Chapter 13 - THE PRICE OF TELLING THE TRUTHJustice wasn't cinematic.
It was paperwork.
Interviews.
Court motions.
Sleepless nights.
Threat assessments.
And funerals.
We identified the remains near Camp Vora.
Three missing soldiers.
Three families finally received answers.
I attended every funeral.
At the third, the mother of Staff Sergeant Nolan Pierce approached me.
She carried a folded American flag.
“Did he die because he reported them?”
“Yes.”
She closed her eyes.
I refused to soften the truth.
“He tried to stop them.”
“Did it matter?”
I looked toward the soldiers standing nearby.
Sterling was imprisoned.
Thorne was indicted.
Vale was awaiting trial.
Harbor was bleeding.
“Yes.”
I swallowed.
“It mattered.”
She touched my bruised forehead.
The swelling had faded, but a thin scar remained.
“Then make sure they remember him.”
May you like
“I will.”
That promise became more important than any promotion I had ever received.
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