Russel Quigley's misadventures as a career Navy photographer are for the most part amusing. What would be hair-raising if we weren't already used to it, all of us being subjected to it on varying levels, is the absolute bureaucracy and autocracy of the military. Quigley is something of a whistle-blower and although he does his best to remain within the system he is constantly in trouble with the higher-ups. E.g: the only way he can prevent the installation of a steel plate blocking his camera's set position on a ship used for test missile launches is to petition to have the missile silo cover welded shut.