Iraq War veteran to receive special salute at law school

By Debra Talcott Legal News Cooley Law School professors take pride in the accomplishments of all former students. Yet, it is rare that a Cooley grad is considered deserving enough to be welcomed back to campus with ceremonial fanfare in addition to the usual open arms. Army Major Miles Gengler, who recently returned to Michigan after completing a tour of duty in Iraq, is one of those special graduates. A September 2008 graduate, Major Gengler will be honored at a reception celebrating his safe return from the Middle East at the Auburn Hills campus on Friday, March 26, at 4 p.m. "Major Gengler will be presented with a crystal award thanking him for his service," explains John Nussbaumer, dean of the Auburn Hills Campus. Cooley President Don LeDuc also will be on hand to honor Gengler. Featured speakers will be U.S. District Court Chief Judge Gerald Rosen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Security Mike McDaniel, and Chief Justice Marilyn Kelly of the Michigan Supreme Court. Last July, Gengler was formally admitted as an attorney licensed to practice in Michigan. What makes his story unique is that he took the lawyer's oath to uphold the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Michigan from more than 6,000 miles away--while serving in Iraq. It was Kelly who had the honor of administering the oath from the National Guard Joint Force Headquarters in Lansing as family members and friends proudly watched the ceremony via live video conference. Deputy Assistant Secretary Mike McDaniel was, at that time, General McDaniel, who arranged for the video conference swearing in. The National Guard worked in concert with Cooley Law School and the Michigan Supreme Court to make the event possible. Rosen has been chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan since January 2009. Gengler is currently serving an internship under Rosen at the U.S. Courthouse in Detroit. According to Nussbaumer, the three speakers will precede the unveiling of a framed print of a photo taken last summer of Chief Justice Kelly conducting the swearing in ceremony. "At the same time, we will display the framed flag that Miles sent us after it was flown over Baghdad on the 4th of July in honor of Cooley Law School," says Nussbaumer. "The framed photograph and flag will hang on permanent display at our Auburn Hills campus to honor Major Gengler and others like him who interrupt their legal studies or careers to serve our country." Gengler knows all about putting his personal life on hold to fulfill his duty to his country. For the past year he left family and professional aspirations behind to work seven days a week, 16 hours a day, in 110-degree heat. Gengler lost 30 pounds in the process and came under fire on numerous occasions. "I arrived home at the end of January," says Gengler, who was actually lucky enough to leave Iraq a couple of weeks earlier than anticipated. "My wife Heather picked me up and we were able to surprise our kids at school. Both of my daughters cried, and that made me cry," he says. The Genglers have three children: a son Amory, 16; daughter Carson,13; and daughter Hayden, 9. Gengler says the family is now adjusted, but that the "firsts" were memorable. "Going to the grocery store and seeing all the options, going out for a pizza that actually tasted like pizza, going to my kids' schools and being around a bunch of children--just generally being out in public where everyone seemed oblivious to where I'd been for the past year took some adjustment," says Gengler. Now that Gengler is what he calls "pretty much back to normal," he finds himself facing what is perhaps the worst legal job market in recent history. His next challenge is to overcome the one-year head start that his fellow graduates have had and to find a job that will allow him to support his family. "It has really been great of Judge Rosen to take me on for a short-term unpaid basis to get reacclimated to the law. I left for Iraq right after taking the bar, so my first year out of law school, instead of practicing law like my peers, I was working for the Army in Baghdad," says Gengler. Gengler is one of a number of interns and law clerks who research legal issues, determine if new filings are venue proper, and write early drafts of opinions for the clerks and the judge to edit. He has enjoyed observing and learning about all of the court proceedings, including jury selection, trials, sentencings, and plea hearings. Major Gengler hopes to put this latest legal experience to practical use in the near future. "Although my wife and I would love to stay in the Detroit area, it appears the job market here won't allow that," says Gengler. "So we are looking at moving in the next couple of months to Washington, D.C., where I have an opportunity to work. We are excited and anxious at the same time." In the midst of much change, one certainty remains: wherever Major Miles Gengler's career takes him, his Cooley family of well-wishers will remain supportive and proud. Published: Wed, Mar 24, 2010

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