He did warn Norman that a Form 772 would probably push the candidate completely out of the running for promotion, not just for this board but for any other promotion board he might meet. Norman stuck to his guns, and Ingemanson had no choice but to continue the process. McLanahan's jacket disappeared from the panel's deliberation, and Norman did not see his name on the final list.
Mission accomplished. Not only strike back at the pompous prima donnas that wore wings, but rid the Air Force of a true example of a lazy, selfish, good-for-nothing officer.
"Hey, Colonel, just wanted to say good-bye and thank you again for your service," General Ingemanson said, shaking Norman's hand warmly. "I had a great time working with you."
"It was my pleasure, sir. I enjoyed working with you too."
"Thank you," Ingemanson said. "And call me 'Swede'-everybody does." Norman said nothing. "Do you have a minute? I'm about ready to countersign your Form 772 to include in the transmission to the Secretary of the Air Force, and I wanted to give you an opportunity to look over my report that goes along with your 772."
"Is that necessary, sir?" Norman asked. "I've already put everything on the 772. McLanahan is a disgrace to the uniform and should be discharged. The Reserves don't even deserve an officer like that. I think I've made it clear."
"You have," Ingemanson said. "But I do want you to look at my evaluation. You can append any rebuttal comments to it if you wish. It'll only take a minute." With a confused and slightly irritated sigh, Norman nodded and followed the general to his office.
If Norman saw the man in a plain dark suit sitting in the outer office behind the door talking into his jacket sleeve, he didn't pay any attention to him. General Ingemanson led the way into his office, motioned Norman inside, and then closed the door behind him. This time, Norman did notice the second plain-clothed man with the tiny silver badge on his lapel and the earpiece stuck in his right ear, standing beside Inge-manson's desk.
"What's going on, General?" Norman asked. "Who is this?"
"This is Special Agent Norris, United States Secret Service, Presidential Protection Detail," General Ingemanson replied. "He and his colleagues are here because that man sitting in my chair is the President of the United States." Norman nearly fell over backwards in surprise as he saw the President of the United States himself swivel around and rise up from the general's chair.
"Smooth introduction, Swede," the President said. "Very smooth."
"I try my best, Mr. President."
The President stepped from behind Ingemanson's desk, walked up to the still-dumbfounded Norman Weir, and extended a hand. "Colonel Weir, nice to meet you." Norman didn't quite remember shaking hands. "I was on my way to Travis Air Force Base in California to meet with some of the returning Desert Storm troops, and I thought it was a good idea to make a quick, unofficial stopover here at Randolph to talk with you."
Norman's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Talk to… me?"
"Sit down, Colonel," the President said. He leaned against Ingemanson's desk as Norman somehow found a chair. "I was told that you wish to file a recommendation that a Major Patrick McLanahan should be discharged from the Air Force on the basis of a grossly substandard and unacceptable Officer Selection Record. Is that right?"
This was the grilling he'd expected from Harry Ponce or General Ingemanson-Norman never believed he'd get it from the President of the United States! "Yes… yes, sir," Norman replied.
"Still feel pretty strongly about that? A little time to think about it hasn't changed your opinion at all?"
Even though Norman was still shocked by the encounter, now a bunch of his resolve and backbone started to return. "I still feel very strongly that the Air Force should discharge Major McLanahan. His background and experience suggests an officer that just wants to coast through his career, without one slight suggestion that he has or wants to do anything worth contributing to the Air Force or his country."
"I see," the President said. He paused for a moment, looked Norman right in the eye, and said, "Colonel, I want you to tear up that form."
"Excuse me?"
"I want you to drop your indictment."
"If you drop your affidavit, Colonel," Ingemanson interjected, "McLanahan will be promoted to lieutenant colonel two years below the primary zone."
"What?" Norman retorted. "You can't… I mean, you shouldn't do that! McLanahan has the worst effectiveness report I've seen! He shouldn't even be a major, let alone a lieutenant colonel!"
"Colonel, I can't reveal too much about this," the President said, "but I can tell you that Patrick McLanahan has a record that goes way beyond his official record. I can tell you that not only does he deserve to be a lieutenant colonel, he probably deserves to be a four-star general with a ticker-tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes. Unfortunately, he'll never get that opportunity, because the things he's involved in… well, we prefer no one find out about them. We can't even decorate him, because the citations that accompany the awards would reveal too much. The best we can do for him in an official manner is to promote him at every possible opportunity. That's what I'm asking you to do, as a favor to me."
"A… favor?" Norman stammered. "Why do you need me to agree to anything? You're the commander in chief-why don't you just use your authority and give him a promotion?"
"Because I'd prefer not to disrupt the normal officer selection board process as much as possible," the President replied.
"The President knows that only a board member can change his rating of a candidate," Ingemanson added. "Not even the President has the legal authority to change a score. McLanahan received a high enough score to earn a below-the-zone promotion-only the 772 stands in his way. The President is asking you to remove that last obstacle."
"But how? How can McLanahan possibly earn a high enough rating?"
"Because the other board members recognized something that exists in Patrick McLanahan that you apparently didn't, Colonel," the President replied. "Great officers exhibit leadership potential in many other ways than just attending service schools, dress, and appearance, and how many different assignments they've had. I look for officers who perform. True, Patrick hasn't filled the squares that other candidates have, but if you read the personnel file a little closer, a little differently, you'll see an officer that exhibits his leadership potential by doing his job and leading the way for others."
The President took the Form 772 from Ingemanson and extended it to Norman. "Trust me, Colonel," he said. "He's a keeper. Someday I'll explain some of the things this young man has done for our nation.but his future is in your hands-I won't exercise whatever authority I have over you. It's your decision."
Norman thought about it for a few long moments, then reached out, took the Form 772, and ripped it in two.
The President shook his hand warmly. "Thank you, Colonel," he said. "That meant a lot to me. I promise you, you won't regret your decision."
"I hope not, sir."
The President shook hands and thanked General Ingemanson, then stepped toward the door. Just before the Secret Service agent opened it for him, he turned back toward Norman, and said, "You know, Colonel, I'm impressed."
"Sir?"
"Impressed with you," the President said. "You could've asked for just about any favor you could think of-a choice assignment, a promotion of your own, even an appointment to a high-level post. You probably knew that I would've agreed to just about anything you would have asked for. But you didn't ask. You agreed to my request without asking for a thing in return. That tells me a lot, and I'm pleased and proud to learn that about you. That's the kind of thing you'll never read in a personnel file-but it tells me more about the man than any folder full of papers."