“You just sit right there, please, sir,” the sergeant replied. “You can talk about your briefcase to the major when he gets here, sir.”
The telephone on the desk rang. Without taking his eyes from Castillo, the sergeant answered it.
“Pope base operations, Sergeant Lefler speaking, sir—
“Sir, the AOD is not here at the moment—
“He should be here in a couple of minutes, sir. Would you like to call back?—
“Sir, there already has been a civilian Citatio
n in here. It just left—
“Yes, sir. A man did get off. He doesn’t have any identification, sir, but he says he’s a major—
“I don’t think I’d better do that, sir, until the AOD gets here. He may let you talk to him—
“No, sir, I don’t know who I’m talking to. You didn’t give me your name.”
The sergeant looked stricken at the response he was given.
An Air Force major, a pilot, wearing the brassard of an Airdrome Officer of the Day, came into the area.
Charley suspected the Airdrome Officer of the Day had been catching a few winks on a cot somewhere near.
“What’s going on, Sergeant?” he asked.
“Sir, I think you better take this,” the sergeant said, extending the telephone to him. “It’s the deputy commander of Eighteenth Airborne Corps.”
The major took the telephone.
“This is Major Treward, sir. The AOD. How may I help you, sir?”
The major looked at Castillo.
“Excuse me, sir, are you the special assistant to the secretary of homeland security?”
Castillo nodded.
“Yes, sir, he’s right here,” the major said and extended the telephone to Castillo.
“Sir,” Sergeant Lefler said, “he told me he was an Army major.”
“This is Major Castillo, sir,” Charley said into the telephone.
“See, he just did it again, sir,” Sergeant Lefler told the AOD.
“That’s me, too, sir,” Charley said into the phone. “I’m assigned to Homeland Security—
“Yes, sir. I just arrived here on the secretary’s plane. My orders are to report to General McNab.”
“He wouldn’t show me any orders, either, Major,” Sergeant Lefler said. “I asked.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be here,” Charley said into the telephone. “Thank you, sir.”
He handed the telephone to the Air Force major. “The general is coming to pick me up.”
“Sir, the Security SOP says nobody leaves the building without proper identification,” Sergeant Lefler announced.