“Master Chief Sarah Merrick is a Master Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician,” Vance told the room, looking straight up into the hushed bleachers.

“She doesn’t wear a Trident because she wears the Master EOD breast insignia.”

The giggling in the bleachers died completely as three hundred students watched Vance reach into the pocket of his dark leather jacket.

“In July 2017, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, her joint task force unit disarmed three secondary improvised explosive devices under direct small-arms fire,” Vance said.

“She dragged six wounded men from my own SEAL team out of an open drainage ditch and got them onto the medevac helicopter alive.”

Lieutenant Wyler’s gold watch clinked against his brass belt buckle as his right hand fell heavily to his side.