The Whistleblower Behind One of Gates' Greatest Accomplishments as Secretary of Defense

``Gayl refused to accept the bureaucracy's inaction. He knew that MRAPs would save lives of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and, according to The Washington Monthly, was furious that bureaucratic feet-dragging had postponed the furnishing of MRAPs and cost hundreds of American lives (Gayl estimates that at least 700 U.S. service members died because of the two-year delay). So he blew the whistle... And his tactics worked. Just two months after Gayl sent the original request for MRAPs to the press, Gates announced the creation of an MRAP task force, and the necessary armored vehicles began to be manufactured in the thousands. Thanks to Gayl, thousands of American soldiers' lives have been saved. But because he spoke out of the chain of command, he has been a target for retaliation. ''