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Vance Peterson
Born1953 (age 70–71)
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1975-2003
2011-2012
Rank Lieutenant Colonel[1]
Unit12th Special Forces Group Security Force Assistance Team[2]
Battles / warsVietnam War[3]
Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan[4]
Other workLawyer[5]
District Court Judge[5]

Vance Peterson (born in 1953) is a retired United States Army lieutenant colonel and a district court judge in Spokane County, Washington.[6]

Biography

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Peterson enlisted in the United States Army in 1975, and became a special forces operator in 1979.[6] Peterson was discharged from active duty in 1979, joined the Washington Army National Guard, and began studying law at Gonzaga University; Peterson began practicing law in 1982.[6] Eventually Peterson earned a juris doctorate from Gonzaga.[5] Since 1999, Peterson served as a faculty member at Washington State Judicial College.[5] In 2003, Peterson received a mandatory retirement at the rank of lieutenant colonel having served 28 years in the Army and the National Guard.[6]

In 1998, Peterson became a judge for Spokane District Court;[2] his efforts lead to the establishment of a Veterans' court in Spokane County in 2010.[7] The court is funded with a $1 million dollar grant awarded in 2011, which will pay for its operations for three years; all but one of the offenders who have been ajudicated through the Veterans' Court has not been convicted of additional criminal acts.[6]

In 2011, Peterson was recalled to active duty and served as an operations adviser to Afghan Police near Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan.[8] In Afghanistan Peterson mentored the Chief of police of Mazar-i- Sharif, helping the police transition away from being a paramilitary force to focusing on law enforcement; at the time Peterson was the only active judge on a security force assistance team.[2] Peterson returned to the United States in 2012, suffering from war-related ailments and returned to his position as a judge.[8] In 2013, the Washington State Bar Association awarded Peterson with its Local Hero Award.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Congressional Record - Senate" (PDF). Congressional Record. U.S. Government Printing Office. 26 February 1996. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Chris Stein (30 May 2012). "Holding Court". The Pacific Northwest Inlander. pp. 13–15. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  3. ^ Jeff Humphrey (8 September 2011). "Vet Court Helps Former Servicemen Clean Up Their Acts". KXLY-TV. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  4. ^ Jamie Tobias Neely (11 November 2012). "War's reality hits home". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d "District Court, Spokane, WA - Department 1". Spokane County District Court. Spokane County. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e Thomas Clouse (21 April 2013). "Army boots off, Spokane judge returns to court". Army Times. Gannett Government Media. Associated Press. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
    Thomas Clouse (21 April 2013). "Army boots off, Spokane judge returns to court". San Francisco Chronicle. Associated Press. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
    Thomas Clouse (21 April 2013). "Veteran District Court judge adjusts to civilian life". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  7. ^ Kevin Graman (20 September 2010). "Special courts in Wash. designed for veterans". Army Times. Associated Press. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  8. ^ a b Jamie Tobias Neely (11 November 2012). "War's reality hits home". Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  9. ^ "Army boots off, Spokane judge returns to bench". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. 21 April 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
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