I spent 16 weeks August 1971 at Tank Hill C-3-1. Best 16 weeks of my life. I was very proud to join a C-130 flight. I had never flown as a passenger before. On one mission we were to lift a CH-46. When we lifted the pilot of the helo saw we had a civilian in the back. It turned out to be a good thing because our pilot had made a boo boo right at the door of the helo. We made our first few passes by the helo with the passenger side on, but this resulted in the window of the door breaking. One of the Marines had fixed a piece of a 2x4 under the window It looks like he tied it off with a rubber band, or something. We then made our second passes by the helo with the passenger side on, and he got all strapped in. When we made the final pass, we left the door open. We were having so much fun with the helo that we decided to leave the door open. We had about 70 degrees of flight in the back of the helo. One of the marines on the ground with the Marines in the helicopter saw us leave the door open and said, "F#@k that!. Let's go!" I was sitting on a big bag in the open door. We were flying on the back of the helo at what seemed like a very slow speed. My butt got out over the side of the helo and I was hanging on for dear life. We did two more flights and got ready to make our approach for landing. We lowered to about 10 feet or so and we heard the passenger say, "Hey. The door is open again." I guess he'd forgotten to close it, but he didn't feel like closing it. I was dangling there on the other side of the door. He couldn't get out because he wasn't secured to anything. It's hard to move when you have a 60lb backpack on and there's nothing to grab on to. And there was nothing to hold on to anyway. We had the whole floor of the helo. So we made three more flights like this. Then we tried a landing. He was being sick in the back and we landed on a sandbar that we didn't see. It was like a brick. We hit it and we had to ditch the helo. Luckily there was no one in it. We were all strapped in, but this one marine had opened his eyes just a little bit and he got a mouthful of the sand when we hit the brick. I was still on the back of the helo about 30 feet from the ground. I wasn't expecting to get out. I didn't even try to. But I still got sand in my mouth and face. It was really dark. So now, about 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, we had a sandstorm with zero visibility. Everyone was trying to dig out and find our helicopter. I figured we were all going to be taken prisoner and held for ransom. But we figured out what the problem was. The helo's tail was folded up. There was no way the tail would be pointed down if it was folded up, but it was. So we were just hanging there, helplessly. We spent the next hour and a half digging in the sand with our bare hands. Then, all of a sudden, there was a flash of light. It was a gunner on the ground pointing out a helo with its lights on. We were saved. That was the best 16 weeks of my life. A: No, in all seriousness, it really doesn't matter who you are - only that you did something cool or exciting and told the story well. I don't have a story, but my husband did a lot of things during his career and the one thing he always did was volunteer to put in extra time to help with whatever job someone else had to be done. He did it because it was the right thing to do. He did it because that's the kind of guy he is. It's also what I do when I get a little time off. It's just the right thing to do. As we all age, it's too easy to just sit around - doing nothing, unless you're going to volunteer at the local shelter or some such thing. Then, on the other hand, it's easy to start resenting people who do. So I'd say you did the right thing by your son - as well as a great service to the team. I salute you both. A: This is an example of "pulling your weight" in the fire dept. If a fire is called in, a couple of firefighters are expected to respond in case the call comes in very late at night, or if a second alarm has been called in. Firemen in every city will be willing to show up in the middle of the night if called upon. So, being willing to do this on your own should be considered a "no problem" sort of thing. Your son would be fine to join the fire department without a college degree because they are not looking for college graduates. A: You can actually take someone into the fire service with you if he is still in high school. As far as I'm aware, the age restrictions in the U.S. only apply to entry-level (i.e. unpaid internships) or entry-level employment. Since he is 18, he can work as an unpaid apprentice (as allowed by the NFPA 1621), and at some point that could lead to a paid job. Of course, being in the fire department isn't the only option, but it's the biggest way to get some experience and be able to enter at a higher level with more responsibility. For example, they can do the following (taken from here): Assist at and attend fire company, ladder, and other official fire department functions. Perform the normal duties of an auxiliary member or first class auxiliary member. Assist with the operation and management of facilities, equipment, and supplies used in firefighting operations. Perform minor maintenance tasks on the facility or equipment. Drive an engine vehicle to the fire scene. Assume responsibility for assisting the fire department on other occasions (e.g., for search and rescue, for responding to accidents and other events, for civil defense, for emergency medical calls). These other calls are generally made in situations involving special public safety needs (e.g., civil disorders, tornadoes, hurricanes, severe winter weather). Perform first aid or paramedic duties during the fire company’s scheduled tours, public information programs, or auxiliary activities. Perform other duties, related to firefighting, related to fire life-safety protection, or support to the fire department or community. Take and operate fire trucks or special devices and perform other tasks related to fire fighting. Participate in fire prevention education programs and act as observers for classes in firefighting and fire protection. Maintain equipment used in firefighting operations, including apparatus, safety equipment, and special devices. Perform other duties or assist in the operation of facilities, equipment, or supplies necessary for firefighting or fire protection. Provide auxiliary personnel with information, direction, mentoring, and training. In some cases there may be regulations restricting entry of people under 18, though my understanding is this isn't quite so in the U.S., but it's probably not a bad idea to check with the local department. For example, if it's under 25 miles from your house and you are a member of the fire department, this would likely be OK: The age limitation also does not apply to entry-level employment that results from employment in a paid capacity on the local fire department. The “age limitation” in this situation applies to position assignments at a fire station.