Donald J. Currier

Brigadier General

Having joined the Regular Army as a private I was exposed to people from all walks of life. People who didn't look like me, think like me or talk like me, but yet had a love and appreciation for my country that was identical to mine.

As a field commander, I learned to always suspect the first reports describing contact with the enemy, injuries or damage to military equipment, or reports of crime involving Soldiers. They were almost always wrong or incomplete.

As a lawyer and later a judge, I avoid being swayed by my first impressions of parties and the facts they bring to the table until they are fully litigated or agreed to.

A veteran is someone who has taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. By doing so, they have knowingly accepted the sometimes spartan existence of a servicemember and the obligation to defend their country in combat. Whether you are a mail clerk in the bowels of the Pentagon or an infantry Soldier on point in enemy controlled terrain, your service is necessary to ensure the US is victorious over its enemies and you have every reason to be proud of your service to your country. Anyone who has accepted the hardship and risk of military service has demonstrated a self-sacrifice and love for country that is unfortunately too rare in our society today. Being a veteran doesn't make you better than any other American, but it does make you different.