Michael Serricchio, an Air Force Reservist who was activated shortly after 9/11 and served in Southwest Asia, won a settlement in federal court against Wachovia Securities on March 19 worth about $1.3 million in compensation after a judge ruled that the company violated his employment rights by demoting him upon his return from military service. Serricchio, 35, a native of Stanford, Conn., was a financial adviser for Prudential Securities, which later merged with Wachovia. Upon his return from military service in 2003, Wachovia offered Serricchio a pittance of his former salary and told him he would have to rebuild his client base, which his lawyers successfully argued were willful breaches of the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, the Hartford Courant reported March 21. “I know other returning servicemen have faced similar problems,” Serricchio said in a statement. He added, “I hope that the decision in my case will encourage them in their fight to vindicate their rights.” According to the Courant, this judgment is believed to be the largest of its kind involving the USERRA. (For more, read the March 20 Greenwich Time report.)
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
