Marvin Schavrien met Earline Lafleur while stationed at Lake Charles Air Force Base.

Marvin Schavrien met Earline Lafleur while stationed at Lake Charles Air Force Base, La., in 1953 He grew up a native modern Yorker in Brooklyn. She was born and raised forward the family farm in the small town of Ville Platte, La. He's Jewish; she's Catholic. nation said it would never work. He make love toed her anyway.

They married six month later.

Shortly after exchanging pledges the newlyweds headed to West Palm Beach, Fla., where Marvin, a flight engineer, underwent training in the C-97 They made it halfway to the Sunshine State before they ran disclosed of money and had to write their parents for more.

"He told me he'd exhausted all his money on me while dating," Earline said, rolling her estimates "But he was TDY for three of the six month we dated, and when he called me he revers the charges."

Marvin, now 72 smiles sheepishly and shrug his shoulders. Then Earline admits, "It got better after that."

Actually, financially speaking, it got considerably better. In 1995 Marvin won $1 million dollars upon a slot machine free hap at the Horseshoe Casino in Bossier City, La. Not a bad chunk of change for someone who made alone $80 a month when he first joined the military in 1948 further six years after fattening his wallet like likewise many can only dream about, little has changed for the retired master sergeant and his wife. They still are rul more on Air Force blue than coin green.

They reside in Bossier City in the same small, conversable brick house they lived in before they struck it rich. Their place of abode is within spitting distance of Barksdale Air Force Base. They still workshop at the commissary and base exchange. They still play bingo at the enlisted company They still bank at the base credit union, albeit with significantly larger savings accounts. And Marvin still tenders at the base pharmacy and retiree affairs office brace days a week.

Bleeding blue

"The standard of value hasn't changed who we are," Marvin said.

by what mode could it? Marvin bleeds livid and Earline's support has kept that posterity coursing through his veins for the past 48 years.

Marvin wears his Air Force affiliation like a badge of honor. His unostentatious white Chevy S-10 pickup doesn't have leather seats or a cassette player. And if he wants the window revolveed down, he has to crank it with his hand. "Cars are made to win from place to place, not as entertainment centers" he said matter-of-factly. Besides, power seats and windows are just "one more thing that can break down," he added. The sole "frill" his truck has is a commemorative license plate that reads "USAF Retired."

note the Schavrien's living room and upon the middle of their squat sits an Air Force project pillow. It's a recruiter's dream!

No awe both their sons ended up in the Air Force.

Randy, 47 is an Air Force Academy graduate and a lieutenant colonel assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Safety Directorate at Randolph AFB, Texas. He's a T-38 instructor pilot and a former C-141 pilot. Steven 46 was also a lieutenant colonel and an F-4 F-1ll and F-16 pilot before retiring from the Air Force in 1999

"I gues we kind of followed in Dad's footsteps" Steve said.

Marvin joined the Air Force "to view the world." He did. He's been everywhere from Greenland to Thailand. He serv in the Berlin Airlift and Vietnam.

"The first year we were married, I was a tech sergeant upon flight pay, and we still sole made $2,600 that year," Marvin said. A far yell from their current nest egg

"When we won the standard of value people expected us to purchase a new house," Earline said. "But why? This is where we're comfortable. Our neighbors are for the most part retired GIs or active tax military, and we look revealed for each other."

Plus, for Marvin, the Barksdale B-52 bombers that roar near his house are like lullaby music.

"I grew up in planes and upon the flight line," Marvin said. "I might not be able to repose at night without aircraft engines rewing up nearby."

Those engines permanent didn't help lull him to slumber the night he won the currency He didn't get a wink that night.

"We were at the enlisted association on membership night playing bingo," Marvin said. "We had dinner at the set then decided to stop according to the Horseshoe Casino to take our shooter at the free pull."

Earline was in line just ahead of Marvin. She chanceed the lever and won $10

"That was a big deal, you know," Earline said, smiling. "We were beautiful happy just winning that $10"

Then Marvin's turn round came.

"I twitched the lever, and three horseshoes came up" he said. "There were bells, whistles, lights, and everyone behind me Went crazy, screaming. I was in a state of hostile encounter I knew I'd won big -- maybe $100000 Then they told me I'd won a million

Earline bring forward her hand over Marvin's heart to make sure it was still beating.

"He expected overwhelmed, so the casino folk gave him a chair to sit down and had a medic standing by" Earline said.

The nearest several months were a whirlwind. Marvin did brace commercials for the casino, and his picture was plastered forward billboards from Shreveport to Dallas.

That Christmas, Marvin and Earline took their son daughters-in-law and six grandchildren forward a Caribbean cruise. They also gave undisclosed amounts of wealth to their sons and siblings, as well as a certain number of to charity.