I was invited to the Pentagon for the promotion ceremony of my friend, Marine Corps Major General Ron Bailey, who would be getting his third star. This was my first visit to the Pentagon and much of it was as I expected—cement barriers, a security shack where I was swabbed for explosive residue, guards with automatic weapons, and endless hallways.

My escort guided me to the auditorium where the ceremony would take place. One of the few civilians there, I took a seat among a sea of officers in crisp uniforms…

Then something happened that surprised me.

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