| Air Force Lt. Col. Receives Child Defender Award |
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In March 2008, the
Since taking over the position of Staff Judge Advocate in July 2006, Lt. Col. Vance Spath has coordinated the joint prosecution of military members with the Wyoming United States Attorney's Office. He has overseen the prosecution of at least four military cases involving both officers and enlisted members of the United States Air Force, including a Chief Master Sergeant who received a 12 year sentence. He has also spearheaded the prosecution of at least five military members in military court. Lt. Col. Spath works hand-in-hand with the local Wyoming Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Wyoming United States Attorney's Office when dealing with child exploitation offenses. He provides training on how to prosecute child pornography cases involving peer to peer file sharing networks. Lt. Col. Spath has diligently educated the base population and the Air Force community as a whole about the rising number of child pornography cases in the military and the technology being used in these cases. Specifically, he was invited to brief at the Air Force Space Command Commanders Conference to discuss the processes being used by F.E. Warren and local authorities in these investigations and prosecutions. In addition, he conducts training sessions for military members, parents, and students about general Internet safety and the use of social networking sites. Lt. Col. Spath is also spearheading an initiative with the Wyoming ICAC to get the Air Force and Department of Defense more involved in the investigation and prosecution of military members exploiting children through child pornography."For over 225 years, the military has been our preserver of freedom and liberty. That liberty includes the value of the individual and the ability to rise to one’s potential. Child exploitation is not just a crime; it is the robbing of the innocence of a child and poisons the potential of that child. While we should also be thankful of our military in preserving our freedom in arms, it is the work of individuals like Lt. Col. Spath and law enforcement and prosecutors across the nation that preserve and defend the potential of a child and as such defends our liberty and our nation's future,” said Richard Whidden, NLC Executive Director. The ceremony at F.E. Warren Air Force Base was attended by Colonel Mike Morgan, commander of the 90th Space Wing commander and a gathering of Air Force personnel. An article on the F.E. Warren Air Force Base website on the award presentation can be found here. The NLC is always looking for nominees for our Child Defender Award. If you know of a deserving agency or individual who is defending children across the nation, please let us know. Email your nominations to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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