together that only a door separates them in the LSSS building on Camp Foster. Court reporters and post-trial review both deal with the transcripts of a trial.
“Court reporters participate in judicial and administrative proceedings and transcribe law enforcement interview,” said Gunnery Sgt. Warren Colehour, regional court reporter chief and the regional post-trial review chief for LSSS. “We have software that is similar to talk-to-text on your cell phone. We speak into a mask that covers our mouths and is connected to our computers. With the use of computer-aided transcription (CAT) software, we produce transcripts that are complete with formatting and index markers.”
Court reporters have their own spoken short hand that allows them to record all that happens and is said. When a proceeding has finished, an experienced court reporter will walk out of a trial with 90 percent of a record complete. After the records of trial are completed by the court reporters, they are certified by the prosecutor and authenticated by the military judge. Then they are ready for post-trial review.
“Post-trial review is when the whole record of trial is reviewed and the post-trial documents are drafted,” said Colehour. “They look over the whole record of trial that court reporters put together and make sure that everything is there that has to be there. Sometimes these records are around 100 pages, sometimes they are over 2,000 pages.”
LSSS’s services are available to all service members, their family members and to retired military. Their services are free and the Marines there always strive to assist all who come for their help.
The LSSS is a demanding place of work, where Marines are expected to preform to their fullest potential in all that they do. Legal is a field that adapts and changes, so Marines must do the same. The leadership in LSSS strives to keep their Marines stimulated and ever-learning in the vast field.
“I like seeing the junior Marines in the legal field grow and seeing them learn through initiative, wanting to learn,” said Owens. “They aren’t just sending email or answering phones, they are sitting down with clients and getting free rein to continue to learn and grow as Marines.”
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 02.27.2018 20:27 |
| Story ID: | 260615 |
| Location: | OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 511 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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