FAIRFAX STATION, VA, March 27, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Joel Leson has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Joel Leson was a career employee of the Department of Defense (DOD), having served 26 years as an Army commissioned officer and attaining the rank of colonel prior to joining the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), DOD in 1991. Mr. Leson holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science and Business Administration from Temple University and a Master of Science in Forensic Science from The George Washington University. He is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy (88th Session), the Federal Executive Institute, and the U.S. Secret Service Protective Operations Course. His military schooling includes the Armor Officer Basic and Military Police Officer Advanced Courses, the Army Command and General Staff College, a Research Fellowship at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, and the Battalion and Brigade Pre-Command Courses. He spent his Senior Service College year as a Research Fellow in National Security at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He is also a graduate of the Kennedy School's Program for Senior Officials in National Security.
Mr. Leson was a member of the Federal Senior Executive Service for 14 years. He was a supervisory criminal investigator, assigned at the OIG, DOD, first as Assistant Inspector General for Criminal Investigative Policy and Oversight and then as Director, Administration and Information Management. On June 30, 2005, after 40 years of military and civilian service, Mr. Leson retired from the federal government. He became the Director, International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Center for Police Leadership in July 2005. He also served as Staff Liaison to the IACP Homeland Security Committee. He fully retired in November 2007.
Colonel Leson commanded Armor and Military Police companies in the 2d Armored Division, "Hell on Wheels," Fort Hood, Texas. He was an Infantry Adviser to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam in the Mekong Delta from August 1967-September 1968. He commanded the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, which provides forensic science support to all DOD military and civilian criminal investigative organizations, worldwide. In 1971, he helped organize, and was a charter member of, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC), serving as Federal Liaison Officer and Crime Lab Policies Officer. Additional key assignments include: Provost Marshal, 3rd Armored Division, "Spearhead," Frankfurt, Federal Republic of Germany (FRG); Commander, Frankfurt District, USACIDC; and Commander, Second Region (Europe), USACIDC, Heidelberg, FRG with 50 resident agencies located throughout what was West Germany, the Netherlands and Italy. Among the key cases in which Colonel Leson was involved was the Jeffrey MacDonald murder case in 1970, at which time he was commander of the US Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory. His Frankfurt USACIDC District Office assisted in the capture of the Baader-Meinhof Gang terrorists in West Germany in the mid-1980s. He was the US incident commander during the investigation of the April 1986 LaBelle Disco Bombing in West Berlin. He was the senior USAREUR/USACIDC military representative to the joint USACIDC-US FBIBundeskriminalamt (German FBI)-Scottish Crime Squad Task Force investigation that ran all leads in Europe dealing with the Pan American 103 Bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. This investigation was accomplished throughout the winter of December 1988 through the summer of 1989 and was based at USACIDC's Second Region Headquarters.
His alternate Army specialty was Force Development. He served as Chief, Total Army Analysis Branch, Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA), The Pentagon; Deputy Chief, Force Management Directorate, HQ, US Army Europe; and Commander, US Army Force Integration Support Agency, HQDA.
Mr. Leson's awards include the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Legion of Merit with 2 oak leaf clusters (OLC), the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (1 OLC), the Air Medal for Valor and 4 OLC, the Army Commendation Medal (2 OLC), the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Parachutist, Aircraft Crew, and General Staff Badges. He is a recipient of the DOD Inspector General's Distinguished Service Award. In 2004, Mr. Leson was inducted into the US Army Criminal Investigation Command Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the US Army Military Peace Corps Hall of Fame at Fort Leonard Wood, MO., September 26, 2019.
Mr. Leson is married to the former Jeannie Kathryn Cawthon of Atlanta, GA, and they have three children, Mark S. Leson, PhD, Richard A. Leson, PhD, Janet Meredith Thompson, MA, and four grandchildren.
About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Marquis celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2023, and Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
# # #