Master Chief Legalman Chris Browning retired July 2 after more than 25 years of service in the Navy. He most recently served as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Judge Advocate General and the Command Master Chief for Commander, Naval Legal Service Command. Master Chief Legalman Paul St. Sauver took the reins from Master Chief Browning following the Washington Navy Yard ceremony.
On July 2
nd, I retired from the Navy after more than 25 years of service. I want to pass along my heart-felt gratitude to the judge advocates, legalmen and civilian professionals serving in the Navy’s JAG Corps. During my 21 years as a legalman, I’ve had the great fortune of serving with some of the finest legal professionals the Navy has ever known. It’s been your hard work, dedication, and commitment to our organizational success that convinced me to make my service in the Navy JAG Corps my life’s professional calling. Like many of you out there, when I first signed up, I was going to serve my four-year requirement and separate to use my GI Bill for college. As it has turned out, I have been so profoundly impressed by the JAG Corps family that reenlistment after reenlistment, I chose to “stay Navy.” It has been a true honor to serve as the legalman rating senior enlisted leader these last three years. As I look back, I am overwhelmed with pride for the things we, as a team, have accomplished. Whether discussing LPEP, record levels of retention, vastly improved rates of advancement, higher quality conversion candidates, or improved training and education, these accomplishments and many others that we achieved are directly attributable to the hard work and dedication displayed by so many of our shipmates in the JAG Corps. I ask that you please welcome Master Chief St. Sauver with open arms, and support him in the same manner that you supported me. We still have many things to accomplish in the years to come, and it’s going to take “all hands on deck” to achieve our goals. From the senior captain to the most junior third class petty officer, we must continue focusing on strong team play and thorough communication in order to ensure the future success of our Corps. To the men and women of the legalman community, I salute you! You are such an extraordinary group. I have enjoyed sharing in your triumphs, and I wish you continued success, both personally and professionally. Work hard and remain dedicated, but always take care of yourselves and your families. Sending you all my warmest regards.
From Command Master Chief Paul St. Sauver
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to Master Chief Browning for everything he has done for our community. It’s like a chapter in a good book: under his leadership and guidance, we have become the extraordinary legal professionals we are today. Although this chapter in Master Chief Browning’s book is ending, I know he is very proud of all our accomplishments and successes. He will begin a new book knowing he made a significant impact on each one of us. Before we begin our next JAG Corps chapter, I ask everyone to stop for a moment and reflect. Do a self assessment and ask yourself the tough questions. What are you doing? What should you be doing? What have you accomplished? What do you want to accomplish? Are you doing everything that you need to be doing? This next chapter will be filled with fun, excitement and adventure. I’m committed to doing what’s right for our Sailors and the Navy. We will have many challenges ahead of us and as a TEAM, we will conquer them all. We will continue to examine ways to unlock the full potential of our Legalman force. The sky is the limit, but it will be an “All Hands” evolution. It is a privilege and honor to be the JAG CMC and I look forward to getting around the fleet and meeting each and every one of you. I look forward to hearing the “best practices” around the fleet. Thank you for all you do.