Hustvedt reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small box. He stood up. Jeffers stood as well, thinking Hustvedt was about to leave. Instead, Hustvedt reached over to Jeffers and pulled off the lieutenant insignia attached on his working uniform. The box contained the insignia of a lieutenant commander. He placed the insignia on the young man’s collars.
“Rod, everyone from the top on down has been impressed with your work. I sent a special evaluation to the selection board last week. You’ve been deep selected. Now maybe you won’t have so much trouble getting things done,” Hustvedt said with a grin. “Rod, I can see why Roger placed so much faith in you. I’m proud to have you with me.” The look of surprise on Jeffers’ face was gratifying to Hustvedt.
“But I wasn’t due to be up for this for another two years,” Jeffers stammered.
Hustvedt let out a laugh. “Of all the young officers I have served with, you more than deserved it. Rod, just take it and keep going. I’ll see you on Monday,” the Admiral said shaking his hand. As he left the room, the phone on Jeffers’ desk rang. He picked up the receiver.
“Congratulations Rod! I hope when you get over here you can come by and see me,” said Hammond on the other end of the line.
“Admiral Hustvedt just put them on my collars. How did you know?”
“Hey, in my job, I’m supposed to know everything. Didn’t you know that?” joked Hammond.
“Maybe, but I bet you had something to do with this,” Jeffers said.
“Maybe, but it still wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t done your part. You are one hell of an officer, Rod. Keep up the good work,” said Hammond.
“Thanks Roger.”
“Don’t thank me. You deserve it. And when you get over this way, please come see me. It would be nice to sit back and talk a while.”
“Thanks. Thanks for everything,” said Jeffers.
“Take care of yourself, Rod,” said Hammond. There was sincere feeling behind the voice.
“You do the same. I’ll stop by.”
“Good. See you soon then.”
“Good bye Admiral, and thanks again,” said Jeffers.
Jeffers put the receiver down and thought a moment about what was happening. This wasn’t normal. He was just a regular guy trying to do his job. He placed the messages back on the duty officer’s desk and grabbed his coat. As he was about to leave the office and go home, the phone rang again. This time it was another new friend — someone much higher up in government.
The Élysée Palace was far grander than almost anything Hammond had ever seen. The residence of the President of the French Republic dated back to the early 1700s and had once been the residence of the mistress of King Louis XV. Since that time, it had housed Napoleon and several other aristocrats, finally becoming the presidential residence in the mid-1800s. Valuable paintings and tapestries adorned the walls and rich carpets covered the floors. The ceilings were covered in frescoes and enhanced with gold filigree. The furniture was of a classical design and seemed to glitter in the lights. The chandeliers took your breath away. Unfortunately these things could not be savored simply because of the grave issue Hammond was coming to speak about.
The escort stopped him at two huge gold encrusted doors while he knocked gently and entered the room, announcing the Supreme Allied Commander. Henri Bayard came from his desk in the elegantly appointed Salon Dore and took Hammond’s hand. “Welcome Admiral Hammond. It is good to see you once again,” Bayard said in English.
“Thank you for receiving me,” said Hammond in almost perfect French. Bayard escorted him into the office.
“I was not under the impression you spoke our language,” Bayard said in astonishment.
“I studied it in school when I was young and found I had a passion for it. In my Navy career I was able to visit France on several occasions. It helped me retain it as a second language,” said Hammond.
“Ahh. I understand. It sometimes makes it easier to understand a nation when you can speak the language. Shall we continue in French?” Bayard asked.
Hammond grinned. “If you would like. I will try to keep up. When you don’t use a language every day, it can be difficult,” he said.
Bayard laughed. “Yes, I have the same problem with English,” he said. “Actually, the more I hear of your ideas and your methods, the more I am impressed. I have been looking forward to speaking with you for some time. Yours is a job I would not wish to undertake,” he said. Motioning toward a chair he continued, “I understand you are having some difficulties with General LeMonde,” he said, getting right to the point as he sat down.
Hammond shifted in his seat. He hadn’t expected things to move this quickly. “Mister President, as you said, we have a very difficult task. There is no doubt General LeMonde is loyal and very talented. He works very hard each day to make sure his troops are well prepared and ready for battle. His dedication is totally for France and the French people. I, on the other hand, am trying to oversee the forces of over ten nations. You and the other allied leaders have asked me to bring this group into a cohesive fighting force to defeat a common enemy. To do that, I need everyone to pull together as one. I especially need the help of the French forces to do just that,” Hammond said. His French was slow, but intense.
“And you feel General LeMonde is not measuring up,” Bayard said. He didn’t wait for a reply. “You know that General LeMond is one of France’s most capable generals. We are not in the habit of recalling one of our leaders simply because someone does not agree with them,” he admonished, “however, there is more to this than you may realize. In the months prior to the outbreak of hostilities, General LeMonde was one of the members of my staff trying to seek reconciliation with the Russians. On behalf of our government, he accepted their explanations and their assurances that there was nothing to fear. He personally trusted them. As a matter of fact, so did I. As you know, France had maintained cordial relations with the Russians and Soviets since the war with Germany. We have even had socialist governments along the way,” Bayern lectured. “When the Russians began these hostilities, we both felt total betrayal. We had assumed the Russians would bluster and then back away. This was not the case. It was personally most embarrassing. I must shoulder some of the blame for this. General LeMonde took it as a personal slap. He does not like being proved wrong and sometimes can be somewhat — how do you say, stiff. I, on the other hand must be flexible. One cannot be a politician and not be so,” he chuckled.
“I was not aware of how personally involved you were in all this,” said Hammond, somewhat surprised at the revelation.
Bayard held up his hand. “I know. But now it seems there is more to his situation than mere chance,” he said with a sigh. Bayern leaned forward. “I have heard some things from the front. You are right in one aspect, LeMonde’s dedication to France is unquestionable, but as such, he often forgets that France does not necessarily have to be in charge. We chose you for a reason. Part of that is that we all know that placing someone from Europe in command would bring up old rivalries — some centuries old — which we do not need. His attitude is an example of that. Quite frankly, we wondered who might take the job until you came along. The fact that we are not speaking from England or the United States is a testament to your abilities to fight this war. As I see it, the Russians have not moved forward very much since you got here. For someone to take command and get things going that quickly is simply amazing.”