Brigadier General Joseph B. Berger III graduated from the U.S Military Academy at West Point in 1992 and was commissioned into the Military Police Corps, where he served as a Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Supply Officer and Adjutant.

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Brigadier General Joseph B. Berger III graduated from the U.S Military Academy at West Point in 1992 and was commissioned into the Military Police Corps, where he served as a Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Supply Officer and Adjutant. Brigadier General Berger was subsequently selected for the Funded Legal Education Program and received his juris doctor from the George Mason University School of Law.

Brigadier General Berger currently serves as the Commanding General of the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, located on the grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. His previous assignments include: Commander, United States Army Legal Services Agency and Chief Judge, U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals; Staff Judge Advocate, U.S. Army Cyber Command; Chief, Investigations and Legislative Division, Office of the Chief Legislative Liaison, Washington, DC; Chief, Plans Branch of Personnel, Plans and Training Office, Office of The Judge Advocate General, Washington, DC; Staff Judge Advocate, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Deputy Team Chief and later Assistant Director, Multi-National Force-Iraq; Group Judge Advocate, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Chief, Criminal Law, United States Army Air Defense Artillery Center and Fort Bliss, Fort Bliss, Texas; Chief, Legal Assistance, later Administrative and Operational Law Attorney, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Germany.

Brigadier General Berger’s operational deployments include OPERATIONS RESTORE HOPE (Mogadishu, Somalia) and JOINT GUARD (Kosovo), and multiple tours in support of both OPERATIONS ENDURING FREEDOM (Afghanistan) and IRAQI FREEDOM / NEW DAWN (Iraq).

Brigadier General Berger holds a Master of Laws in International Law (LL.M) from The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School (Distinguished Graduate) and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College (Distinguished Graduate). His military awards include the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Valorous Unit Award (Somalia) and the Presidential Unit Citation (Joint Task Force Neptune). He is authorized to wear the Combat Action Badge, the Parachutist’s Badge, the German Parachutist’s Badge (Fallschirmspringerabzeichen), and the Army Staff Identification Badge.

Brigadier General Berger and his wife Brenna are the proud parents of two adult children. On this episode, we discuss the Army JAG Corps, the impact his wife and kids have had (and continue to have) on him, overcoming adversity, and much more!

During this episode, we discuss:

3:30 – Introduction to the Army JAG Corps

8:15 – What life was like growing up for Brigadier General Berger

10:45 – People that impacted him the most growing up

13:00 – What he’s learned the most from his children

14:30 – The power of humility and being open to learning

15:14: – How he is different now from how he was growing up

18:45 – How failure, mistakes, and adversity have shaped him the most

23:35 – He does an autopsy on his own success and provides us advice on how to succeed

29:51 – Somalia Deployment – The Battle of Mogadishu (portrayed in Black Hawk Down)

37: 53 – What he believes are some of the commonalities between those who sustain excellence over time

44:31 – His views on work/life balance

50:14 – His views on servant leadership, one of the four pillars of the Army JAG Corps

53:27 – Examples of servant leaders that he has seen

59:00 – His impressions on Admiral William McRaven

1:02:20 – Questions from Army Lawyers (judge advocates) in the field

1:23:00 – Lightning Round Questions

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher

Brigadier General Berger recommended the following books during this interview:

The Road

By McCarthy, Cormac

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz

By Larson, Erik

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