The son of an Air Force noncommissioned officer, Saylor grew up devouring history books and is obsessed with larger-than-life heroes and zealots.

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Mark, a master chief petty officer and the ranking noncommissioned officer on the operation, crouched on one knee beside the open door of the lead helicopter.

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But when she heard that McKinney -- the highest ranking noncommissioned officer in the Army -- was appointed to a special task force that was supposed to investigate sexual harassment, she wrote him an angry letter.

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