One of the most talented photographers to wear the Marine uniform. Me.

I just got done flying back-seat of a jet trainer. I was up taking photographs of something. Subject forgotten.

In order to fly in the back-seat of a Marine jet fighter you needed to be certified and have your back-seat card. How I got this back-seat certification is another 'only at the windsock' story.

We had a young and cute woman Marine in the office for a short time. Not my type. Julie was more my type. Anyway she had this assignment where she was going to get certified for the back seat.

I don't remember all we did but there were four or five tests you had to go through.

She would write about her experience and I would photograph her going through the testing. Since I was there the training crew invited me to also take the tests and get certified. I did.

So off we went to get certified for flying in the back seat of a military jet.

Everything went O.K. until the last test. This is were we are put into a presure chamber and then you go through a simulation of being sent to over 35,000 feet and back to sea-level. You wear a oxygen mask the entire time. There is an instructor inside, as well as outside, the chamber.

Because this whole process can take some time they will not abort the test unless in extreme emergency. Malfunction of clothing is not considered an emergency.

Remember you are being sent to an alitude of 35,000 feet in the chamber. That's the whole point of the test.

Besides the female reporter we had one other female going through the test. The instructor states in a very firm way that anyone wearing any kind of foam material must remove the foam before getting into the chamber. As the pressure is reduced, as we gain alitude, the foam will expand. And I really mean expand!

My reporter was fully aware of the magic properties of foam at high altitude. Because she stated that she already knew the situation and was ready to go.

I guess the second female either ignored any warnings or wasn't told prior to taking the tests what would happened. And now she just kept her mouth shut and off we went in the high-altitude chamber.

Well it wasn't long before both intrustors were laughing and once we realized what the joke was we all were laughing.

Except for the second female. She was the joke.

Apparently she wore falsies and was to embarased to admit it and remove them before we went into the chamber.

Her figure got better and better with every minute of increased altutude and lower pressure.

She started freaking out. Demanded she be removed from the chamber. She was told 'no way.' They told her to take the falsies out and go without. She wouldn't. She was screaming that she wanted out.

She started to really panic. We were almost at the required altitude so they continued with the test. The test was not aborted. After all this is the Marines. The Few. The Proud.

Everyone received their Back-Seat Certification. My reporter did write the story. Can't remember how she got around the falsies scandal.

A short time later this same female reporter requested a medical discharge from the Marines. Seems she had an existing medical problem before she joined and lied about it. She had 'Curverture of the Spin' or something to that effect. Caused back problems.

For a while they considered giving her a court-martial and a General discharge. Instead they gave her the medical dischange. She didn't get an Honorable discharge just a General. She did lie. [Next]

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