Let us honor US Air Force O4 Deputy Staff Judge Advocate Alyson “Gayle” Fischer.

Fischer is the daughter of Daniel and Lillie “Mae” Hubbard, who own and operate Hubbard CPA PC on Union Street in Liberty. Fischer started Liberty Elementary School in the fourth grade. Fischer's grandfather, Col M.P. Hubbard served his country for 28 years. His first year was in service to the Air Force before transferring to the Army for the remaining time of service.

“I knew I wanted to be a lawyer at four years old and I would tell everyone. When I was younger, my kindergarten teacher told my parents I was either going to be a lawyer or a mathematician.” Fischer recalled. “Starting around the end of junior high, the thought of being in the military was always in the back of my mind, but it wasn't a set plan,” she continued.

After graduating from Union County High School in 2005, she attended college at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, where she would graduate with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and politics with the goal of going to law school. Fischer was accepted into law school and attended Cornell Law School, graduating in 2012.

“I applied for the JAG Corps towards the end of my time at law school, but it's a long process to come into the Air Force as a lawyer,” Fischer explained. After graduation, she accepted a highly sought-after position for any new lawyer at Dechert LLP in Washington, D.C. Once she started that position, the pieces of her JAG acceptance fell into place.

In January 2013, she left Dechert to join the Air Force. Fischer reported for commissioned officer training at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. This was a 5-week course designed for doctors, lawyers, nurses, chaplains, and other roles. Fischer, who was 25 at the time of enlistment, was used to being on her own and found her experience with marching band and touring with the Capitol Regiment Drum Corps in college helped immensely in the physical requirements. “The most challenging was figuring out military jargon and rank structure,” Fischer confided. 

Her Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course immediately followed, also at Maxwell Air Force Base. This course lasted a few months and focused on teaching the recruits all about military law. 

Fischer's first assignment was at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas. “An Air Force base is like a small city, with the wing commander acting as the mayor. It is the base legal office's job to advise the commanders on all law issues,” Fischer explained.

“I joined during a time with a lot of personnel cuts. It was challenging learning to carry the same workload with less employees, but it was a huge learning experience, and I am a better lawyer for it,” Fischer described. During her service at McConnell, Fischer met her husband Scott, who is a pilot for the Air Force. 

They were married at the courthouse in Liberty by Judge Cox in 2014. In 2015 her husband was issued a new assignment at Creech Air Force Base just outside of Las Vegas. “That's one of the drawbacks of a military-to-military marriage, but thankfully the military is much more accommodating than before and do their best to help support families,” Fischer explained. She requested a transfer and was granted a transfer to a neighboring base. Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas became her new home.

During this period, the Air Force was starting a new program. Fischer was now assigned as a Special Victims' Counsel. She provided legal advice and counsel for victims of sexual and domestic assault. “That was one of the most rewarding jobs I've ever done. I got to help people who needed me and were grateful for the help,” she recalled. This was a new and emerging area of law and the policies she helped create and forge are now being adopted in civilian law as well.

In 2019, very pregnant with her second child, Fischer and family moved back to McConnell where she stepped into her new role as Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, where she supervises the younger attorneys and supports the rest of the office's staff. 

In October of 2020 Fischer was deployed to Ah Dhafra Air Base in United Arab Emirates for seven months. “Leaving the kids was hard, I was still breastfeeding at the time. I think I was the only person returning with a suitcase full of breast milk,” Fischer joked. When she returned in May of 2021, she returned to her position.

Her husband is scheduled to deploy later this year. Fischer expects she will also have a new station this summer. While the future is unknown for them currently, she recites their family motto, “We are just going to take this one assignment at a time.”  She is excited for the adventures to come for herself, her husband Scott, daughter Evelyn and son Spencer.

When asked what advice she would have for someone considering joining the military, she answered, “Talk to somebody who is doing the job you want to be doing. When kids talk to people who are currently doing the job, they know more what to expect. It's a big commitment, so make sure you are making the correct choice for you. It's not something that you can just undo when it's not what you were expecting.”

In closing, the Whitewater Publications staff would like to say, "Thank you, O4 Deputy Staff Judge Advocate Fischer, for your service in the Air Force. Thank you for doing your part to keep our country and community safe. We wish the best of luck to the Fischer family with all their future endeavors.”The views expressed by Maj Fischer are her own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Defense or its components.