May 18, 2016

3L student Dwight Mears noted for military award expertise

3L student Dwight Mears interviewed by national media as a military award expert.

Third-year law student Dwight Mears has been researching military awards ever since he convinced Congress to amend the statute governing the Prisoner of War Medal several years ago – a product of his dissertation research. Mears is a retired Army major and former history professor at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY.

Now the media is turning to Mears as an expert on military awards. USA Today has interviewed Mears several times this year for comment on the secret awarding of top military awards, including to two Navy Seals involved in the notorious rescue of Army Pvt. Jessica Lynch in Iraq in 2003. He was also interviewed by the Washington Post in connection with the denial of a POW Medal for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl who was charged with desertion and misbehavior. Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban after leaving his base in Afghanistan. He was later released in exchange for five Taliban prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay.

Mears recently wrote a research paper supervised by Professor Tung Yin that focused on the legislative evolution of the Medal of Honor, and plans to submit an expanded version for publication at an academic press later this year.

Last spring, Mears was featured in a story on military veterans attending the law school.