Lustrous work on property law in Iraq

By Dr Chris Clark

AN AIR Force officer has been awarded the US Bronze Star for his service as a legal officer in the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) headquarters.

Group Captain Ric Casagrande had been detached from his position as Director of the Air Power Development Centre for six months from February last year to serve in Baghdad as Assistant General Counsel for the Coalition Provisional Authority and as Chief of International Law at MNF-I headquarters.

The citation accompanying the medal, presented by CAF Air Marshal Angus Houston on May 2, said GPCAPT Casagrande had been responsible for coordination with the Red Cross.

He had been the lead attorney dealing with property ownership issues, one of the most complex legal areas facing the Iraqi National Conference, and he had provided legal support on transportation issues, including airspace control and anti-smuggling operations.

In 1999, GPCAPT Casagrande was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the US Air Force for his work as an exchange officer in the Pentagon.

He is currently completing language training before taking up duty as Defence Attaché for southern Europe.

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