Chaotic Permanence

The first time I visited New York, in 2014, I was still on active duty in the U.S. Air Force. I stopped to visit the 9/11 memorial. It was under construction and heavily guarded by NYPD officers to prevent entry, but I wanted to see it. The friend with me, a Yale graduate who had tutored me in the Warrior-Scholar Project (a pivotal moment in my life) said, “Rob, I’ll bet if you show them your military ID, they’ll let you through.” I was skeptical but approached one of the cops. The officer carefully examined my ID, spoke a few words into his radio to notify his supervisor, and let me through. I spent 15 quiet minutes alone at the site, absorbing the gravity of what it represented.