With such heroism there must’ve been reward. The military was often slow in many ways, but it was quick at awarding bravery and selflessness in the field if for no other reason than to inspire other soldiers. And such accounts also made for great PR. The extraordinary heroism and extreme gallantry Carr had demonstrated that day not only easily qualified him for the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest award the army could bestow, but, in Knox’s judgment, it should have earned him the country’s highest award for military heroism, the Medal of Honor. John Carr a Medal of Honor winner? Hayes had not mentioned any of that in his briefing. Nor had that piece of background made its way into press accounts when the man’s grave had been dug up at Arlington.

Knox flipped through page after page and explored several more boxes before he was able to piece the story together.

Carr’s Purple Hearts could not be denied him because the wounds alone were proof enough. All told, he received four of them, counting injuries received in other battles. Then there had been talk of awarding him a Bronze Star, but the date of this document was long after the fact of Carr’s miraculous actions in the field. And the Bronze Star—while certainly prestigious—didn’t come close to recognizing what the man had done, Knox felt. The Bronze was a bit of a hybrid in Knox’s mind. It could be given out for bravery in battle with a Valor device attached, but also for acts of merit or meritorious service. The Silver Star, Distinguished Service Cross, and Medal of Honor, the acknowledged triumvirate of recognition for the fighting soldier, were for bravery and heroism in combat, pure and simple.

He finally found a sheaf of documents showing that Carr’s immediate superior had recommended Stone for the Medal of Honor. The man had filled out all the requisite documents and assembled all the required proofs and eyewitness accounts. He’d then sent it up the chain of command. The date on the documents showed it to be shortly after Carr’s actions in the field, long before the documents talking about awarding him the Bronze Star. What the hell was going on?

And nothing had happened. It apparently had stalled out at that point. Knox could find no other documents that touched on it. But why? It was a perfect story. The man was a hero. Instead Carr had disappeared from the ranks shortly thereafter. Knox thought he knew why. That’s when he’d been enlisted by the CIA for its Triple Six Division. The spooks, Knox was aware, often trolled for their assassins in the ranks of the military’s best.