People on the Move
Col. Harvey A. Hopson
by James A. Perry
Readers of Herman Melville's Billy Budd will always wonder what
would have happened to Billy had he been able to appeal his death sentence.
What are the answers to the questions Captain Vere raises in his speech
to the members of the drumhead court he has called to try Billy Budd: In
natural justice is nothing but the prisoner's overt act to be considered?
How can we adjudge to summary and shameful death a fellow creature innocent
before God, and whom we feel to be so? And should condemnation follow the
proceedings, Would it be so much we ourselves that would condemn as it
would be martial law operating through us? Can the court consider lateral
light as evidence? The answers to these questions have evaded courts for
years, yet these are the kinds of questions that Col. Harvey A. Hopson
might have to answer because of his position as the Marine Corps equivalent
of a Federal Appellate Court.
Col. Harvey A. Hopson is circuit military judge for the Keystone Judicial
Circuit. Col. Hopson oversees all summary court-martials within the Pacific
region. He has been in the Marine Corps since 1974.
Preparation
Harvey A. Hopson has a bachelor's degree in political science from Baldwin
Wallace College and a law degree from Case Western Reserve University.
He recalls wanting hands-on experience as a trial lawyer when he graduated
from law school in 1974, so he joined the Marine Corps, one of the few
places an African American could acquire experience and time on his feet
he says. His perception is certainly correct, but while in law school,
Hopson worked with the office of legal aide and with the office of the
public defender, both related to public service. So his joining the Marine
Corps was consistent with service. He recalls choosing the Marine Corps
after looking at all of the other services. The Marine Corps, he says
attracts self-starters and those with a good degree of self-discipline
and sharpens these skills. He no doubt had these qualities when he joined
up 23 years ago; they are now razor sharp.
Hopson grew up when opportunities we take for granted now were unavailable
to African Americans. Even the military did not recruit African-American
high school students. So, he says, in high school an all Black school in
Cleveland, OH he never gave the military a second thought. Becoming a Marine
required psychological adjustments for a person growing up thinking that
the military comprised misfits and those who couldn't make it in society.
His father-in-law, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Spann Watson influenced the
adjustment. So it would not be incorrect to say that Harvey A. Hopson comes
from a military family. That his father-in-law inspired and influenced
him is certainly correct. Joining the Marine Corps broadened my perspective
on life and provided me with many opportunities that wouldn't have been
available to me had I not come into the military, he says.
Developmental assignments
Col. Harvey A. Hopson's progression in the Marine Corps has been consistent:Lieutenant,
Captain, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel.
Mentor
Col. Harvey A. Hopson says that retired Air Force Lt. Col. Spann Watson
helped him understand the benefits and difficulties involved in balancing
a career in the military and having a family. Then Lt. Col. Frank Peterson,
who went on to become the first Black general in the Marine Corps, took
Captain Hopson and pointed him in the right direction and told him how
to overcome the obstacles that life in the Marine Corps and life generally
present. Of his mentor, Col. Hopson says, He was a wise man.
His advice to collegians
You have to take things one step at a time. As long as you enjoy what
you're doing and as long as what you are doing gives you a sense of worth,
continue doing it. When you no longer look at [a profession] as an enjoyable
experience and become bitter and can't give it your best effort, you need
to look elsewhere.
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