“In a complicated place that was so reliant on hierarchy and social order, Jay began to think hard about the way that swimming stripped people down to their bare elements. “You lose even more of your normal identity than if you got dressed for tennis, for example. You’re just skin, cap, goggles,” he says. “The outfits for swimming are at the bare minimum—their other identities aren’t visible. With two military people, you can’t tell who’s the officer and who’s the enlisted man.”