John Pavlick and I served together in the military at Fort Riley in the late Seventies and early Eighties.  He was a Flepper (one who was selected by the Army to go to law school – Funded Legal Education Program – FLEP).  The officers who were selected were very special and made my job as the boss so much easier.  George Peirce was also a Flepper and assigned to the Big Red One at Ft. Riley at the same time (He is now the General Counsel for the Defense Intelligence Agency).

I have mentioned before that for physical training, we played soccer.  Well, some of the combat battalions challenged us to soccer games.  We never lost.  The officers of the 1st Squadron of the 4th Cavalry, know as the Quarter Horse, were destroyed when they lost to a bunch of noncombat lawyers.  Just because we didn’t eat snakes didn’t mean we weren’t good athletes.

Below is the poem I read to John on his sixtieth birthday.
 

                      John – Still Young at Sixty

John’s celebrating his birthday on this special day,
He was born in Wurzburg, far, far away.
As an Army brat, they would surely anoint,
This fine young lad, to study at West Point.

And study he did and learn how to brace,
And walk a few tours, it’s a hectic pace.
But there was a bright spot, he found his elixir,
He ran into Olga at a social mixer.

He graduated, got married and started off to school,
First armor, then airborne, those patches look so cool.
Then off to Fulda, Germany, no time to get bored,
He was saving all of Europe from the Russian hoard.

John decided to become a lawyer, he certainly had the pep,
He applied for the Army program and soon became a FLEP.
Schooling at Pennsylvania, not much use for a gun,
Graduated a JAG, assigned to the Big Red One.

At Fort Riley, he prosecuted and was Chief of Criminal Law,
Discipline got better, regarding things he oversaw.
John was great at playing soccer, he truly was a force,
When the JAG officers took the field and whipped the Quarter Horse.

John was always bright, but from where I stood,
Having him in the trenches, just made me look good.
When we left Fort Riley, it was time for more knowledge,
They sent John to the Grad School and me to the War College.

With Olga, Keith and Mark, he headed for a perk,
To the general counsel’s office, to do government contract work.
He honed his skills while still young and spry,
Then retired from the Army to give private practice a try.

A partner at Venable, the horizon is wide,
There’s a lot more money on the other side.
But it’s talent and skill that set John apart,
Both the Army and clients recognized his art.

Now, John is sixty, and his friends are here,
Along with his family, bringing love and good cheer.
We celebrate your birthday and wish you the best,
Here’s to good friends, good health and all the rest.