By Fitzgerald J. Heslop – Founder, Chairman & Architect of Appointed Intelligence™
President & CEO Agent OBO Inc.
For those who serve with consequence.
“Everything of consequence begins with an appointment.”
Fitzgerald J. Heslop
November 28, 2025
This book is dedicated to the Enlisted Aides serving in the homes and official quarters of the United States’ General and Flag Officers and to all those around the world who serve in similar roles of trust, discretion, and consequence.
You uphold a tradition that is often unseen, frequently misunderstood, and always essential.
DoD Instruction 1315.09 (“Utilization of Enlisted Personnel on Personal Staffs of General and Flag Officers”) - current DoD-level directive authorizing enlisted aides. The policy states:
“Enlisted Aides are authorized for the purpose of relieving GO/FOs of those minor tasks and details which, if performed by the GO/FOs, would be at the expense of the GO/FOs’ primary military and other official duties.”
But those who have lived this life know the truth:
Nothing about your work is “minor.”
Nothing about your duties is insignificant.
And nothing about your service is ordinary.
You stand in the quiet intersections where leadership, household, mission, and humanity meet.
You protect time, maintain readiness, uphold protocol, and preserve dignity.
You serve with precision, loyalty, judgment, and unfailing discretion.
Your hands support the hands that carry national responsibility.
Your presence ensures the continuity of command.