U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo -- The Department of Justice’s third-ranking lawyer visited the Air Force Academy March 5 to talk to cadets about the Service Members and Veterans Initiative, a legal support and protection network for service members, veterans and their families.
Stuart Delery, the acting associate attorney general, called the initiative one of the DOJ’s top priorities.
“We want to ensure the DOJ will be there for our service members,” he said.
Delery said the DOJ is responsible for defending the actions of the Defense Department and other national security agencies when challenged in court. Service members, especially junior-ranking service members, are often the target of scams, including wrongful repossessions, foreclosures and evictions, he said.
Delery gave several positive examples of adjudication and financial settlements for service members on behalf of the initiative, including an investigation that began when an Airman assigned to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, called the DOJ to report a major credit card company for failing to reduce the amount of interest for active duty service members, according to U.S. law.
The ensuing DOJ investigation found a range of conduct by Capitol One to be in violation of the financial protections given to U.S. service members.
“The result was an over $12 million settlement with Capitol One, much of which went directly to the Airmen, sailors and soldiers, who have been forced to pay more on their credit card bills than they should have,” Delery said.
The Service Members and Veterans Initiative builds upon partnerships that already exist in programs benefiting and protecting service members and veterans, Delery said.
“I understand how vital it is for the civilian side of the government to more fully understand the unique pressures and needs of the military, but also its culture and traditions,” he said. “And, importantly, we must understand and appreciate the essential contributions that individual service members make.”
Over the last year, the DOJ brought together federal agencies focusing on consumer protection and providing information and resources to attorney general offices across the U.S. to protect service members, Delery said.
“They have facilitated an ongoing dialog between the DOJ and our armed forces that includes everyone from leaders at the Pentagon to enlisted soldiers at bases across the country,” he said
Delery said knowing about the initiative will help cadets be better officers.
“I understand that it is not in the nature of Airmen to complain,” he said. “But the reality is, if there are illegal actions being taken or scams targeting our Airmen, one individual speaking out can have a positive effect for his or her fellow service members. By speaking out, that individual is doing an act of service for others.”
At the DOJ, Delery is third in line under the Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.
Visit www.justice.gov/crt-military for more information.