Chapter 14 - I Told My Command What Happened Before Somebody Else Could
The Army piece frightened me more than I expected.
Not because I thought I would lose:
rank.
Because I hated personal chaos entering:
professional life.
I reported the incident through:
proper command and security channels.
The secure device had been present.
A civilian domestic incident occurred during a command call.
There were:
security questions,
incident documentation,
temporary adjustments while investigators ensured no sensitive information was compromised.
Nobody said:
General officers don’t have families.
Nobody said:
You should have controlled him.
Colonel Mercer told me:
“You keep looking embarrassed.”
“I am.”
“Why?”
“Because I should’ve seen it coming.”
He shook his head.
“You’re doing the thing commanders do.”
“What thing?”
“Turning hindsight into an intelligence product.”
I almost smiled.
He continued.
“You had indicators.”
“Yes.”
“You misjudged some.”
“Yes.”
“That does not mean you had certainty.”
No.
Important.
I was accountable for:
what I minimized.
Not omniscient for:
what Frank later chose.
May you like
That distinction finally started settling inside me.
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