Vahn and Santiago were same-year graduates from the Point. Tom remembered hazing them. He also remembered that Vahn had spent a lot of time cleaning up after his quarrelsome buddy. It looked as though Vahn was still trying to watch out for his friend and cover up his impolitic excesses. Mistakes made during an exercise weren’t supposed to reflect badly on an officer, but mistakes made in conduct concerning the exercise were another matter. Having made it clear that they didn’t want to hear complaints, the brass wouldn’t take kindly to Santiago’s mouthing off while still in earshot. Vahn, as usual, was more concerned about the future than his buddy.