From 1980 until 2005, Fred was a career lawyer in the U.S. Army. During that period, he served as a prosecutor or defense counsel in more than 300 criminal trials in Germany, Italy, and the United States. Fred also worked in a variety of other legal assignments, including Professor of Criminal Law at the Army’s law school in Charlottesville, Virginia (1990 to 1993) and Professor of International Law at the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island (2001 to 2003). His last major assignment was as the first Chief Prosecutor for the Military Commissions created by President George Bush in 2001. In that position, Fred was responsible for organizing and supervising the prosecution of alleged terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
After retiring as a colonel in 2005, Fred was the Clerk of Court, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina. He resigned from that position in March 2006 to take his current position as the Professor of Legal History and Leadership. Today, he is the only full-time military legal historian in the U.S. Government.
Fred likes schoolwork and has managed to accumulate seven degrees: A.B. (Davidson College), J.D. (Univ. of North Carolina), LL.M. (Univ. of Brussels, Belgium); LL.M. (The Judge Advocate General’s School); M.A. (Naval War College), M.A. (Univ. of Virginia), and M.A. (Norwich University).
He is the author of more than 200 legal and non-legal books and articles on a variety of topics. Fred also was a history consultant to Robert Redford in the Civil War era film The Conspirator (starring James McAvoy & Robin Wright).
(Current Board Member as of June 2023)
