\u201cDid you hear me, ma\u2019am?\u201d Reese snapped, clicking his fingers in front of my face. \u201cShow me your identification.\u201d A young female private sitting nearby looked uncomfortable. She seemed ready to say something, but when she noticed Reese\u2019s rank, she lowered her eyes. I felt sorry for her. I\u2019d spent thirty-one years working in an elementary school, and I knew what happened when people became too frightened to speak against someone who abused authority. I reached into my purse, touched the blue lanyard holding my visitor\u2019s pass, and then withdrew my hand. I had followed every procedure to enter the base. I didn\u2019t owe this man an explanation for his entertainment.<\/p>\n
\u201cSergeant, I\u2019d like you to move your hands away from my table,\u201d I said calmly. He laughed. \u201cYou think you can give me orders?\u201d His friends chuckled again. I looked directly at his name tape. \u201cReese, correct?\u201d He seemed surprised that I knew his name. Then I glanced at the blue heron emblem on his uniform. \u201cTell me something. Do you know the history of the unit represented by that crest?\u201d His smile disappeared for a second. \u201cOf course I do.\u201d I nodded toward the dining hall wall behind him. \u201cThen perhaps you should read what\u2019s written there before you decide who deserves respect.\u201d<\/p>\n
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