I was assigned to Flt 848 3726 BMTS at Lackland AFB for basic training in July and Aug. 1964. Our flight’s turn for a detail was the order of the day in August. Half the flight drew kitchen patrol (KP) the other half was detailed to Brooks Medical Center.

It turned out to be an interesting day. We had catheters attached to our saliva glands and sucked on cherry flavored drops. This was part of a study to test stress on astronauts. To add to our stress, we had to sign a waiver to be strapped into an ejection seat trainer and launched. Very memorable!

Before that, we were escorted through the centrifuge room to raise our anxiety level I assume. I was relieved we didn’t have to take the ride. We were escorted to a room full of dental chairs where the catheters I mentioned earlier were attached. I remember a probe being inserted in my nose and the technician using a mirror to look at it in my mouth.

Next, I was asked to tilt my head to the side for some reason. Ice water was dropped into my ear. That did the trick! It made me dizzy. The technician watched to see how long it took my eyes to return to normal. It was an interesting day and more enjoyable than KP!

The other memory of basic that I enjoyed was monkey drill in the evening after chow. Our flight would fall into formation and spend an hour demonstrating our marching skills. We usually had an audience to watch us perform. Sgt. Stacey L. Young was our TI.