Washington Lawyer - July/August 2021 - 11

FEATURE
demographics. And I learned fairly quickly how to talk to and make
friends with kids with varied backgrounds and experiences.
In addition to being outgoing, my mother's focus on teaching English
meant that language and writing were strong suits for me growing up.
If you asked me then what I really wanted to do when I grew up, I think
the younger version of me would have said something like an actor or a
journalist. I ended up using some of the skills required for those professions
in my eventual work as an attorney.
I did not know any lawyers growing up - indeed, my parents were
both first generation to attend college - but many people suggested
I should be a lawyer because I enjoyed debating. So, in looking for
colleges, I had an idea that law school might be in my future, but I didn't
get any practical guidance for how to set myself out on that path. While
researching schools I happened upon Duke University's Public Policy
Program, which seemed like a perfect match. Indeed it was, and
I greatly enjoyed my time at Duke and was thankfully able to balance
my academic studies with my ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps)
obligations and extracurricular activities. In fact, I've always enjoyed
taking on several challenges at a time, and maybe my participation
in the D.C. Bar is just the latest expression of that.
Was your enrollment in ROTC a matter of practicality, a way to
finance your education, or did you intend to pursue a career in
military service?
Yes to all. I spent a fair amount of time with my grandparents when I was
young. My grandfather served in the Navy during World War II, and he
liked to share stories,
including of some hairraising
events. He served
on the USS Madison, a
destroyer that saw some
significant action off the
coast of Italy in Anzio,
including bombing other
ships in shark-infested
waters. While my grandfather
spoke of the trauma of
war, he also took great
pride in his service to our
country during this difficult
period in history, and this
had a great influence on
me.
A model for how I could
become a good citizen
came through the Boy
Scouts. Beyond gaining
outdoor survival skills,
I learned how to lead, how
to follow, and, most importantly,
the value of service.
So, when discussing with
my family how best to
finance a college education,
the notion of joining
Sarchio with his wife, Christina, and children, Evan and Raquel, during his military judge investiture at the JAG School
in the spring of 2016.
JULY/AUGUST 2021
* WASHINGTON LAWYER 11
the military seemed consistent with my values and my long-term goals.
I believed I would benefit not only from the training I would receive
through ROTC, but also by having a job lined up after law school
through the JAG Corps. I certainly did not think then I would end up
serving a total of 24 years, far beyond the active service I owed for my
scholarship. But at every turn, I got better and more rewarding experiences
that made it difficult to walk away, including being offered a
position as a military judge around the time I initially contemplated
retirement.
Between military and public service, years as an educator, and your
involvement with the D.C. Bar, your résumé shows a remarkable
commitment to the greater good. Why is service important to you?
I'm the son of two public servants, and even though their work wasn't
particularly remunerative for them, I still looked at my parents as very
successful and satisfied people. It was clear that with all the challenges
that we had as a family, they felt like they were doing meaningful work.
There's an old Italian saying that goes, " If you plant a potato, you get
a potato. " So, that's me - I'm that public service potato.
One of the things I've said to our two kids - and I think it's truer for
them, certainly, than it was for my wife or me growing up because
neither one of us really comes from much of anything, so to speak -
is that to whom much is given, much is expected. I feel like I've been the
recipient and the beneficiary of a lot. My parents made a ton of sacrifices
so that I could get the education that would allow me to make good on
whatever promise or potential I had. Our country, in some small way,
Courtesy of Chad T. Sarchio

Washington Lawyer - July/August 2021

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