Narrative account of discovery of the visible red HeNe laser in the Bell Laboratories Exploratory Development Group under Signal Corps contract, contributions of co-workers and supervisors, White's work on the arc lamp for cw pumping, collaboration with Dane Rigden, 1962, knowledge of Javan-Bennett-Herriott infrared laser work and work of Spectra-Physics group, equipment and funding, atmosphere in the laboratory following the discovery. Also prominently mentioned is: Eugene I. Gordon.