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| Former Chamber of Commerce president promoted to JAG colonel |
By: Matthew J. Wilson/Missouri National Guard Public Affairs
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Col. David Lowe (shown at an earlier rank)
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (June 10, 2010) — David Lowe, who lives south of Dixon, was recently promoted from the rank of lieutenant colonel to colonel in the Missouri Army National Guard at the Ike Skelton Training Site in Jefferson City.
Brig. Gen. Stephen L. Danner, adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard, pinned the rank of colonel on Lowe’s chest during a ceremony and gave him the honorary slug to the chest to show congratulations.
“Col. Lowe will bring added emphasis to the judge advocate general shop,” Danner said. “I look forward to working with him.”
Lowe has 20 years of service in the Army, the last 13 with the Missouri Guard. He has been the state judge advocate general, the top legal position in the Missouri Guard, at the National Guard headquarters in Jefferson City since August 2009. Previously, he served as the command judge advocate for the 35th Engineer Brigade at Fort Leonard Wood.
“It’s obviously a milestone in my career,” Lowe said of his promotion. “It’s been a privilege to have had the opportunity to serve in the active component, but also a tremendous privilege to serve the last 13 years in the Missouri National Guard. It gives you a great sense of pride and accomplishment having achieved the rank of colonel over a lengthy career.”
Because the position of a National Guard state judge advocate is often filled by colonels, Lowe said the prestige of his new rank should increase his ability to more effectively accomplish his mission both within and outside the Missouri Guard.
“The rank of colonel gives you a lot of credibility when it comes to getting things done,” Lowe said. “It definitely impacts your ability to get things accomplished when you are dealing not just with the Missouri National Guard, but other personnel outside of Missouri.”
Lowe is supported in his military career by his wife, Kimberly, and their three children, Grace, 20, Sara, 16, and Jonathan, 13, all of whom were at the ceremony. Dave Finnigan, a close family friend, also was an honorary guest at the pinning.
The move to state headquarters made Lowe eligible for promotion.
Lowe, who supports Danner’s emphasis on the Missouri Army and Air National Guard operating together, looks forward to working in a joint forces environment with the Air National Guard to promote the joint mission of ensuring all guardsman are prepared to meet the challenges that face them both within the United States, but also during combat operations.
“I want to make sure our soldiers’ legal needs are met and questions are answered before they deploy,” Lowe said. “I want to ensure that the judge advocate general office continues to provide the very best legal services not only to the command groups, but also to the soldiers around the state of Missouri, and to ensure their readiness and that they are prepared to do whatever they need to accomplish their mission.”
Lowe is a 1982 graduate of Lewisville High School in Lewisville, Texas.
On May 18, 1986, he was commissioned as second lieutenant through ROTC upon his graduation from College of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Ark., where he garnered magna cum laude honors with a bachelor’s of science degree.
Lowe deferred his commitment to the Army for three years as he completed law school at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Upon graduation in May 1989, he was admitted to practice law in Arkansas and later entered into active duty in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the United States Army in 1990. Lowe remained on active duty for more than seven years, the last three at Fort Leonard Wood. In 1996, he was admitted to practice law in Missouri.
In June of 1997, he transitioned into the Missouri National Guard State Judge Advocate’s Office and joined his wife, Kimberly, as co-owner in their own private law practice on the square in Waynesville. The practice, which Kimberly started in 1995, became Lowe & Lowe, L.L.C., and has represented several local civic and business organizations.
From June 2007 to June 2008, Lowe was deployed to Iraq with the 35th Engineer Brigade.
Lowe’s military decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal and National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star.
Personally, Lowe has several civic affiliations. He was on the Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors from March 2000 to June 2006 and served as president for two years starting in June 2002. He now serves as a chamber ambassador.
Lowe has been a member of the Pulaski County Bar Association since 1997 and he served as the president of the Pulaski County Bar Association from 2004 to 2006. He has served as a vice-chairman of the Missouri Bar Association’s Military Law Committee since 2007.
Since 2005, Lowe has served as a member and is currently on the board of directors for the Pulaski County Rotary Club, as well as the Pulaski County Salvation Army’s Board of Directors, where he was the honorary chairperson for its Tree of Lights Campaign in 2004.
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