I'll grant you this is significantly better written than most of the reports I've read on Strickler's site, but the story it relates is nonsense.
Does anyone believe you could make out the age, color and style of hair, or even gender, of someone from 1/8 mile (roughly the length of two US football fields) with the unaided eye? Same with identifying the branch of service (USMC) from that distance? There is no way a US military pilot is going to be permitted to fly an experimental a/c without a helmet. Further, a pressure suit without a helmet to seal it is worthless. And aircrew don't wear decorations on pressure suits, or even standard nomex flight suits.