HOF 05 Something to Prove -- Michael Marcian

"It was the wild west. Marcos had just become dictator and martial law was in effect," Marcian notes. "So when you went to the theater, bowling alley or restaurant, you had to check your guns at the coat rack. Everybody had body guards and people were getting killed...it was pretty wild."

Not that Marcian and his high school graduating class of 11 didn't have fun. Military flights to Hong Kong or Japan for shopping excursions were common. The black market was waiting just outside the gates of the naval base, where a carton of Salem cigarettes—purchased for under $2 at the commissary—could be moved for the equivalent of $35 U.S. So making a quick buck wasn't all that difficult.