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North Union native promoted to two-star general

By Frances Borsodi Zajac fzajac@heraldstandard.Com 5 min read
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Photo courtesy of the Air Force.

Theresa Rockwell, left, of North Union Township, gives a hug to her son Major General Jeffrey A. Rockwell following an Air Force promotion ceremony in which the Fayette County native was recognized for becoming a two-star general.

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Photo courtesy of the Air Force

Jeffrey A. Rockwell, a North Union Township native and 1980 graduate of Laurel Highlands Senior High School, is shown speaking at a recent Air Force ceremony honoring his promotion to two-star general. Lieutenant General Christopher Burne officiated when Rockwell was recognized for his promotion to the rank of major general during the ceremony held in the Capitol Ballroom, Bolling Club, Joint Base Anacostia Bolling, Washington D.C.

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Photo courtesy of the Air Force

Major General Jeffrey A. Rockwell, a North Union Township native and 1980 graduate of Laurel Highlands Senior High School, is shown with his immediate family following a recent ceremony at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., during which Rockwell was recognized for his recent promotion to a two-star general in the Air Force. Pictured are (from left) his wife Mary Beth Rockwell, Major General Jeffrey Rockwell, and their children, Olivia Rockwell and Lucas Rockwell.

A North Union Township native called it “a humbling experience” when the Air Force recently promoted him to the rank of two-star general.

“It’s very much an honor for us to serve and do what we do no matter what rank,” said Major General Jeffrey A. Rockwell, who was recently recognized for his promotion at a special ceremony at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., with many family members in attendance.

Rockwell is serving as the Deputy Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Air Force at U.S. Air Force headquarters in the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for assisting the Judge Advocate General in the professional oversight of more than 2,200 judge advocates, 350 civilian attorneys, 1,400 enlisted paralegals and 500 civilians assigned worldwide. In addition to overseeing an array of military justice, operational, international and civil law functions, Rockwell provides legal advice to the Air Staff and commanders at all levels.

Raised in Phillips, Rockwell is one of six children born to Theresa Kania Rockwell and the late Delbert “Dick” Rockwell and the husband of the former Mary Beth Chisler. The couple met at a football game at Laurel Highlands High School from which Rockwell graduated in 1980 and his wife in 1981. They married in 1988 and have two children, Olivia, 19, who is attending George Mason University and Lucas, 18, a student at Penn State University.

Mary Beth Rockwell said of her husband’s promotion, “It’s a culmination of a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifice. People don’t realize it’s a commitment by the whole family. But we’re absolutely thrilled and over the moon.”

A former paper boy for the Evening Standard, a forerunner of the Herald-Standard, Rockwell studied at West Virginia University where he earned an accounting degree in 1984 and a law degree in 1987. He entered the Air Force in June 1987.

He said of choosing the Air Force, “You’re trying cases when you walk in the door and that’s something you can’t do in a lot of places. The other part was being able to practice worldwide. In the Air Force, you have the opportunity to go anywhere in the world and practice law.”

Rockwell has spent 15 of his 27 years in the Air Force abroad, including assignments in Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Spain and Germany.

“It’s hard being away from home but it’s incredibly interesting to live in different countries and practice law,” he said.

Rockwell explained he would be given a permanent assignment to a specific base, such as the United Kingdom, but often traveled off base to temporary assignments in Europe, the Pacific, Middle East or Africa.

“I’ve lost count of how many countries and regions we’ve been, based on Air Force operations,” he said.

According to his biography, Rockwell also furthered his education through several courses of study, including master of laws, McGill University, Institute of Air and Space Law, 1996, and master of science in national security strategy, National War College, 2007. He has written on international and operations law and national security matters.

In addition to his promotions, Rockwell has earned several honors, including the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Department of State Meritorious Honor Award, Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters and Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster.

Rockwell’s career has meant a different life for his children as the family moved with his assignments. But he noted, “What we see as a challenge, they see as an opportunity. My daughter speaks French. My son speaks German. They’ve been able to make friends all over the world.”

Through the years, Rockwell has seen changes in the military that include size, advances in technology and more forces involved in conflicts. Rockwell was in the United Kingdom when al-Qaeda terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001 and remembers young servicemen volunteering for assignments in the Mid-East.

“I was so proud of our folks. They would raise their hands and do it,” said Rockwell, noting, “It’s hard as their boss to send them somewhere. You hope they will be okay.”

No matter where he’s been stationed, Rockwell has noticed the strong representation in the military by people from southwestern Pennsylvania.

“I meet more people from Pennsylvania in the military than any other state,” said Rockwell. “I don’t have to see figures. I know it in my heart.”

Living away from Fayette County, Rockwell said he’s missed family and that hometown feel.

“You don’t get that in a lot of parts of the world. Even if you don’t know everybody there, you still ‘feel’ like you know everybody. When you walk past somebody, it’s nothing for them to smile at you and say hello,” Rockwell said of Fayette County.

He finds that same feeling in the service.

“That’s why the military is so great,” Rockwell said. “It’s a microcosm of a small town.”

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