“On the last night of the Gulf War (February 28, 1991) in an RV-1 Mohawk, while returning from a mission over Iraq, SPC Steve Littleton and I suddenly found ourselves in an ejection situation near our home base in Saudi Arabia. SPC Littleton ejected first without incident. As I grabbed the ejection handle I thought, “If this seat doesn’t work, this could be the last few seconds of my life”. Then I pulled it. What an immediate relief to feel the parachute tug on my risers and the subsequent realization that I was going to be OK, even before I landed in the desert. SPC Littleton landed, without injury, not far from me. We were both rescued within hours.

As a testament to the engineering that went into the Mk. J5D ejection seat, SPC Littleton was painlessly playing volley ball the next day back at our home base.

On behalf of Steve Littleton and myself, thanks for manufacturing and continually improving this “sure death” alternative.”