For a few surreal minutes, downtown Boston felt less like a New England city and more like a movie set dropped into real life. The Sikorsky CH-53 Stallion, dwarfing nearby buildings as it hovered, seemed almost impossibly out of place among office towers, coffee shops, and evening commuters. People spilled onto sidewalks, some ducking instinctively, others simply staring upward, unable to look away from the chaos of swirling debris and deafening rotors.

When the helicopter finally settled, the shock slowly gave way to a strange mix of awe and unease. Parents pulled children close, friends replayed videos frame by frame, and strangers traded theories about secret missions and emergency operations. Officials hinted it might be training or logistics, but offered little more. For those who stood under its shadow, the explanation hardly mattered. They had watched the sky open and the military drop straight into their neighborhood—and that sight will linger far longer than the dust.