I made fast friends with my peers, but I was not popular with the leadership. They were less than receptive to my opinion that requiring such strict conformity was not only unnecessary, but counter-productive. My outspoken nature quickly earned me close scrutiny from everyone in my chain of command, but I was good at my job. I received nothing but praise for my performance. There wasn't the slightest chink in my professional armor, so they did the only thing they could do. They waited for me to screw up. And screw up I did. I made a colossal error in judgment, completely non-commensurate with my rank, age, and experience. Then they came after me with no holds barred. I'd never been through such an upheaving experience and I hope never to do so again. I fought. I lost. I won. This is my story.
