Immersed in his work, Lt. Colonel Martin didn’t look up. “Enter, staff sergeant.”

I approached the front of his desk and waited for him to finish. He stacked several files on top of one another and set them aside.

“I’m guessing Wallace sent you?” he asked.

“No, Sir.”

“You haven’t spoken to him?”

“No, Sir. He hasn’t arrived yet.”

He glanced at his watch and met my gaze with a scowl. “Be it known that his insolence irritates me, staff sergeant.”

“Duly noted, Sir.”

“If Wallace didn’t send you, what brings you to darken my doorway, Briggs?”

“The assignment in Nogales, Sir.”

The glare faded, leaving his typical scornful look. “Successful mission?”

I was relieved that he knew nothing of the mission. I could start with a clean slate, painting my own picture of the events as they unfolded.

“That’s what I’m here to speak about, Sir.”

He gestured toward the seat beside me. “Have a seat.”

During my decade and a half military career, I’d never disobeyed an order. Not knowing how he’d react, I proceeded to explain with slight reluctance.

“On-site intel indicated there were nine bodies in the residence, Sir. Six in the front room, two in one back room, and a third, alone, in another room at the rear of the residence. After donning our NVD’s, we entered. Six were eliminated without incident. Upon reaching the rear room, we were greeting by automatic weapons fire, through the walls of one bedroom. We returned fire, eliminating two more, one of which was identified as Ortiz. The second bedroom, at the time intel was gathered, had a body in a fetal position, at the corner of the room. Observation of that room’s door revealed it had been fitted with a metal door and frame. The door was locked from the outside. We breached the door with the M1014. Upon realizing the occupant of the room was a naked pre-teen white female, I gave the order to hold fire. Interrogation of said female revealed she was a local American resident who had been abducted by the cartel.”

“The home was dark?” he asked.

“Roger that, Sir. The operation began at 0300. The windows were boarded up. The home had no electricity, no lights. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face without an NVD, Sir.”

“What is the current status of said naked pre-teen white female, staff sergeant?”

“I advised her to count out loud to two hundred, and then walk home, Sir. As she began counting, we exited the residence. Based on all elements of the mission, and the overall objective of the program, I believe letting her go was the best option.”

“When it comes time to make decisions, I have three men to satisfy,” he said. “Myself, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and God, in that respective order. If I can’t satisfy the first, I’ll never satisfy the other two.”

“I struggled with going against my written orders,” I explained. “The decision didn’t come easily.”

“Sparing her was the right choice, Briggs.” He locked eyes with me and leaned forward. “A Marine leader must possess the ability to make spur of the moment decisions. The choices he makes may take a life from this great earth of ours, or it may save one. The teeth of our beloved Corps were cut by men in positions such as yours—and mine—who made difficult decisions during the most trying of times. Contrary to popular belief, a man is not defined by the size of his cock or the swagger in his walk. He is defined by two things.” He raised his index finger. “The first? His ability to take another man’s respective life when he must.” He extended his middle finger. “The second? Knowing when not to.”

“Roger that, Sir.”

“Knowing when to take a life and when to preserve it is the difference between good Marines and great ones.”

He shifted his eyes away from me and then stood. With his gaze fixed on the window, he drew a long breath. “I regret to inform you that Sergeant Shephard was killed yesterday while preserving the values and integrity of our beloved Corps. I got the word yesterday, at 21:30.”

“KIA? In Somalia?” I stood. “Are there any details, Sir?”

His gaze fell to the floor, beside me. “He was killed in a hail of gunfire while fighting off a local militia. The mission, as you may expect, was a hush-hush joint effort with the SEALs and the CIA.” He looked up. “Information on the mission is on a need-to-know basis, and I guess I don’t need to know. The man deserves another Bronze Star. Sadly, he’ll never receive it. As a matter of record, the mission never happened.”

After all the knee-deep hell that Shephard and I waded through, I found it hard to admit that he was truly gone. Regardless of his recent state of mind, he was still a fellow Marine. His absence would be troubling.

“Understood, Sir.”

He met my gaze. “I realize the two of you were in Fallujah together. I’m aware of the bond that develops between men in combat. My condolences regarding your loss, Briggs.”

“Thank you, Sir,” I said. “It’s a sacrifice all Marines are ready to make.”

He cleared his throat. “Every morning when I wake up, I make peace with my maker. In preparation of that very sacrifice coming when I least expect it.”

“We never know when that day will come,” I admitted. “I live my life prepared to die at any given moment.”

He gave a sharp nod. “Amen.”