Rear Admiral Albert Jethro Chegwidden,
JAGC,
USN
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
(Ret.), is a fictional character played by
John M. Jackson
John Murice Jackson (born June 1, 1950) is an American actor, best known for playing Rear Admiral A. J. Chegwidden on the CBS series '' JAG'' and also as a special guest star on its spinoff '' NCIS'' and recurring cast to its spinoff '' NCIS: ...
. Chegwidden is a main character on the 10-season TV series ''
JAG'' (recurring character during the
first season) spanning from 1996 to 2004, and has made guest appearances on the spinoff series' ''
NCIS''
season 10 finale, "
Damned If You Do
Damned If You Do may refer to:
* "Damned If You Do" (''House''), an episode of the American TV series ''House''
* " Damned If You Do...", an episode of the American TV series ''Gotham''
* "Damned If You Do" (''NCIS''), an episode of the American ...
" in 2013,
and as a recurring character on ''
NCIS: Los Angeles'' since 2017.
Admiral Chegwidden was the
Judge Advocate General of the Navy
The Judge Advocate General of the Navy (JAG) is the highest-ranking uniformed lawyer in the United States Department of the Navy. The Judge Advocate General is the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations o ...
from around March 1996
until his retirement in May 2004.
The "Old Man" may be the Navy's top uniformed lawyer, but he is a hands-on manager, never forgetting his roots as a
Navy SEAL
The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting s ...
during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
.
Character Arc
Family and background
The family background of Chegwidden himself has never been revealed (although it might be assumed that Chegwidden, due to the
Texan English
Texan English is the array of American English dialects spoken in Texas, primarily falling under Southern U.S. English. As one nationwide study states, the typical Texan accent is a "Southern accent with a twist". The "twist" refers to inland S ...
spoken by actor John M. Jackson, hails from that region as well). At age 24, apparently while stationed in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, he married Marcella (played by
Barbara Carrera
Barbara Carrera (born Barbara Kingsbury) is an American actress, model and artist. She starred in the films '' The Master Gunfighter'' (1975), '' Embryo'' (1976), '' The Island of Dr. Moreau'' (1977), ''Condorman'' (1981), ''I, the Jury'' (1982) ...
), the daughter of the
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of
Naples, Italy
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
. In 1972, their daughter, Francesca, was born. Sometime in the 1970s, they divorced and his ex-wife received custody of Francesca. Marcella remarried, to an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
man named Vittorio Parreti, who was later murdered. Francesca ran into problems when she fell in love with mafia member Luciano Antinori.
Chegwidden had other romances throughout the years with Judge Laura Delaney and
Dr. Sydney Walden. Judge Laura Delaney was killed after tripping a
landmine
A land mine is an explosive weapon, explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically d ...
on A.J.'s porch, which was placed by an old enemy of his.
His last and longest romance in ''JAG'' was with
Meredith Cavanaugh. They met when she went to JAG headquarters to meet with Lieutenant Colonel
Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie, but he thought she was another attempt at matchmaking from his subordinates. He later learned that MacKenzie wanted to speak with Meredith about a course she wanted her "little sister" Chloe to attend and he apologized. Chegwidden and Meredith bonded over their common interest for
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
. Although the Admiral and Meredith got engaged near the end of Season 9, he found out she cheated on him in Season 9 and ended their engagement on the spot.
Lt.
Bud Roberts
Bud J. Roberts Jr. is a fictional character in the '' JAG'' TV series (played by Patrick Labyorteaux), created by Donald P. Bellisario as a work-for-hire for Paramount Television.
Bud Roberts made two appearances in the first season of ''JAG'' ...
and his wife
Harriet Sims
Lieutenant Harriet Beaumont Sims-Roberts, USN (played by Karri Turner) is a fictional character in the '' JAG'' TV series. She made her first appearance in Season 2.
Background
Sims comes from a Southern "old money" family and faced some prej ...
named their first son A.J. after him. During episodes where he is stuck at home, he is often kept company by a
German shepherd
The German Shepherd or Alsatian is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899.
It was originally bred as a herding dog, for ...
named "Dammit" (the only name the dog would respond to), whom he encountered when he accidentally ejected from an
F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the ...
piloted by Commander
Harmon "Harm" Rabb Jr. (
David James Elliott
David James Elliott (born September 21, 1960) is a Canadian actor who was the star of the series '' JAG'', playing lead character Harmon Rabb Jr. from 1995 to 2005.
Early life
Elliott was born David William Smith on September 21, 1960, in Milton ...
) into a blizzard-covered forest in Virginia.
Navy career
![Rear Admiral O8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Rear_Admiral_O8.png)
Chegwidden was a talented
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
on his high school
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
team.
The
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
drafted him, but instead he chose to accept an appointment to the
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
.
After graduating from the Academy, he went on to become a
Navy SEAL
The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting s ...
, and while assigned to
SEAL Team 2
The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sm ...
, Chegwidden served with valor and distinction in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
. After the
American Withdrawal from Vietnam, Chegwidden, alongside
Henrietta Lange (
Linda Hunt
Lydia Susanna "Linda" Hunt (born April 2, 1945) is an American actress of stage and screen.
She made her film debut playing Mrs. Oxheart in ''Popeye'' (1980). Hunt portrayed the male character Billy Kwan in '' The Year of Living Dangerously'' ...
), Charles Langston (
Carl Lumbly
Carl Winston Lumbly (born August 14, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Dick Hallorann in '' Doctor Sleep'', NYPD detective Marcus Petrie on the CBS police drama ''Cagney & Lacey'', CIA agent Marcus Dixon on the ABC esp ...
), and Sterling Bridges (
James Remar
William James Remar (born December 31, 1953) is an American actor. He has played numerous roles over a 40 year career, most notably Ajax in '' The Warriors'' (1979), Albert Ganz in ''48 Hrs.'' (1982), Dutch Schultz in '' The Cotton Club'' (1984 ...
), were recruited into a clandestine unit and tasked with retrieving any American operatives with non-official covers from the warzone, including
Owen Granger
This is an overview of regular and recurring characters on the TV series '' NCIS: Los Angeles''.
Overview Main Cast
Recurring Cast
Main characters G. Callen
G. Callen (portrayed by Chris O'Donnell) is a Special Agent in Charge as ...
(
Miguel Ferrer
Miguel José Ferrer (February 7, 1955 – January 19, 2017) was an American actor. His breakthrough role was as Bob Morton in the 1987 film ''RoboCop''. Other film roles include Quigley in '' Blank Check'' (1994), Harbinger in ''Hot Shots! Part D ...
), requiring them to become "creative as hell" to get the funds necessary to extract them by any means necessary, which culminated in them getting 80 gold bars for ransom money before returning to America in 1978.
When the war ended, he transferred over to
surface warfare
Modern naval warfare is divided into four operational areas: surface warfare, air warfare, submarine warfare, and information warfare. Each area comprises specialized platforms and strategies used to exploit tactical advantages unique and inhe ...
, and rose to command an
''Farragut'' class destroyer; a cased model of one graces the mantel of his JAG office fireplace.
Chegwidden is an admirer of
Arleigh Burke
Arleigh Albert Burke (October 19, 1901 – January 1, 1996) was an admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower and Kenn ...
and a portrait of him also hangs on his JAG office wall.
During the 1980s, his career took yet another turn as he left Surface Warfare and went to
law school. As a member of the
Navy's JAG Corps, he rose quickly through the ranks, serving as the head of the JAG office in the
U.S. Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor ...
before being appointed
Judge Advocate General of the Navy
The Judge Advocate General of the Navy (JAG) is the highest-ranking uniformed lawyer in the United States Department of the Navy. The Judge Advocate General is the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations o ...
in 1996.
Chegwidden succeeded
Rear Admiral Al Brovo,
USN
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
, played by
Kevin Dunn, who only appeared in the
pilot episode.
Chegwidden stated in a Maryland court case, while defending Gunnery Sergeant Galindez, that he is a member of the
Bar Associations of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
and
New York. Chegwidden retired from the Navy in May 2004.
His successor as Judge Avocate General was
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
Gordon M. Cresswell,
USMC
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...
, played by
David Andrews.
Post-retirement activities
After his retirement from the Navy in 2004, Chegwidden found employment as a senior partner in a Washington DC law firm. He reappeared in the ''JAG'' spin-off ''
NCIS'' as an attorney hired by
NCIS Director Leon Vance (
Rocky Carroll
Roscoe "Rocky" Carroll (born July 8, 1963) is an American actor and director. He is known for his roles as Joey Emerson on the Fox comedy-drama '' Roc'' (1991–94), as Dr. Keith Wilkes on the CBS medical drama ''Chicago Hope'', and as NCIS Dir ...
) to defend Special Agent
Leroy Jethro Gibbs (
Mark Harmon) during an internal investigation by the
DoD Office of the Inspector General and possible trial (which never came about) because Gibbs was temporarily recruited to
JSOC to deal with a side investigation into the death of a Navy SEAL by a terrorist group called the "Brotherhood of Doubt."
In February 2017, Chegwidden returned in the ''
NCIS: Los Angeles'' Season 8 episode "Payback." Chegwidden was summoned to Los Angeles by his old friend,
Henrietta Lange, to assist the Office of Special Projects during the final phase of their mole hunt. Once all the moles had been revealed, Hetty asked the Admiral to stay in LA to help her deal with the legal fallout. In the episode, it is mentioned that at one point he almost tried to kill Assistant Director
Owen Granger
This is an overview of regular and recurring characters on the TV series '' NCIS: Los Angeles''.
Overview Main Cast
Recurring Cast
Main characters G. Callen
G. Callen (portrayed by Chris O'Donnell) is a Special Agent in Charge as ...
when Chegwidden was "young" and Granger was "stupid." He also appeared in the episodes "Battle Scars" and "Golden Days," where he, as well as retired Admiral Sterling Bridges, worked with NCIS in a case involving a former war buddy of theirs and Hetty's from a classified mission during the American withdrawal from Vietnam to extract any operatives with non-official covers that had been left behind (including presumably-recently deceased Owen Granger), Charles Langstrom, after he went AWOL.
Later, alongside Langstrom, he aided the group with trying to recover 80
gold bar
A gold bar, also called gold bullion or gold ingot, is a quantity of refined metallic gold of any shape that is made by a bar producer meeting standard conditions of manufacture, labeling, and record keeping. Larger gold bars that are produced ...
s valued at well over $40,000,000 in 2017 currency (and over $1,000,000 in 1978 currency when they returned from Vietnam) from a crooked pawn shop owner named Yaniv, eventually resolving to use it in the remaining days they have left (due to suspected exposure to
Agent Orange, just like Owen Granger had been during their mission) to combat criminals and, at the same time, aid any veterans going into VA clinics.
Characterization
Chegwidden often comes across as being hard-nosed and tends to "follow the book". However, he has been known to show vulnerable moments in his life and career, and is fiercely protective of those under his command, whom he considers to be "his people." Not only being the superior of
Harmon Rabb Jr.
Harmon 'Harm' Rabb, Jr. is a fictional character and lead role in the United States, American television series ''JAG (TV series), JAG''. The character was created by Donald P. Bellisario, as a work for hire for Paramount Television (original), P ...
and
Sarah MacKenzie
Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie is a fictional character and lead role in the American television series '' JAG'', played by Catherine Bell. The character was created by Donald P. Bellisario, as a work for hire for Paramount Television, in the script for ...
, he often instinctively turned into a missing father figure—providing not only comical relief, but also a reflection on their respective personal backgrounds.
When Lt.
Bud Roberts
Bud J. Roberts Jr. is a fictional character in the '' JAG'' TV series (played by Patrick Labyorteaux), created by Donald P. Bellisario as a work-for-hire for Paramount Television.
Bud Roberts made two appearances in the first season of ''JAG'' ...
was wounded after stepping on a landmine, Chegwidden attempted to soothe the news to Bud's wife,
Harriet, and seemed to be a little melodramatic while doing it. Another time he showed his softer side was when he broke the news of Harm's aircraft accident while attempting to return home in time for Mac's engagement party to Mic. When Bud and Harriet had a stillbirth, the Admiral attempted to help both by granting an emergency leave. (Bud, however, refused to stay away longer than a week, feeling that returning to work was in his and his wife's best interests.)
Chegwidden is also known for showing a side of himself that frightens most who have seen it. In one episode, he broke the nose of Special Agent Clayton Webb for putting Harm and Mac in danger. This particular incident impressed Webb so much that he never again tried to ruffle the Admiral's feathers.
He was responsible for the death of Antinori after Antinori had kidnapped Francesca. Even though it was Francesca who pulled the trigger, the Admiral was present and made no move to stop her. He had earlier killed several of Antinori's bodyguards.
He also scared Harm on several occasions, most notably when Harm and Mic Brumby were responsible for accidentally breaking Bud's jaw in "Boomerang". After being dragged to Australia, Chegwidden yelled at both of them, threatening to horsewhip and
keelhaul Harm, until he decided on a
non-judicial punishment
Non-judicial punishment (or NJP) is any form of punishment that may be applied to individual military personnel, without a need for a court martial or similar proceedings.
United States
In the United States Armed Forces, non-judicial punishment ...
that fit the crime. He ordered Harm and Mic to confine themselves to a warehouse and did not allow them to come out until each had inflicted the same amount of punishment on the other as they had inflicted on Bud.
He even rattled a CIA "''sweeper''," when he realized that the rogue agent was playing mind games with him. These mind games resulted in the death of the woman he loved.
The Admiral was targeted by the father of a sailor that the Admiral put away, who later was exonerated. Unfortunately, the young sailor had died in prison. Chegwidden had to show considerable restraint to keep himself from killing the man.
On more than one occasion Chegwidden put his career on the line to back his staff or to help them when they needed it. According to
Harriet Sims
Lieutenant Harriet Beaumont Sims-Roberts, USN (played by Karri Turner) is a fictional character in the '' JAG'' TV series. She made her first appearance in Season 2.
Background
Sims comes from a Southern "old money" family and faced some prej ...
, the Admiral went to his boss, the
Secretary of the Navy
The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense.
By law, the se ...
, pleading in letter, citing legal precedent, why Bud Roberts should not be passed over for promotion (Roberts was no longer qualified for sea duty after losing a leg to a land mine while rescuing an Afghani boy who had wandered into a minefield). The usual result of being passed over for promotion three times is involuntary separation from the Navy (in Bud's case, forced retirement on medical grounds). Bud's promotion to Lieutenant Commander was duly made and administering the oath of office was what Chegwidden considered to be his last official act as Judge Advocate General.
Awards and decorations
Admiral Chegwidden would also be authorized to wear the
Surface Warfare Officer
The surface warfare insignia is a military badge of the United States Navy which is issued to U.S. Navy personnel who are trained and qualified to perform duties aboard United States surface warships. There are presently four classes of the surf ...
badge based on his statements that he commanded a destroyer following his Vietnam service.
Conceptual history
''JAG'' creator
Donald P. Bellisario
Donald Paul Bellisario (born August 8, 1935) is an American television producer and screenwriter who created and sometimes wrote episodes for the TV series '' Magnum, P.I.'' (1980), ''Tales of the Gold Monkey'' (1982), ''Airwolf'' (1984), ''Quan ...
named this character's first names after those of his own father, Albert Jethro Bellisario.
"Admiral A.J. Chegwidden"
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chegwidden, A.J.
JAG (TV series) characters
NCIS (TV series) characters
NCIS: Los Angeles characters
Fictional admirals
Television characters introduced in 1996
Fictional Gulf War veterans
Fictional American lawyers
Fictional Judge Advocate General's Corps (United States) personnel
Fictional United States Navy SEALs personnel
Fictional Vietnam War veterans
Fictional Bronze Star Medal recipients
Crossover characters in television