A Distinguished Visitor Attends the JAG Corps Birthday Triple-R Challenge at Fort Bragg
Two weeks ago, the Order of the JAGWAR received an inspiring email from a former Judge Advocate who’d first cut his teeth in the Corps during the earliest days of America’s War on Terror—and served under the stellar leadership of a then-O-5 SJA whose name may now ring a bell: LTG Stuart Risch, our TJAG!
This was no ordinary inquiry: the sender was none other than the Honorable Zahid Quraishi, America’s first Muslim-American Article III federal judge, recently appointed to the bench in the United States District of New Jersey.
The JAGWAR Executive Committee unhesitatingly invited Hon. Quraishi to participate in its upcoming Triple-R Challenge to commemorate the Judge Advocate General’s Corps 247th birthday. True to his North Star of other-centered service, His Honor was immediately game to fly to North Carolina on Saturday, 23 July, joining a large group of young judge advocates to share war stories over dinner.
Early the next morning, Judge Quraishi cheered on a group of paralegals, attorneys, law student interns, and the XVIII Airborne Corps Staff Judge Advocate—COL Joseph Mackey—as they began the four-mile run through the training area in the blistering Fort Bragg heat. After the first SJA to ever attempt a Triple-R Challenge blew everyone away on the rope climb, Hon. Quraishi threw a 40-pound ruck on his back and joined the group for the 10-mile march through the sandy hills of Area J behind the 82d Airborne Division headquarters.
COL Mackey, the XVIII Airborne Corps Staff Judge Advocate, absolutely crushed the Triple-R Challenge!
MAJ Chris Monti extends to Hon. Quraishi the distinction of veteran membership in the Order of the JAGWAR.
After the Triple-R participants gutted their way through the sweltering North Carolina heat and humidity to earn the esteemed JAGWAR challenge coin, Hon. Quraishi hosted a lunch Q&A with the participants there on the 82d Airborne Division footprint. His message was clear: “Lawyer First, Soldier Always” is not just a motto for him—it was a way of life that prepared him for and allowed him to fully embrace his time with then-LTC Stuart Risch in the “Big Red One” —1st Infantry Division—during two combat deployments to Iraq in 2004 and 2006. Particularly poignant was Hon. Quraishi’s description of the 1st ID OSJA culture, which encouraged all Judge Advocates, regardless of commissioning source or prior military experience, to strive for the same level of high physical and intellectual preparedness to be a force multiplier for the commander and unit.
Hon. Quraishi is a humble leader who talked about how his four years in the JAG Corps—and the discipline instilled by the experience—shaped the rest of his historic life of service to the legal community and our country. He graciously stayed an additional day on Fort Bragg just to meet with more legal professionals and law student interns to share his inspiring message that soldiering skills are mission essential must-haves, not just nice-to-haves, in order to successfully serve in our Corps and be prepared for the next fight.
Hon. Quraishi service to the Fort Bragg JAGC community exemplified the leadership and mentorship that TJAG and RSCM discussed in the recently published Vol. 41-14. Judge Quraishi answered the call to develop the JAGC team by "building meaningful relationships and transferring knowledge and experience" and did so by providing the "touchpoints for mentorship relationships to develop" through the physical training of the Triple-R Challenge and the multiple professional development discussions he provided over three days. May we strive to emulate the judge’s tremendous leadership across our Corps!
We could not be more grateful for the incredible time spent with this great American. We can’t wait to see Hon. Quraishi at many Triple-R Challenges for years to come.