Lt. Cmdr. John Battisti, judge advocate assigned to the
Administrative Law Division (Code 13), received the McGinnis Family Award during the U.S. Naval War College (NWC) graduation at Dewey Field on board Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island, June 17.
Each year the NWC presents the McGinnis Family Award for Outstanding Performance in Fleet Seminar Education to an outstanding College of Distance Education Fleet Seminar Program graduate demonstrating high standards of academic performance, professionalism, and community service.
"It was a nice recognition, since I put a lot of time and effort into my Joint Professional Military Education 1 studies," said Battisti. "However, the education I received and how it will enable me to be a better judge advocate is what I value most."
Battisti, a native of Belleville, New Jersey, was recognized as the top graduate in a class of 1,174 students from 69 government agencies completed their coursework through the College of Distance Education, via Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., Fleet Seminar Program, Navy Knowledge Online or CD-ROM based correspondence. In addition to earning a diploma or degree, students also earned Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) credit from the Department of Defense.
“The course facilitates a better knowledge base. It makes you a better critical thinker and a better communicator,” said Battisti, a Fleet Seminar Program participant in both Pearl Harbor and Washington D.C. “The exposure to the different types of professors with their first-hand knowledge and leadership, as well as the wide diversity of students during the class sessions was fantastic.”
Battisti graduated from Rutgers University in 2001, the University of Michigan Law School in 2006, and the Naval War College's College of Naval Command and Staff in 2016, from which he received his Joint Professional Military Education diploma. He commissioned through the Student Program in September 2006 and began his career as a judge advocate at Naval Legal Service Office, Mid-Atlantic. Battisti has been a defense and legal assistance attorney twice, and advised clients on criminal and civil law matters. He has also served on the U.S. 7th Fleet and U.S. Pacific Fleet staffs.