My Father Introduced Me as “His Little Clerk” — His SEAL Friend Realized I Led UNIT 77
He said it with a laugh — the kind of laugh that fills a room before you can stop it.
“This is my daughter,” my father told his old Navy buddy, clapping me on the back. “She’s just a little office clerk in D.C. Keeps the coffee flowing for the big guys.”
The men roared with laughter. I smiled, because that’s what I always did when he belittled me.
It was a reunion dinner — dim lights, polished wood, men in suits with medals hidden under their jackets. My father had served in the Navy decades ago, and tonight, his SEAL unit had gathered to toast old times.
I hadn’t planned to come. But he’d insisted. “You could use a real night out, honey,” he said. “Try not to bore them with your paperwork.”
I said nothing. I never did.
When one of the men — broad shoulders, scars down his jawline — asked where I worked, my father jumped in before I could answer.
“She’s with some government agency,” he said, waving a hand. “Nothing top secret. Just clerical stuff.”
The man smiled politely. “Which agency?”
“Defense,” I replied simply.
Something flickered in his eyes. “Which division?”
My father chuckled. “Don’t tell him, sweetheart. He’ll think you’re CIA or something.”
But I didn’t laugh. I looked at the man and said quietly, “UNIT 77.”
The entire table went silent. Forks paused midair. The SEAL’s face changed — from curiosity to disbelief, then to respect.
He leaned forward. “You lead UNIT 77?”
My father blinked. “Lead…? What are you talking about?”
The man’s tone shifted. “Sir, with all due respect — UNIT 77 is the special operations command that handles joint field extractions. Classified at Tier 1.” He turned to me. “Ma’am, it’s an honor.”
My father’s face drained of color. His drink trembled in his hand. “You— you’re not serious.”
I met his eyes. “You never asked what I did, Dad. You just assumed.”
The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the ceiling fan.
He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The same man who once told everyone I was “too soft for the service” now sat speechless—
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