I was assigned to stand watch at a huge aircraft hangar. This place was extremely remote and nobody would ever want to even visit, let alone break in and take anything. This one night, all the aircraft were out, the weather was cold as hell is hot, and I was doing an 8 hour night watch. I was bored and very sleepy.

The hangar was equipped with an extremely powerful overhead electric hoist strong enough to completely life whole aircraft engines and move them from one end of the hangar to the other. I grabbed the remote box and slipped the hook around my web belt and lifted myself off the floor about 4 or 5 feet and began to "fly" across the hangar. Of course, I had a blast. Soon, I was close to 50 some feet off the floor, whizzing back and forth.

Bang, in the distance. WTF? I knew the sound was the hangar access door slamming shut. Only four people had the key to that door; me, the squadron Duty Officer, Ship's Company (a land base) JOOD (Junior Officer Of the Day), and the base crash crew captain. The squadron's Duty Officer certainly would have no reason to leave his post (at another hangar); besides, if it were him, he'd probably want to try this kind of flying himself. (I knew him well.) There was no fire and I was certainly nowhere near that door. I had locked it earlier. Sure enough, it was the JOOD and, for some crazy reason, he wanted to come for a chat and smoke or something. He called.

Nothing. Silence. He called again. Again, silence. He came out onto the hangar bay and called.

What the hell could I do? I was 50 feet in the air, hanging by my web belt. I answered.

"What the fuck are YOU doing up THERE?"

I was sent to Captain's Mast (a form of non-judicial punishment). My career was in shambles and my love affair with the military died.