WASHINGTON -- The Deputy Judge Advocate General and Commander, Naval Legal Service Command, received the Major General Kenneth D. Gray Excellence in Jurisprudence Award from the National Bar Association at George Washington University Law School, Nov. 7.
Rear Adm. James W. Crawford, III, was presented with the first Major General Kenneth D. Gray Excellence in Jurisprudence Award for his leadership and service. The Major General Kenneth D. Gray Excellence in Jurisprudence Award is named after Army Maj. Gen. Kenneth D. Gray, the first African American to serve as a Judge Advocate general officer.
The Major General Kenneth D. Gray Excellence in Jurisprudence Award will recognize a leader, jurist or practitioner who has exhibited distinctive and exemplary service to their community and nation.
“I am extremely honored to receive an award named for such a distinguished officer as Maj. Gen. Kenneth Gray,” said Crawford. “While you honor me today, the honor truly is for those that have enabled me in the past and those with whom I serve with today.” Crawford currently serves as the Deputy Judge Advocate General and Commander, Naval Legal Service Command.
As the DJAG, he serves as the Deputy Department of Defense Representative for Ocean Policy Affairs. As CNLSC, he leads the attorneys, enlisted legalmen, and civilian employees of 17 commands, providing prosecution and defense services, legal services to individuals, and legal support to commands around the world.
“Rear Adm. Crawford has brought extraordinary distinction and honor upon the military, the nation, his family, and himself,” said Patricia Rosier, president, National Bar Association. “Similarly, we salute all military service members, veterans, and military families, all of whom achieve so much in the face of innumerable challenges.”
Before his appointment to flag rank, Crawford served as Legal Counsel to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Commander, NATO Rule of Law Field Support Mission/Rule of Law Field Force-Afghanistan. Special Counsel to the Chief of Naval Operations, the senior Staff Judge Advocate for Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, and as the Fleet Judge Advocate for U.S. Seventh Fleet. In command, he served as Commanding Officer, Region Legal Service Office Southeast. Crawford graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill and was commissioned through the JAG Corps Student Program. He later earned a Master of Laws degree (Ocean and Coastal Law) from the University of Miami (Florida) School of Law and a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.