Former Army JAG and Senior Defense Counsel 25+ years defending service members Courts-martial defense worldwide
Reviewed by Michael Waddington, Founding Partner Updated October 8, 2026
OSI investigates service members at Joint Base San Antonio — Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force Base, and Randolph Air Force Base — and Gonzalez & Waddington defends them in courts-martial, Article 32 hearings, Article 15 actions, administrative separation boards, and security clearance proceedings.
Michael Waddington and Alexandra Gonzalez-Waddington provide aggressive court-martial defense for service members stationed at JBSA — the DoD’s largest joint base, spanning medical, aviation, cyber, and training missions across San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. OSI conducts criminal investigations across all three JBSA locations, pursuing charges ranging from sexual assault and drug offenses to fraud, cybercrimes, and clinical misconduct. The attorneys travel to JBSA and represent service members at installations worldwide.
JBSA cases involve diverse commands — the 37th Training Wing at Lackland, the 12th Flying Training Wing at Randolph, the 59th Medical Wing, the 67th and 688th Cyberspace Wings, and Brooke Army Medical Center — meaning evidence may span clinical records, training files, hospital security footage, and Bexar County police reports. Off-post incidents in San Antonio, Converse, Schertz, or Universal City frequently trigger parallel civilian and UCMJ proceedings across multiple commands.
Contact Gonzalez & Waddington at 1-800-921-8607 for a free, confidential consultation.
Fort Sam Houston is one of the most important military medical and joint-service installations in the United States. It sits in San Antonio, Texas, near Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, Windcrest, Converse, Live Oak, Schertz, Universal City, downtown San Antonio, I-35, I-37, I-10, Loop 410, and the broader Joint Base San Antonio community.
Fort Sam Houston is not a normal Army post. It is a military medicine, medical training, homeland defense, joint command, and healthcare operations hub.
Service members at Fort Sam Houston may face UCMJ investigations that begin on post, off post, in a hospital, in a clinic, in a schoolhouse, in housing, during TDY, during medical training, or after civilian police contact in San Antonio.
Cases may involve:
Gonzalez & Waddington defends service members stationed at Fort Sam Houston in serious UCMJ matters. The firm handles courts-martial, Article 15/NJP actions, GOMOR rebuttals, letters of reprimand, administrative separation boards, Boards of Inquiry, and security clearance matters.
An allegation at Fort Sam Houston can threaten a career quickly. This is especially true for medical officers, nurses, medics, trainees, instructors, physicians, dentists, healthcare administrators, NCOs, officers, and service members assigned to patient-care or training roles.
Fort Sam Houston is different from a combat brigade installation. It is a medical, training, and joint-service environment. A case may involve clinical records, patient-care issues, medical witnesses, instructor-student dynamics, training files, command emails, local police reports, hospital security, and professional licensing concerns.
If you are accused of a UCMJ offense at or near Fort Sam Houston, do not wait for the command’s theory to harden. This includes Article 120 sexual assault, abusive sexual contact, domestic violence, assault, DUI, drug misconduct, fraud, larceny, false official statement, orders violations, harassment, stalking, threats, child exploitation, online misconduct, patient-related misconduct, medical records issues, and training-related allegations.
Call Gonzalez & Waddington at 1-800-921-8607 or text 954-799-4019 to request a confidential consultation with civilian military defense lawyers who defend service members worldwide.
Fort Sam Houston is located in San Antonio, Texas. It is part of Joint Base San Antonio, which also includes Lackland Air Force Base, Randolph Air Force Base, and Camp Bullis.
The official Joint Base San Antonio website identifies Fort Sam Houston as one of the primary JBSA locations. See the Joint Base San Antonio Official Website.
This mission matters in a military defense case. Fort Sam Houston cases may involve medical training records, clinical settings, patient-care witnesses, hospital security, digital evidence, local San Antonio police records, and command concerns about trust and professionalism.
A case may begin as a local police matter. It can still become a UCMJ case. A service member may face Article 15, GOMOR, administrative separation, Board of Inquiry, credentialing concerns, licensing consequences, security clearance review, Article 32 hearing, or court-martial.
Early defense action can help preserve favorable evidence. It can also protect the service member before statements are made to investigators, command representatives, or hospital officials.
Fort Sam Houston is a military medical and joint-training installation. Many service members assigned there work in healthcare, training, support, or high-trust professional roles.
That changes the evidence. It also changes the career consequences.
A Fort Sam Houston case may involve:
The defense must identify what records exist. It must also determine who controls them. At Fort Sam Houston, key evidence may come from a command, a schoolhouse, a clinic, a hospital, a security office, a local police agency, or a civilian court file.
Fort Sam Houston has served the Army for generations. It is one of the historic military installations in Texas.
Today, Fort Sam Houston is closely tied to military medicine. It supports medical training, healthcare operations, medical readiness, homeland defense missions, and joint-service support across the Department of War.
The U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence is located at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. MEDCoE develops medical professionals and integrates medical capabilities for the force. See the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence.
This mission creates unique legal risks. Allegations may involve clinical conduct, professional boundaries, medical documentation, controlled substances, patient interactions, workplace relationships, training environments, or off-duty incidents in San Antonio.
A defense strategy must account for the mission. A medical records case is different from an Article 120 case. A patient-care allegation is different from an off-post DUI. A false statement case may turn on the exact wording of a chart note, report, or official form.
Fort Sam Houston hosts medical, command, training, and joint-service organizations. The mission area often shapes the evidence in a UCMJ case.
Important Fort Sam Houston mission areas include:
The mission area matters. A BAMC allegation is different from a MEDCoE student case. A patient-care issue is different from a domestic violence allegation. A controlled substance issue in a medical environment may require review of access, documentation, and pharmacy records.
Fort Sam Houston is located in San Antonio. It is surrounded by neighborhoods and communities that are deeply connected to Joint Base San Antonio.
Nearby areas include Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, Windcrest, Converse, Live Oak, Schertz, Universal City, Kirby, downtown San Antonio, and the northeast side of the city.
This local setting matters. Service members may live off post, commute across the city, stay in hotels, visit the River Walk, attend local events, or interact with civilian police.
Off-post incidents can quickly become military cases. A DUI stop, domestic call, assault allegation, hotel incident, traffic crash, protective order, drug issue, or civilian arrest may lead to command action at Fort Sam Houston.
Local evidence may include:
A defense strategy must account for both systems. A Texas civilian case may move forward while the command separately considers UCMJ or administrative action.
Some Fort Sam Houston cases overlap with Texas civilian courts. The military does not always wait for the civilian case to finish.
San Antonio Municipal Court handles many city-level matters. See the San Antonio Municipal Court.
County-level criminal matters may involve Bexar County courts. Local allegations may also involve protective orders, bond conditions, probation issues, or other civilian court consequences.
Federal jurisdiction may also matter in some cases. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas has court operations that include San Antonio. See the U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas.
A service member may face a civilian case and a military case at the same time. The civilian case may involve DUI, assault, domestic violence, traffic offenses, protective orders, drug allegations, weapons issues, medical fraud concerns, or other local charges.
The key point is practical: a local dismissal does not automatically stop a military case. A reduced civilian charge does not automatically prevent an Article 15. A weak civilian case can still become a career-threatening UCMJ matter.
The following examples are hypothetical. They are not claims about any actual case, business, command, employee, instructor, student, patient, provider, or person. They show how local facts can matter when a service member at Fort Sam Houston is accused of misconduct.
Service members at Fort Sam Houston may face UCMJ allegations tied to medical training, clinical work, off-post conduct, digital communications, workplace issues, controlled substances, travel, or command investigations.
Once a case enters the court-martial system, the stakes increase. The result can affect liberty, rank, retirement, clearance, clinical reputation, credentials, future assignments, civilian employment, and professional licensing.
Your rights in an military investigators interview. Article 31(b) of the UCMJ gives you the right to know what you are suspected of and to remain silent, and you may ask for a lawyer before any questioning by military investigators (CID, OSI, NCIS or CGIS). Declining to answer is not an admission. At Joint Base San Antonio, as anywhere, the safest first step is to say you want to speak with counsel and then stop talking.
Titling can follow you. military investigators can title you as the subject of an investigation, which indexes your name in the Defense Central Index of Investigations, on a low "credible information" standard. Titling is not a finding of guilt, but the record can surface in later background and security clearance checks even if no charges are ever brought.
Who decides whether you are charged. For covered offenses, including sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, kidnapping, murder, child pornography and, since 2025, sexual harassment, the decision to prefer and refer charges belongs to an independent special trial counsel rather than your commander at Joint Base San Antonio. For other offenses the command still decides. Which track a case is on shapes the defense from the first day.
Family and relationship allegations. Domestic violence is charged under Article 128b, and strangulation or suffocation can be charged as aggravated assault whether or not there is a mark. The hidden cost is the Lautenberg Amendment: a qualifying conviction bars possession of firearms and ammunition, which few military careers survive.
Drug allegations. Article 112a of the UCMJ applies to service members at Joint Base San Antonio on post and off, separately from Texas law. A positive urinalysis is serious but contestable: the chain of custody, the testing process and innocent ingestion can all be challenged, and the government must prove the use was knowing and wrongful.
BAH and allowance cases. An overpayment is a debt, not a crime. To convict under Article 121 (larceny) or Article 124 (frauds against the United States), the government must prove intent, and that is where many BAH cases fall apart once the paperwork history is reconstructed.
If you are under investigation at Joint Base San Antonio, talk to a military defense lawyer before you make any statement. Call Gonzalez & Waddington at 1-800-921-8607.
Many Fort Sam Houston military justice cases begin with a complaint or command notification. Investigators may then collect statements, digital records, official documents, photos, and witness timelines.
A typical case may involve:
Investigators often seek statements early. Those statements can shape the government’s theory. A service member should not assume an interview is harmless because charges have not yet been filed.
Fort Sam Houston cases can move quickly. Many involve medical witnesses, training records, clinical records, patient-care issues, digital evidence, and command pressure.
Early defense action can help preserve favorable evidence. It can also identify gaps, inconsistencies, and unsupported assumptions before the command’s view becomes fixed.
This is especially important in cases involving Article 120 allegations, clinical records, patient complaints, controlled substances, false statements, digital evidence, drug allegations, contradictory witness accounts, or clearance concerns.
A civilian military defense lawyer can help protect the service member before avoidable mistakes are made.
Article 120 cases may involve hotels, barracks rooms, apartments, workplace relationships, medical training environments, alcohol, dating apps, delayed reports, text messages, social media, phone extractions, and civilian witnesses.
These cases often turn on consent, credibility, intoxication, timing, digital evidence, witness contamination, and command assumptions.
Domestic violence and assault cases may involve Texas police reports, 911 calls, medical records, photographs, protective orders, Family Advocacy records, text messages, and command no-contact orders.
Even if the civilian case is reduced or dismissed, the command may still pursue Article 15, adverse paperwork, separation, Board of Inquiry, or clearance-related action.
Fort Sam Houston cases may involve healthcare students, instructors, physicians, nurses, medics, hospital staff, patient-care documentation, controlled substances, clinical boundaries, or medical training records.
The defense must determine whether the allegation is criminal, administrative, professional, medical, licensing-related, or based on incomplete information.
These cases may involve travel cards, official claims, clinical records, lodging records, orders, official forms, emails, text messages, or command-directed inquiries.
The defense must evaluate whether the government can prove intent. It must also determine whether records are complete and whether administrative mistakes are being treated as crimes.
A positive urinalysis, prescription issue, DUI, drunk-and-disorderly allegation, or off-post incident can lead to adverse paperwork, Article 15, separation processing, credentialing issues, or clearance concerns.
For service members in medical, clinical, training, supervisory, or clearance-sensitive roles, administrative consequences may move faster than the criminal process.
Military criminal cases are not routine administrative matters. A serious allegation can threaten confinement, punitive discharge, rank, pay, clearance, professional reputation, credentials, and long-term career prospects.
A civilian military defense lawyer provides independent trial-focused representation. The goal is to protect the client early and prepare the case as if it may be litigated in court.
A service member facing court-martial generally has the right to detailed military defense counsel. Civilian military defense counsel does not replace detailed military counsel. Civilian counsel can work alongside the detailed military lawyer.
Civilian counsel can bring independent investigation, family communication, digital evidence review, witness preparation, cross-examination strategy, and continuity outside the command structure.
At Fort Sam Houston, civilian defense counsel may need to review evidence from many sources. These may include CID reports, NCIS reports, OSI reports, CGIS reports, command emails, local police records, 911 calls, body-camera footage, official records, training schedules, clinical records, duty rosters, travel records, hospital security records, phone extractions, text messages, social media, hotel records, civilian court filings, protective order records, urinalysis documents, and adverse administrative paperwork.
Gonzalez & Waddington represents service members worldwide in serious military cases. The firm defends clients in courts-martial, Article 120 cases, Article 128 and 128b cases, CID, NCIS, OSI, and CGIS investigations, Article 15/NJP actions, Boards of Inquiry, administrative separations, GOMOR rebuttals, security clearance matters, fraud cases, violent offenses, digital evidence cases, and other serious UCMJ matters.
Service members stationed at Fort Sam Houston can face military consequences from both on-post and off-post allegations. Cases may involve Fort Sam Houston, Joint Base San Antonio, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas civilian courts, medical training records, clinical records, digital evidence, workplace witnesses, and command investigations.
A civilian military defense lawyer can work alongside detailed military defense counsel in courts-martial, Article 120 cases, Article 15/NJP matters, letters of reprimand, GOMOR rebuttals, administrative separations, Boards of Inquiry, security clearance matters, and command investigations.
Because Fort Sam Houston is a military medicine, medical training, and joint-service environment, defense strategy should account for clinical records, training files, patient-care issues, professional licensing concerns, local court exposure, digital evidence, witness timelines, and long-term military career consequences.
I was wrongly accused under articles 120, 128b, and 130, and the legal battle was an incredibly draining experience. Throughout the two-and-a-half-year ordeal, Michael and Alexandra displayed unmatched professionalism, deep legal expertise, and genuine care for my case.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different.
Yes. Service members have the right to military defense counsel and may also retain civilian defense counsel. Civilian counsel can assist during investigations, Article 32 hearings, courts-martial, Article 15 proceedings, administrative separations, Boards of Inquiry, and rebuttals to adverse paperwork.
Serious UCMJ cases may include Article 120 sexual assault allegations, assault, domestic violence, drug offenses, fraud, false official statements, medical misconduct, digital evidence cases, and other felony-level military charges.
Yes. Investigations often begin long before charges are preferred. Investigators may request interviews, collect witness statements, search devices, and review digital or official records before the service member fully understands the risk.
Yes. A civilian arrest or police report in San Antonio, Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, Windcrest, Schertz, Universal City, or another Texas community can lead to command action. The command may consider Article 15, adverse paperwork, administrative separation, Board of Inquiry, credentialing concerns, clearance review, or court-martial.
They can be. Fort Sam Houston is a medical and joint-service installation. Cases may involve healthcare students, medical providers, patient records, training files, hospital security, clinical witnesses, credentialing issues, and professional licensing concerns.
Yes. The military does not always wait for civilian courts. A command may issue adverse paperwork, impose restrictions, initiate Article 15 proceedings, or begin separation action while the civilian case is still pending.
No. Article 31(b) of the UCMJ requires investigators to tell you what you are suspected of and that you have the right to remain silent, and you can ask for a lawyer before answering anything. An interview is evidence collection, and military investigators can title you as a subject on a low "credible information" standard that can follow you into background and clearance checks even if the case is dropped. Politely decline, ask for counsel, and call a military defense lawyer before you say anything.
Gonzalez & Waddington, LLC is a civilian military defense law firm representing service members worldwide. The firm focuses on military criminal defense, court-martial litigation, UCMJ investigations, administrative separation boards, Boards of Inquiry, GOMOR and letter of reprimand rebuttals, Article 15/NJP matters, sexual assault defense, violent offense defense, fraud cases, digital evidence cases, and other high-stakes military legal matters.
Michael Waddington is a former Army officer and former Army JAG. He has served as an Army Trial Defense Counsel, Senior Defense Counsel, Army prosecutor, Special Assistant United States Attorney, and Chief of Military Justice. He has more than 25 years of military defense experience and is admitted to all U.S. military trial courts worldwide.
Alexandra González-Waddington is a founding partner, former public defender, and experienced military defense lawyer. She is admitted to all U.S. military trial courts worldwide and has defended service members in sexual assault, violent crime, war crimes, murder, classified-information, domestic violence, and white-collar cases.
For Fort Sam Houston service members, that background matters. Cases at this installation may involve medical records, clinical witnesses, medical training, San Antonio civilian evidence, digital messages, command pressure, clearance concerns, credentialing concerns, and serious UCMJ allegations.
If you are stationed at Fort Sam Houston and are under investigation, do not wait. Get legal guidance before making statements or submitting paperwork that may be used against you later.
Gonzalez & Waddington can work alongside detailed military defense counsel. The firm can help review the evidence, preserve favorable information, prepare for command decisions, and build a defense strategy that accounts for both the military case and the San Antonio medical and joint-service environment.
Call Gonzalez & Waddington at 1-800-921-8607 or text 954-799-4019 to request a confidential consultation. No attorney can guarantee a result. The goal is to intervene early, protect your rights, and help you make informed decisions before the command or prosecution theory hardens.
This video explains what your rights are and how experienced criminal defense lawyers can make a difference.
Facing a military investigation, UCMJ allegation, or serious criminal charge? Gonzalez & Waddington provides trial-focused defense for high-stakes cases. Call 1-800-921-8607 or text 954-799-4019 for a confidential, no-cost consultation.
