WWW.USVETERANSMAGAZINE.COM U.S. VETERANS MAGAZINE 67
PHOTO BY CBS VIA GETTY IMAGES
The movie Top Gun , directed by Tony Scott. Seen here, Tom Cruise as Lt. Pete Maverick Mitchell riding a Kawasaki GPZ 900 R. Initial theatrical release May 16, 1986. Paramount Pictures.
unprecedented flying scenes, is best seen on the big screen. What better film to cel- ebrate open theaters this summer?
In the Dogfighting Business
Maverick and company, though based on true fighter pilots, were glitzed up a bit, and that's just fine. Pedersen credits the 1986 blockbuster film with helping the military. The movie was excellent, he told U.S. Veterans Magazine. They motivated us and increased recruiting. But Hollywood is in the storytelling busi- ness. Pedersen was in the dogfighting busi- ness. When he spearheaded Top Gun, he fo- cused on pilots, in the air, in dogfights. The only thing they have to rely on is their pro- fessional experience and senior guidance, he said. The guys that were with me were far more professional and serious, he said. Before Top Gun, which formed in 1969 with Pedersen and eight other elite Airmen honing their skills in Miramar, pilots in that war were achieving a 2 to 1 kill ratio, meaning they killed two enemies for every one American lost. Totally unacceptable, Pedersen said. And the Godfather of Top Gun ought to know.
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