‘Top Gun’ turns 40: What the franchise means to someone who lost his brother in Iraq

If you’re a lifelong fan of the franchise like I am, then you already know that “Top Gun” and “Top Gun: Maverick” are back in theaters for one week starting today. The original movie is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. You better believe I will be seeing both films in the theater at least once, even though I’ve seen them both billions and billions of times. OK, so maybe I’ve only seen the second movie millions and millions of times, but I’ve seen them both a lot.

Top Gun

I have officially been obsessed with this movie for 40 years now. I’m 50 now, so it’s basically been with me for my entire life. Despite its flaws, and there are many (Maverick and Goose singing, some of the “romantic” dialogue, etc.) I will always watch this movie several times a year. I can quote the entire thing. I can quote it while it’s playing. I can (and do) quote it at random. My wife will say to me, “What is that? Wait, don’t tell me. ‘Top Gun’?”

Yep. I’m that guy. And I have my late brother Gregg to thank for that.

In the opening days of the war in March of 2003, my brother, Idaho Air National Guard Major Gregory (Gregg) Stone, 40, was at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait when another soldier rolled grenades into the tent where he was asleep. The attack wounded many soldiers. My brother died from his injuries three days later.

Gregg took me to a lot of movies when I was a kid. “Return of the Jedi,” “War Games,” “Spies Like Us,” and “Rambo III” to name a few. But “Top Gun” is the one that stuck with me. To this day, if I watch the movie, see the trailer, or hear one of its songs, I immediately think of Gregg. Every time, without fail. And I love that. I love that because it’s the next best thing to having him still here with us. It’s a good memory of a good time we had together and of something we shared and will always share.

The same year “Top Gun” came out, “Iron Eagle” was released. Like “Top Gun,” it featured military fighter pilots blowing up stuff and beating the bad guys. That was good enough for 10-year-old me. Gregg, on the other hand, wasn’t too impressed. I think he enjoyed watching the flight sequences, but beyond that, he realized how unrealistic the premise was and how awful most of the acting was — Louis Gossett Jr.’s performance notwithstanding.

Gregg, being in the military, knew what was accurate and what wasn’t. More on that later.

Then I saw the trailer for “Top Gun.”

After that, “Iron Eagle” was like a kid’s movie to me. Sorry, Doug Masters. You’re no match for Maverick.

May 1986

My grandpa had a heart attack that month. He survived it and lived for a long time after that. But still, of course, it was very scary. He lived in Weiser, Idaho at the time. We lived in Portland. My parents went to Weiser immediately to be with him. Gregg, my sister Tammy, and I made the drive down that Friday after school.

“Top Gun” always makes me think of that road trip. Gregg and Tammy were two and a half years apart in age. They were 23 and 20 when we took that trip. I was 10. So, they had the more traditional sibling rivalry/bickering thing going on, which I thought was hilarious, if for no other reason than for the creative and copious amounts of swearing involved. Tammy was appalled that Gregg didn’t have any napkins in his truck, while Gregg was appalled that Tammy was eating Cheetos in his truck.

He made her sit still in the passenger seat without touching anything until we pulled over, with Cheeto goo drying on her fingers. We eventually stopped to get gas and some McDonald’s. Tammy had to have the salt that comes in those little packets. It was more powdery than the stuff in the shakers. She dumped about four packs of it onto her pile of ketchup. After stirring it in with a French fry, it was pink. Gregg was flabbergasted by this. “What the **** are you doing? It’s like a ***** comedy!” And it was. I was thoroughly entertained and laughing my head off. Although, unlike at my birthday parties, I did not throw up, thank you very much.

We finally made it to Weiser, and Grandpa was doing OK. We visited with everybody, took pictures, and did all the family catching-up that you do. Then we realized, “Top Gun” was finally out. We rounded up our cousins and headed to the theater at Karcher Mall in Nampa, Idaho.

Every time Maverick would shoot down a plane, I would pump my fist in the air and loudly whisper, “Yessssssss!!!” I did some headbanging during “Danger Zone” and hid my eyes during the love scene (gross for 10-year-old me). I was bummed out when Goose died, and disappointed when Maverick didn’t win the Top Gun trophy, therefore getting no points for second place. But then the adrenaline started pumping again when Mav, Ice, and the rest of the gang were sent to do what they’d been trained for. They were America’s best. They would make us proud.

They also made us want to see the movie again. Like, immediately.

In fact, Gregg would talk about almost nothing else for a few weeks. Anytime he’d run into someone who hadn’t seen it, he’d insist they drop what they were doing and go with him right then and there to the theater. Seriously, I saw this happen two or three times. My mom was among those he put in his truck and took to the movies.

Even though, like his little brother, Gregg immediately became obsessed with “Top Gun,” he also pointed out all the unrealistic stuff. As a major for the Air National Guard, he knew what he was talking about.

There is a scene where Tom Cruise is dialing something up in the F-14, and you see his bare hand. My brother leaned over and whispered, “Nope. He would always have gloves on.” Then there were the pilots’ visors. The American pilots in the film never had them down.

“Nope, they’d have to have their visors down,” he whispered. “Otherwise, their eyeballs would get ripped out of their heads.” I took his word for it.

Top Gun soundtrack

The soundtrack is also a huge part of the “Top Gun” experience. It is fantastic. You’ve got Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone,” of course. Cheap Trick’s “Mighty Wings” closes the movie and is the second track on the soundtrack. For a long time, those were the only songs I would listen to. But one day, months after the movie came out, Gregg and I were riding around in his truck when he flipped the tape over and played another song, “Destination Unknown,” by Marietta.

“That’s on the Top Gun soundtrack?” I asked. “I don’t remember this from the movie.”

“It’s real quiet in the background of the graduation scene,” he replied.

He played that song a couple more times. He did that when he liked a song.

At that moment, I realized I should probably listen to the whole tape. And not just that tape, but all my tapes. There may be some hidden gems in there somewhere. That was just another door he inadvertently unlocked for me, which I believe is one of the main reasons for my passion for music.

Despite my brother’s obsession, I only saw “Top Gun” once in the theater

Despite all that, I only saw “Top Gun” in the theater that one time.

That was OK, though, because we had one of them newfangled VCRs at home. And in March of 1987, it was finally released on home video. Ten months is a long time when you’re 10, going on 11. Release day finally came, but it wasn’t as easy as popping down to the video store to rent a copy. They were all rented out. Everywhere.

Gregg and I called around to every nearby video store, and they were all rented out. Gregg, being smart, asked if any were due back that day. We finally found a place where they had one copy due back by 4 p.m. We were out the door, going Mach 2 with our hair on fire.

We parked out in front of a little mom-and-pop video store in Portland and watched people going into the place with their stacks of videotapes. “You guys got ‘Top Gun’?” we’d ask. What were we thinking? You could get arrested today for doing that.

Finally, we asked this guy, and he said, “Yep! I’m turning it in right now.” So, like a couple of weirdos, we followed this dude into the store and rented it before he could even set it down. That’s right, Iceman. We were dangerous.

Someone asked me once what it is about “Top Gun” that makes it an obsession with me. It’s not the story, or the planes, or Tom Cruise — who I think is a phenomenal actor. All those things are great. But I think when it comes down to it, it gave me a gateway into Gregg’s world. He was 23. I was 10. He was in the military. I was in fifth grade, so there was nothing cooler than that. Maverick’s aviator shades and leather jacket were cool, don’t get me wrong, but they weren’t quite that cool.

May 2022

Fast-forward 36 years. My brother has been gone for nearly two decades. After years of pandemic-related delays, “Top Gun: Maverick” was released. I never thought there would be a sequel. So when I first saw the trailer in the fall of 2019, I squealed. Literally. The only other time I’ve done that is when I saw Roger Federer in person at the U.S. Open. I could not wait. But I had to.

While all things “Top Gun” remind me of Gregg in a happy way, I must admit the sequel did make me feel a little sad initially. And that is for the simple fact that he wasn’t there next to me watching it. I didn’t get to ask him what he thought of it.

Was “Top Gun: Maverick” better than the first one? Which parts were realistic? Could someone really shoot down an SU-57 with an F-14? What was cheesier, the volleyball scene from the first one or the beach dual-football scene from the second one?

I also didn’t get to share my excitement with him about interviewing Tom Skerritt just before “Top Gun: Maverick” was finally released. I mean, holy ****. It’s Viper! I think he would have liked that.

Like the original, I watch “Top Gun: Maverick” all the time. The scene with Maverick and Iceman is my favorite. Knowing that Val Kilmer could barely speak because of his real-life battle with throat cancer made it all the more poignant when he initially typed his dialogue. And it was heartbreaking when he struggles to his feet and says out loud that, “The Navy needs Maverick. The kid needs Maverick. That’s why I fought for you. That’s why you’re still here.”

When I watch that scene, I can hear Gregg saying to me, “The world needs you. That’s why I went to war and fought for you.”

I don’t know what the world needs me for. Maybe it’s simply to make sure our mom and sister are OK. Whatever it is, I’m sure he’ll lean over and whisper it from the empty seat next to me when I’m watching “Top Gun” this week.

Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.

Follow @FrankLenziKIRO