VMFP-3 80s Flashback

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1982 Thru The Eyes Of The Corps.
By Marc "Devil Dog Of The Web" Iseli / Updated Dec. 2025
After my stint slinging hash, I got back just in time for the squadron to send a bird to the Open Class Photo Derby at NAS Fallon, Nevada, yes, the 'World Famous' one, because apparently taking pictures at Mach 1 is a spectator sport. Recon units from all over showed up to flex their speed, navigation, and who-has-the-shiniest-lens game. VMFP-3 held its own, even with the Air National Guard hotshots from Kentucky and Idaho trying to steal the show. The whole thing was called 'Photo Finish' by the old heads, mostly because it was as nerve-wracking as a Vegas crapshoot and just as likely to end with someone owing you a beer..

September rolled around, and some lucky Jarheads, not me, got sent to NAS Key West. Nothing like a week in Florida to remind you that sweat can pool in places you didn’t know existed. Our aircrews got to play taxi service for the Navy down at Gitmo, flying JCS missions and pretending we were on some top-secret Bond assignment. Meanwhile, the squadron kicked off a two-month OPEVAL of the Zeiss KA-153 Tri-lens camera system, which basically meant we spent a lot of time evaluating new gear. That ran until November 9. October brought us the first-ever COMFORT LEVEL exercise, which was the brass’s way of seeing if we could still find our own butts with both hands while pretending to be in combat. Spoiler: nobody died, but a few egos did.

Let’s talk current events, or at least what my brain cells haven’t jettisoned. April 2: The Falklands War kicked off, and suddenly every news anchor was an expert on sheep and penguins. I spent most of ‘81 overseas, so I missed the birth of MTV and the first wave of mullets. But I did discover the McRib, which is basically a meat-flavored science experiment in a bun. Bought my first one in Lake Forest and lived to tell the tale. Golden Bun on El Toro Rd. was my other chow hall of choice, think gourmet burgers, minus the gourmet. Oh, and the county decided on El Toro Rd. needed to be wider, probably so more Marines could get stuck in traffic.

The Woods Canyon Fire Scare: Some hero pilot in an A-4 Skyhawk decided to spice up the neighborhood by dumping fuel all over the place after his engine gave up the ghost. He managed to steer the flying brick away from Leisure World, saving many retirees from a surprise jet delivery, and instead plowed it into the hills. Managed to punch out safely. January Floods: NorCal got the worst of it, but SoCal wasn’t left out. Rain came down like a monsoon, and mudslides tried to reclaim half the coastal hills. Just another year in paradise.

Alright, you glorious Rat Phixers and Phlyers, if we ever survived a TAD, a Det, or a BOHICA, who haven't, and you didn’t think I was the biggest gaff off in the squadron. Got a sea story, or some grainy photos your ex didn’t set on fire, and they’re only slightly illegal? Send ‘em by email, snail mail, or safety wire it to a carrier pigeon. I collect ‘em all, just nothing that would incriminate me.
80svmfp3@gmail.com

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