The explosion that claimed his legs had also taken the lives of two young Marines under his command, a burden of survivors guilt that weighed heavier than any physical disability.

Officer Bradley Kaine of the Phoenix Police Department sat in his patrol car across the parking lot, his eyes fixed on Frank with the predatory focus of someone looking for trouble. At 34, Cain had spent eight years with the department, building a reputation for aggressive enforcement and a particular disdain for what he called entitled disability claims. His own fraudulent workers’s compensation claim for a supposed back injury, a secret he guarded carefully, made him suspicious of anyone claiming disability benefits.

Cain watched as Frank transferred from his wheelchair to the driver’s seat with practice deficiency, noting the Purple Heart plate and the clearly displayed handicapped placard hanging from the rear view mirror. But instead of respect for a disabled veteran, Cain felt only irritation at what he perceived as special treatment for someone he had already judged as undeserving.