Alumni Alumni Award
Jackie Thompson '93
Brigadier general and chief defense counsel, Office of Military Commissions; Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Jackie Thompson’s service to his country spans 32 years. His leadership skills are evidenced by a decorated track record and series of promotions, most recently to chief defense counsel within the Office of Military Commissions.
Thompson additionally served as chief of the United States Army Trial Defense Service. He has also performed duties as a staff judge advocate and deputy staff judge advocate both stateside and abroad. He has served as regional defense counsel, officer-in-charge of operational law, and brigade judge advocate. Earlier assignments included: chief of administrative law and chief of justice; senior defense counsel; training officer; trial counsel; and tax attorney.
His service has taken home all over the globe. Currently stationed in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Thompson previously served in: Fort Benning, Georgia; Wiesbaden, Germany; Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; multiple locations in Iraq; Arlington, Virginia; and Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
His military awards include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star (with one oak leaf cluster), the Meritorious Service Medal (with seven oak leaf clusters), and the Joint Service Commendation Medal.
As a member of the Army National Guard, he was commissioned from Illinois Military Academy Officer Candidate School. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Northern Illinois University School of Law in 1997. He owns a Master of Laws in military law from the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and owns a master’s degree in security studies from the U.S. Army War College.
Thompson is a member of the bars of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Texas, and he is admitted to practice before the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the United States Supreme Court.