Lt. Cmdr. Charles (“Charlie”) Gough was awarded the 2018 U. S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Garrison Award.
The Maj. Gen. Garrison award is presented to the attorney or paralegal who best supported special operations forces (SOF) over the course of the previous year. Maj. Gen. Garrison was a decorated SOF commander who led troops in Vietnam, Somalia, and elsewhere.
Maj. Gen. Garrison was described by some of his men as “the finest leader an operator could ask for.” This award is given in the spirit of Maj. Gen. Garrison’s quote: “Never judge your worth to the mission based on your proximity to the target.” Gough, staff judge advocate for Commander, Naval Special Warfare Group TWO, was selected among five impressive nominees from services across the SOF enterprise. His recognition reflected the outstanding legal contributions, work ethic, and tireless dedication he provided in direct support of Group TWO during an unprecedented year of legal activity and while forward deployed with Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Iraq (CJSOTF-I) in 2018, where he as the sole attorney for the 1,100 member CJSOTF-I and its 13 subordinate commands. Notably, he is the second consecutive judge advocate from Naval Special Warfare Group TWO to win the award. “Charlie is a proven SOF attorney. He is a supremely competent JAG yet a humble naval officer. He has earned my trust, and the trust of our commanding officers,” said Capt. Mark Schafer, Commodore of Naval Special Warfare Group TWO. “We are proud that he will continue to strengthen the Group TWO and NSW legacy at the Joint Special Operations Command in his next tour.”