It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the passing of COL (Ret.) Francis "Fran" A. Gilligan of Arlington, VA. He passed away on July 6, 2024, at the age of 84 from pancreatic cancer. He was in his 67th year of federal service.
COL (Ret.) Gilligan enlisted in the New York National Guard as a 17-year-old in 1957, then commissioned through ROTC as an Infantry Second Lieutenant from Alfred University in 1961. COL (Ret.) Gilligan delayed his entry onto active duty to attend law school in law school, he was selected for the new Excess Leave Program, and received a Regular Army Commission on September 5, 1963. In addition to his law degree, he earned his Master of Law degree and Doctor of Juridical Science from George Washington University in 1970, and received a Master in Military Art and Science degree from the Command & General Staff College in 1978. He was also a graduate of the U.S. Army War College.
COL (Ret.) Gilligan served in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps for 27 years and held numerous positions, to include trial counsel, defense counsel, appellate counsel, 101st Airborne Division Staff Judge Advocate, Deputy Commandant of TJAGLCS, Chief of Criminal Law for Department of the Army and Chairman of the Joint Service Committee, and the Army's Chief Trial Judge. After his prestigious military career, COL (Ret.) Gilligan served for 15 years as the Senior Legal Advisor at the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF). Most recently, he served as the Director of Training at the Office of Military Commissions for almost 18 years.
COL (Ret.) Gilligan was widely known throughout DoD as a military justice expert and a prolific author, having written 10 books, over 40 articles, and numerous Army publications on criminal law, evidence, and related topics. A lifelong educator, COL (Ret.) Gilligan taught law students, lawyers, and judges at numerous institutions, to include TJAGLCS, the Army War College, the Universities of Maryland and Virginia, Catholic University Law School, and George Washington University Law School.
COL (Ret.) Gilligan is survived by his beloved wife, Barbara, of 63 years; his two daughters, Cheryl, and her spouse, Phil Natsios, and Kelly, and her spouse BG (Ret.) Paul Bontrager; four grandchildren (and spouses); and seven great grandchildren. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors at a future date. The family requests that memorial gifts go to the George Washington University School of Law as a final acknowledgment of COL (Ret.) Gilligan's lifelong commitment to service and education.
Please keep the Gilligan family in your thoughts during this most difficult time.
Fran was one of the leading scholars of American military justice of his generation. Among other achievements, he was co-author (with Col (R) Fredric I. Lederer) of LexisNexis's invaluable Court-Martial Procedure.
Gene, thanks for posting this. I had no idea and what an unfortunate loss to the profession as a whole and the JAG world in particular. His scholarship taught many of us not only to do the right thing, but also how to do it.
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