Colonel Avery’s Signature
Chapter 09 - Colonel Avery’s Signature
Avery faced an internal investigation because his signature appeared on Daniel’s casualty notification.
He had relied on confirmation supplied by General Shaw’s office.
Regulations still required him to verify two independent sources.
He verified one.
The second was a summary prepared by Blackridge.
Avery believed the summary represented separate evidence.
It did not.
At the hearing, he accepted responsibility.
“I did not knowingly deliver a false flag. I did deliver one without asking enough questions.”
The Army suspended him from notification duties while the review continued.
Sarah did not ask officials to punish him more severely.
She also did not reassure him.
Avery’s intentions mattered less than the effect of his signature.
He later helped redesign casualty verification.
No contractor could serve as both evidence source and medical custodian.
No death certificate could be finalized while the search remained open.
Families received complete source summaries and independent legal assistance before signing financial documents.
Avery eventually returned to service in a training role.
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He taught young officers that ceremony must never replace verification.
“The uniform makes people trust the folder,” he said. “That is why the folder must be right.”
