AFMC Command News

Captain Mangione wants to be a millionaire

  • Published
  • By Mike Wallace
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFMCNS) --  When this story is published, Capt. Gregory Mangione, a physician assistant in the 88th Medical Group's orthopedic unit, will be a millionaire -- or not.

He will have been a contestant on an episode of the popular television show, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" the first weekend in October. However, don't ask him how he fared. He won't tell you. He signed a non-disclosure agreement, and he's not allowed to talk about the results until the show airs sometime in early December.

Among other things, close to 20 years of Air Force service and travels to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and all over the United States have prepared Captain Mangione to be a contestant. He spent the first six years of his Air Force career as a Russian linguist. The next six years he spent as an air traffic controller. Then, he went to Officer Training School and medical training. He's been at Wright-Patterson for two years.

The captain also has more than 300 hours of undergraduate schooling credit hours. "The whole time I've been in the Air Force, I've taken courses," he said. "I even have a degree in business management. I earned that before becoming a PA."

A Michigan native, Captain Mangione said, "People told me I was full of useless information. (But) this is the first time I've pursued a trivia competition."

To appear on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" he had to fill out an application on line. That was nothing new since he had filled out several in the past. "I tried to get on the show when Regis Philbin was the host a few years ago without any luck. I apply every year. You have to apply every season.

"This year, I applied, and was called for an audition in July. I had to take a written test which had about 30 questions with multiple choice answers that covered various subjects, and there was a time limit that gave you about 20 seconds to answer each one. About 40 people took the test, and eight passed. We were never told how well we did or what our scores were, only that we'd passed.

"The ones who passed were interviewed and put into a contestant pool. I'd never gotten this far before. They called me Sept. 15."

Saying that his strong subjects included "football, basketball, and baseball," Captain Mangione said his weak subjects were "art, literature, and cooking." A contestant on the show can get help at any time using three different measures available once each during the contest.

One of the measures is to call someone for help, and a contestant can line up as many as five people to call. This option is known as "phone a friend," and can be used at any time during the game.

"I have a lady in Area B who majored in art and literature," Captain Mangione said. "I have a brother-in-law who's a nuclear engineer and lawyer. I also have a couple others I can call."

Wanting to win a million and achieving it are two different things, and the captain has no illusions. "There's a certain amount of luck to it," he said. "Only two people in the whole last season won a million."

The game features questions worth increasing amounts of money ending with a million dollars.

Captain Mangione said he wouldn't be quick to gamble if he wasn't sure of the answer.

He said, "My wife and I are blessed. We were both enlisted. Now she's a nurse. We have a healthy boy. I just want to win as much as I can and not take any risks."

When the show appears, the captain will be in his uniform. He received permission to wear it from the office of the Secretary of the Air Force. He also had to contact the judge advocate general's office and public affairs prior to the taping.

In case Capt. Mangione won a million, he explained that he will have gotten a fourth of it right away, and the rest in annuities over 20 years. He said he'd like to win something, just to break even. The trips to New York City and the subsequent hotel stays for both the audition and actual competition were at his expense.