92 Chronicle Fall02 for Web - Berry College

SPOTLIGHTALUMNIALUM DEFENDS U.S. INTERESTSAS NAVY JAG OFFICERCmdr. Alexander W. Whitaker IV in the courtroom.He didn’t fly a Tomcat or carry a 9mm automatic, but in 2001, withingenuity and persistence, Cmdr.Alexander W. Whitaker IV (81C), at thetime a staff judge advocate in the U.S.Navy’s Judge Advocate General (JAG)Corps, fought and won a battle thatothers had given up for lost.For more than 15 years, a sprawlingindustrial waste disposal facility locatedjust 250 yards away from the U.S.Navy’s Atsugi base and a denselypopulated Japanese neighborhood belchedcancer-causing dioxin-laden smoke thatlay like a stinking, dirty-gray blanketacross the landscape. Air quality was sohorrid that people had to seal theirwindows and on windy days werewarned not to go outside.The Japanese mafia-owned business,permitted to burn 30 tons of medicaland industrial waste a day, routinelyburned more than 200 tons a day whilethe Japanese government turned a blindeye. The 8,000 service men and womenand their families on the base located inYokosuka, Japan, as well as theJapanese residents living and workingnearby, needed a hero — and whenCmdr. Whitaker took up their cause,they got one.“His arguments won over seniorleaders in the Defense, State and Justicedepartments. For the first time, the UnitedStates sued a private entity overseas toprotect its citizens from environmentalharm,” said Rear Adm. Donald J. Guter,judge advocate general in the U.S. Navy.“Commander Whitaker managed thecase, a massive undertaking, with moreevidence than had ever been offered in anenvironmental lawsuit in Japan. And itwas successful,” Adm. Guter said. “Aproblem that had existed for over 15years Commander Whitaker solved in lessthan three. And thousands of people,including American sailors, their familiesand our Japanese neighbors, enjoy abetter, safer life because of what he did.”The late Dr. John Bertrand, formerBerry College president, played a“I’ve read about Berry’seducation of the ‘head,heart and hands,’ andI think it’s no accidentthat the qualities thathave made Alex such asuccess are the veryqualities his alma materis dedicated to developingin its students.”—REAR ADM. DONALD J. GUTERJUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL,U.S. NAVYsignificant role in Cmdr. Whitaker’s careerchoice. “If you knew Dr. Bertrand, youknew how important the Navy had beento his life,” Cmdr. Whitaker said. “I verymuch admired him. And his attributes –integrity, fair-mindedness, kindness,toughness, selflessness, dedication toyoung people, love of country — all thoseI inevitably associated with the Navybecause it had been such part of his life.When I left Russell Field five days aftergraduation to fly to Newport, R.I., to go toOfficer Candidate School, he surprised meby showing up. He put on an old saltyofficer’s cap and gave me a salute. Nosalute has ever meant more to me.”After completing Officer CandidateSchool, Cmdr. Whitaker wascommissioned a special duty intelligenceofficer and served three years aboard theUSS America, completing two fulldeployments to the Mediterranean Seaand Indian Ocean. In 1985, his careermoved in an even more excitingdirection. Cmdr. Whitaker was one of fiveofficers selected for the Navy’s fullyfundedlaw education program.“I entered the Navy as an intelligenceofficer and when I switched over to lawmy dad wryly observed that I had movedfrom one career of deception to another,”Cmdr. Whitaker said with a laugh. Hisfather, Dr. Alex Whitaker III, was anassociate professor of English at Berryfrom 1966 to 1982.After graduating from the University ofVirginia School of Law, Cmdr. Whitakerwas admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1988.He then completed Naval Justice Schoolwith honors and was commissioned inthe JAG Corps. Sharing in this adventurewith him are his wife, Maria CregoWhitaker (85c), and their three children,Andrew, 14; Emily, 12; and Michael, 9.During his career, Cmdr. Whitaker hasserved as the Navy’s legal counsel forLaw of the Sea and national securitymatters, as well as legal counsel for highlevelmilitary officers around the globe.Now he is the executive officer, secondin-commandof Trial Service Office East inNorfolk, Va., the Navy’s largest andbusiest court-martial prosecutioncommand. He and his 74-member team,which includes 31 attorneys, areresponsible for prosecutions in a 24-statearea that generates one-third of theNavy’s cases worldwide.“We don’t put officers in charge of somany junior judge advocates unless we’reabsolutely confident in their lawyeringskills and leadership abilities,” Adm.Guter said. “He’s incredibly bright andquick and is a superb writer and excellentspeaker. He’s tenacious and indefatigable,with a work ethic second to none. And heis one of the most decent folks in ourcorps — a natural leader who’s alwaysthinking of others, treating them withdignity, respect and understanding. I’veread about Berry’s education of the ‘head,heart and hands,’ and I think it’s noaccident that the qualities that have madeAlex such a success are the very qualitieshis alma mater is dedicated to developingin its students. We’re privileged to havemany dedicated young officers in the JAGCorps, but there’s no doubt about it: AlexWhitaker’s one of the best.” ■— DEBBIE RASURE7