A Truth

Room 1D343: I'll Stop When They're Dead

Mike, a long-time Pentagon logistics employee, is passed over for promotion in favor of a retired military officer, sparking personal despai

Key takeaways

• Promotions at the Pentagon are influenced by political connections rather than merit.
• The U.S. government conducts covert operations that risk international escalation.

Main topics

• Pentagon bureaucracy and favoritism
• Covert military operations

Notable quotes

23 years of gray metal desks. 23 years of shared office space and sour coffee.

Conclusion

Mike, shattered by betrayal and grief, realizes his brother's death was

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:01) Voyage. Speaker 4 (0:05) It could never have occurred to me as I walked the halls of the Pentagon, a place I'd once been so excited to enter, rooms I never dreamed I'd be in, that I would go from its most anonymous employee to its most infamous, that I'd strike fear in the hearts of everyone who worked here. 23 years. 23 years of not rating an assigned parking spot. 23 years of walking the parking tunnel under 15 lanes of highway traffic. 23 years of gray metal desks. 23 years of shared office space and sour coffee. 23 years of room 1D343. It was August 12th, and it was 97 degrees in the shade. I sweated through my shirt walking the tunnel. Past the wood entry doors, but before the turnstiles, two Pentagon police asked me to submit to a random search. They made me spread eagle and outstretched my arms, and wanted me. As I stared blankly at the other employees shuffling in, a group of men approached, double-timing it. This was notable, as no rank-and-file Pentagon employees were in a hurry to get to work. I recognized the man with striking silver hair, clearly in charge. Robert Starks, Secretary of Defense. Power-walking amidst his coterie of sycophants, his stride unbroken, his eyes flicked over to me as he raced past, security practically tripping over themselves to let him skip the line. He looked at me the way one might look at a cockroach turned over on its back, not worth taking the time to step on. Speaker 4 (2:11) That day I had the audacity to believe something good was going to happen to me. Oh, maybe that's just being human. Everyone who buys a lottery ticket on some level secretly believes they're going to win. That they deserve to win. 23 years of loyal service. I thought I deserved a win. The other three promotion candidates were already seated around the conference table, silently judging each other when I walked in. Speaker 3 (2:46) Hey, good. Close the door and have a seat. This won't take long. Speaker 4 (2:51) Not a great start, but I genuinely thought he meant it. That it wouldn't take long because he'd spare the other candidates any song and dance and simply declare me the recipient of the supervisor position. I helped manage the Pentagon's global spare parts inventory. I'd worked through many a lunch to get up-to-date status on back orders, tracking which depots had which parts, meticulously updating spreadsheets, assisting and handling the billions of dollars of... parts in the Pentagon's worldwide pipeline. It was not glamorous work. I was 22 when I started. This was my whole life. Being promoted to GS-14 supervisor was what that sacrifice had earned me. Period. Speaker 3 (3:43) I want to commend all four of you for the outstanding work you do for the Army. I have directed that this selection be conducted in an unbiased and objective manner, as should all personnel selections. All of you have exemplary performance records and future potential, but only one person can be selected, and today that is... Mike Capiello. Mr. Speaker 4 (4:02) James Shepard. Jimmy, or Jim Shepard, stood nonchalantly to shake Colonel Hagedorn's hand. He seemed almost put off by the annoyance of having to accept his promotion. You other Speaker 3 (4:17) three should keep applying and not be discouraged by this little Speaker 4 (4:19) setback. Jim and the others quickly filed out. I didn't. Sir, can you spare five minutes? My office. Entering the Colonel's office, I couldn't help but notice a photo of him playing golf with Secretary Starks, framed and posed in a spot of honor on his desk. I absently wondered which course at which country club they were playing at. I'd inquired about the cost of a country club membership at the club closest to the Pentagon two years prior. It was more than my yearly salary. Go ahead. Sir. Speaker 4 (4:59) Sir, I've been on the supply team for 23 years. I've earned a master's degree in logistics. I've completed two excellence in management programs. I've been acting supervisor five times for a total of eight months. Why? It infuriated me how emotional I was getting. Why did I care so much? But if this was my lot in life, this anonymous, tedious job, it couldn't just be for nothing, could Speaker 3 (5:28) it? As I said, this was an unbiased and objective selection. I recommend you go to the G1 personnel office and have them explain it to you. Speaker 4 (5:37) Oh, wait. I actually do have something for you. Yes. Sorry, I forgot. Here. He went through a stack of papers in a manila folder and emerged with one stiff sheet for me with a large gold-embossed seal on it. Your 20th anniversary certificate. Congratulations. Speaker 3 (5:54) A Speaker 4 (5:55) piece of paper. One piece of paper. Speaker 4 (6:02) 20