Army legal professionals honored for excellence, service to the profession
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska— After 15 years of helping Soldiers, commanders, and legal professionals navigate some of the Army’s most complex challenges in Alaska, Tracy Carter will close a chapter of service this week with recognition for a career defined by expertise, mentorship, and stewardship.
Carter, the senior civilian attorney and chief of civil law for the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, received the 2026 Sustained Outstanding Civilian Career Award. The honor comes as she prepares to retire Aug. 28 following a distinguished tenure at Fort Wainwright, including the past decade as the legal office's senior civilian counsel.
As chief of civil law and the command’s principal environmental law counsel, Carter advised Army leaders on matters involving more than 1.6 million acres of training land across Alaska. Her work spanned environmental compliance, land-use agreements, infrastructure projects, and critical negotiations involving local, state, and federal agencies.
Her counsel was vital in protecting the Army’s ability to conduct year-round Arctic training while strictly adhering to environmental requirements. Carter’s efforts also helped reduce environmental penalties, supported crucial remediation programs across the installation, and directly informed decisions affecting forward-deployed Army readiness in Alaska.
However, Carter’s influence extends far beyond individual cases and land agreements.
Through the historic transition from U.S. Army Alaska to the 11th Airborne Division, and amidst the natural transitions of military personnel and senior leaders, Carter provided invaluable institutional knowledge and continuity. She has mentored generations of judge advocates, paralegal noncommissioned officers, and civilian attorneys, helping new team members quickly comprehend the state's unique legal and environmental landscape.
“Strengthening the profession means passing along what you’ve learned, helping the next person understand why those decisions matter, and leaving the organization better prepared than you found it,” Carter said. “If I’ve helped make their jobs a little easier and left some knowledge behind that helps the next generation succeed, then I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.”
While Carter’s award recognizes a lifetime of sustained civilian service, another Fort Wainwright legal professional is being recognized for his contributions to developing the Army's future leaders.
Major James Berreth, the officer in charge of the Fort Wainwright Consolidated Legal Office, was awarded the 2026 Judge Advocate Legal Services (JALS) Award for Excellence.
Before arriving at Fort Wainwright in the summer of 2026, Berreth served as a professor in the Criminal Law Department at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia. There, he instructed more than 700 Officer Basic Course students and refined the practical exercises designed to prepare new judge advocates for the demands of the operational Army.
As the course manager for the Military Judges Course, Berreth also introduced realistic training exercises that reached more than 100 military judges across the force.
“The profession gets stronger when we invest in people and give them the tools to think through difficult problems for themselves,” Berreth said. “Our responsibility is to develop professionals who are competent, grounded in our values, and prepared to serve Soldiers and commanders when it matters.”
Together, the recognition of Carter and Berreth highlights the distinct ways Army legal professionals strengthen their corps; one through years of dedicated institutional continuity, and the other through deliberate investment in the Army’s next generation.
For Carter, retirement marks the end of her daily service to the Arctic Angels, but the legal professionals she mentored and the programs she protected will remain a lasting legacy.
“The most meaningful part of these 15 years hasn’t been any single case or project; it’s been the people I’ve had the opportunity to serve alongside and mentor,” Carter said.
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