Seven Days at Ground Zero: NYPD Officer Bob Oles Recalls 9/11

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was in Virginia attending an intelligence course when we were informed that aircraft had struck the World Trade Center. As an NYPD officer on military leave, I immediately advised the instructor of my situation and departed for New York City.

I traveled north on I-95 toward New York. The highway was virtually empty, which was itself eerie. As I crossed…