I laid the sheet down beside her keyboard.

“The administrative block is right here on page two,” I said, pointing to the boxed section near the bottom margin.

Brenda tipped her glasses down her nose and leaned in toward the desk lamp.

She read the printed lines twice.

“The box is blank, Colonel,” she said, looking up at me.

“Somebody at your command headquarters left the final endorsement line empty.”

I looked down at the clean white space where my battalion adjutant was supposed to have signed in blue ink before I left post.