Selfless service: Perkins grad becomes Navy attorney

PERKINS TWP. — As a high school student, Zachary Meisler didn't see himself enlisting in the military.A two-sport athlete in football and wrestling, he wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to do. But, as fate would have it, the 1999 Perkins graduate later joined the Navy and will soon receive training to further his Naval JAG (judge advocate general) career, beginning next month. A JAG's main responsibilities include assisting sailors and their families with personal legal matters, providing legal advice to commanders for military operations and representing sailors in prosecution and defense matters in relation to court marshals."It's interesting," Meisler said. "It's great to serve my country in a more behind-the-scenes position."After recently passing the bar, Meisler was sworn in Wednesday as a licensed attorney by Judge Paul Lux at Erie County Municipal Court in Milan Township."It's amazing," Meisler said. "It's been two years in the making now. It's humbling. In the end, this is what I wanted, but I want to give back to others. Nobody joins the military to serve themselves. It's to serve others."Choosing to serveAfter graduating high school, Meisler attended Ohio State University. During his second year of college, he knew he needed to mature and wanted to join the military. "That's about the time when I realized what I needed to do and that's what I needed," he said. Growing up near Lake Erie intrigued Meisler and helped inspire him to join the Navy. He was also inspired by his cousin, John Waggoner, a 1997 Margaretta graduate who became a Navy SEAL and later a Naval doctor. "He's a couple years older than me and I've always looked up to him," Meisler said. Meisler joined the Navy in 2001, serving nine years. When his enlistment was up in 2010, he chose to leave the Navy to be with family and work at Toft Dairy, a family business. He also completed his bachelor's degree in English at Bowling Green State University, through the GI bill, and graduated in May 2015. Soon, however, he missed serving in the Navy. "I didn't know how much I loved the Navy until I left it," he said. Interested in law, he checked out an event through the University of Toledo's law school, which aided his decision to pursue law school. "Everything you see or do is governed by rules and laws," Meisler said. "The more I looked into it, the more I realized how it affects everyday life and I was fascinated." Becoming a lawyer and JAGMeisler began law school at the University of South Dakota in 2015 and graduated this year with a Juris Doctor and master's degree in administrative studies. At law school, he volunteered, helping with divorce cases involving abused women. The JAG program can be selective. When he was accepted, Meisler was among 8 percent to 9 percent of applicants chosen in December 2016, when he reentered the Navy. With law school complete, Meisler took the bar exam in late July and passed. He'll attend Naval justice school in Rhode Island for a 10-week program and will move to Italy for his first assignment, where he'll be for two years.When he's finished his military service, he and his wife, Maria, want to move back to familiar territory."I've traveled around the world, but Sandusky is a great place," he said.Reach reporter Caitlin Nearhood at nearhood@sanduskyregister.com, follow her on Twitter @CaitlinNearhood and on Facebook.com/CaitliNearhoodPerkins graduate Zachary Meisler is pictured with family and friends who attended his swearing-in ceremony to be an official lawyer at Erie County Municipal Court in Milan Township on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018. Zachary Meisler, a 1999 Perkins graduate, is sworn in as a lawyer by Erie County Municipal Court Judge Paul Lux on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018. Perkins gradaute Zachary Meisler and his wife, Maria, after Zachary's swearing-in ceremony to be a lawyer on at Erie County Municipal Court on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018. Family and friends of Perkins graduate Zachary Meisler look on during Zachary's lawyer swearing-in ceremony at Erie County Municipal Court on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018.