After passing the Florida bar exam, John reported to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for his first duty assignment. John served as a torts attorney and as a prosecutor for the first two years of his initial assignment. He then immediately deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan after the attacks on the World Trade Towers on 9/11. During his deployment to Afghanistan, John served as an operational law attorney and as the Task Force’s senior prosecutor. After redeploying, John was assigned as a trial defense counsel where he represented Soldiers at courts-martial all over Germany and other parts of Europe.  John spent 21 years on active duty in the Army JAG Corps before retiring in 2020 after attaining the rank of Colonel. Some of John’s key jobs in the Army included serving as a Law Professor at the United States Military Academy and serving as the Chair of the Criminal Law Department at the Army Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, Virginia.  John served two tours in the Pentagon as a primary legal advisor to The Judge Advocate General on Military Justice Policy where he worked closely with the Senate Armed Services Committee, members of Congress, and the White House where he helped prepare Executive Orders and proposed statutory amendments to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

As John grew senior in rank, he took on multiple supervisory positions where he advised two and three star generals and ran legal offices of more than 100 military and civilian attorneys and paraprofessionals. John also deployed to Iraq twice with the vaunted 82nd Airborne Division.

His military decorations include The Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Joint Meritorious Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal among others. He is authorized to wear the American, Australian, and German parachutist badges and was awarded the Combat Action Badge during his last deployment to Baghdad, Iraq.

John is excited about not being deployed anymore but he is also excited to be part of the Hertel Legal team where he specializes in Probate and Estate Litigation and Personal Injury law. John and Jennifer live in Ormond Beach and are the proud parents of their three wonderful children.