Chapter 10 - The secure phone
The secure satellite phone became the most mythologized object in the story.
It was not a magic line directly to the Secretary of Defense.
I was participating in a scheduled secure coordination call connected to my temporary duty.
I had permission to take the call from my mother’s residence under the applicable security procedures for that device and conversation.
The details of the meeting were not relevant to Michael’s case.
The important part was simpler.
The line remained active.
The people on the other end heard:
Michael’s threat.
My compliance.
My voice identifying an armed person in the room.
The sound of restraint.
The chair hitting tile.
Michael asking:
“Who do you think you are?”
And my reply:
“They already told you.”
Once the threat was heard, the watch personnel followed emergency procedures.
The issued device provided the necessary location information through secure support systems.
A nearby protective element and federal partners responded.
The five SUVs were not a personal cavalry reserved for generals.
They were the vehicles available to a coordinated protective response near Washington.
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That explanation disappointed social media.
Reality usually does.
