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Welcome Marine Veterans Of VMFP-3
By Marc "Devil Dog Of The Web" Iseli / Updated Dec. 2025
A few days before the Fourth of July, 1982, I was parked in the barracks, staring at four days of liberty and no clue what to do with myself. The base Flight Jacket said the Space Shuttle was scheduled to land at Edwards AFB on the Fourth. My roommate, Ken Franco, was game for anything that didn't involve cleaning the head, so I pitched the idea. We were young, dumb, and you can fill in the rest. I figured Edwards was just a quick hop up the road. How hard could it be? We grabbed a couple of blankets to rig up a field tent, I snagged some peaches for chow, and we loaded up my Triumph TR7. Next morning, we rolled out, ready to bivouac somewhere in the desert and catch the show.

Apparently, 'just up the street' in California means pack a lunch and bring extra fuel, because two hours later we were still chasing signs down a one-lane goat trail into the Mojave. The place looked like a Road Warrior casting call-lines spray-painted on the dirt, a convoy of weirdos in RVs, and us, improvising a tent out of two blankets like a bunch of boot privates on their first field op. As we tried to rack out, the only lullaby was the endless rumble of engines as more lost souls rolled in, probably wondering if they'd ever see civilization again.

We woke at zero-dark-thirty, only to find ourselves surrounded by a sea of cars as far as the eye could see. The air was thick with the smell of bacon and eggs from everyone else's tailgate breakfast, while we got to enjoy my gourmet stash of peaches and whatever water hadn't boiled off from the heat in the trunk. We shuffled up to the front of the crowd, dodging news crews who were more interested in catching a glimpse of the crowd than our sorry faces. Apparently, this was a big deal-President Reagan himself was on deck to shake hands with the astronauts. Columbia was about to make her first runway landing, and the brass wanted the world to see it. Final test flight, all eyes on the prize.

They said the Shuttle was coming in hot, and sure enough, we got the double sonic boom-just in case anyone was still napping. At first, it looked like a bug on the windshield, then suddenly there it was, right in front of us, with a couple of T-38s playing wingman. We figured that was the grand finale, but nope, out comes the Boeing 747 hauling Challenger piggyback, like it was just another Tuesday. They did a flyby that rattled your fillings. I snagged a T-shirt to commemorate the day-still got it, probably worth more than my car now. Getting out of there with 500,000 other yahoos was a cluster, but hey, totally worth it. That weekend on the desert floor is still burned into my brain housing group.
Visit My Photo Album
Photos of Space Shuttle landing, 1982.

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FlashForward Trivia
On January 28, 1986, the NASA shuttle orbiter mission STS-51-L and the tenth flight of Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-99) broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members, which consisted of five NASA astronauts and two payload specialists. Read More

On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon reentering Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven crew members. The disaster was the second fatal accident in the Space Shuttle program. Read More

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.
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