TOP GUN 30th Anniversary

Padre101

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https://www.thewrap.com/top-gun-30-...out-tom-cruises-30-year-old-classic-photos/1/

I remember being a junior in high school sitting in the theater with my younger brother when Top Gun was released. We were blown away by the title sequence alone.

After the movie was over, we turned to each other and said, "I want to do that!!!"

In the end, we didn't become naval aviators, but this movie probably changed the lives of many kids.

Heard they're working on Top Gun 2.
 
I don't know about you, but watching the movie now, it seems weird seeing the Tomcats and Intruders. They seem like old relics.
 
I think part of the success of the movie was that it came at a time when America felt like it was turning things around. Viet Nam was behind us and the Reagan Recession was over. I think the movie was another thing that lifted America's spirits. Or, maybe I'm just weird....
 
Fond memories of the premiere in San Diego and after-party at KC BBQ, due to DH's line of work at the time. We used to go to Kansas City BBQ regularly as a local Navy fave, which is why it ended up in the movie. A first-rate dive. Most of the Tomcat pilots muttered "BS" throughout most of the movie, but still walked out grinning. It IS just like that in the early morning, and at night, with the steam coming out of the catapults, and the coordinated dance amongst all the deck personnel and Ops in the island.

And it used to be like that at the O'Clubs, especially NAS Miramar "Fightertown USA" Master Jet Base, which, with BRAC several years ago, turned into MCAS Miramar with the closure of MCAS El Toro. I won't say how I know it was like that. Much has changed culturally.

Still a great recruiting film.

Tom Cruise returning as Maverick will overturn the saying, "There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold, pilots."
 
Because I had to stroll down Memory Lane.

 
I spent 4 years (1986-1990) at NAS Miramar during the peak of the Miramar O'Club. Every Wednesday when we weren't at sea, my squadron would do the DH Meeting at 1300, AOM at 1400 and we were in the bar for happy hour no later than 1500. A couple of squadron duty "bunk rooms" in the BOQ next door kept us from driving and doing something stupid. Our sister squadron wrapped one of their new JO's in bubble wrap and pitched him off the high dive one night (yes, there really was a pool at the Miramar O'Club), we all thought it was pretty funny until we realized he was floating face down and was probably going to drown if we didn't fish him out.

Only the CO/XO and a few DH's were married, the rest of us were single. We flew, chased girls and drank beer. Wednesday was Miramar, Thursday 32nd Street, Friday El Toro/MCRD, Saturday was date night and we went to the Pennant and Beachcomber on Sunday. :) The squadron was all male so we concentrated on fly, fight and win.There was no SHAPE, SAPR, SAVI, SARC or "mandatory fun events" like "DADT Repeal Training" or lectures on "Red/Yellow/Green light" behavior....

I would never trade my first four years as a JO for the last four under the current SECNANNY where alcohol, tobacco, firearms in the home and fried foods are verboten.... but being tattooed up like a prison inmate is okay I guess...
 
Only the CO/XO and a few DH's were married, the rest of us were single. We flew, chased girls and drank beer. Wednesday was Miramar, Thursday 32nd Street, Friday El Toro/MCRD, Saturday was date night and we went to the Pennant and Beachcomber on Sunday. :) The squadron was all male so we concentrated on fly, fight and win.There was no SHAPE, SAPR, SAVI, SARC or "mandatory fun events" like "DADT Repeal Training" or lectures on "Red/Yellow/Green light" behavior...

If you don't mind me asking, were you there at the infamous Tailhook incident?
 
We had a dead day or two between the end of classes and high school graduation. Saw it then.

The movie theater's not even there anymore...
 
Watched it for the first time today. I swear to God I had no idea it was the anniversary.
 
I was living in La Jolla/San Diego when the movie came out, just weeks from college graduation, and was a member of a running club (SDH3) that was popular among military members (mostly Navy but sometimes Marines from Camp Pendleton showed up). The guys all wanted to be Maverick; the single ladies all wanted to date Maverick. :) Fond memories of those days and Top Gun. BTW if you ever hashed with SDH3/LJH3/OCH3/Full Moon H3 between '85-91, we may have met. ON ON Lady Di
 
I think part of the success of the movie was that it came at a time when America felt like it was turning things around. Viet Nam was behind us and the Reagan Recession was over. I think the movie was another thing that lifted America's spirits. Or, maybe I'm just weird....
Reagan recession??? Excuse me... More like the Great Jimmy "Caaahterr" recession...

Reagan's policies propelled this country into the greatest economic boom we've ever seen. Just ask the Clintons. They were the lucky recipients to inherit the economic policies that he put in place.

Not to target Kinnem directly, but I actually find it quite amazing that liberal thinking people are on this forum and are supposedly supporting our military when their views are so distorted that they actually work against our warfighters.

I am getting sick and tired of all this Politically Correct BS crap. Let's keep dumbing down our schools, let's keep empowering small little special interests, let's keep empowering muslims but not christians. The list goes on and on...

At this point, I don't care if I get kicked of the forum, getting fed up.

Go ahead and fire away Dems, if I am still here tomorrow...
 
Reagan recession??? Excuse me... More like the Great Jimmy "Caaahterr" recession...

Reagan's policies propelled this country into the greatest economic boom we've ever seen. Just ask the Clintons. They were the lucky recipients to inherit the economic policies that he put in place.

Not to target Kinnem directly, but I actually find it quite amazing that liberal thinking people are on this forum and are supposedly supporting our military when their views are so distorted that they actually work against our warfighters.

I am getting sick and tired of all this Politically Correct BS crap. Let's keep dumbing down our schools, let's keep empowering small little special interests, let's keep empowering muslims but not christians. The list goes on and on...

At this point, I don't care if I get kicked of the forum, getting fed up.

Go ahead and fire away Dems, if I am still here tomorrow...
I don't really disagree with you. It might even be more accurate to call it the Paul Volker recession as it was the Fed wringing inflation out of the economy which was the direct cause of all the problems. The interest rate on my first mortgage was 18%!!!!! I suppose you could even blame Johnson and Nixon for pursuing guns AND butter. Nevertheless, at the time and even later it is generally referred to as the Reagan recession since it at least happened during his term of office.
 
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