James Tolkan, Commander Tom "Stinger" Jardian in Top Gun has died at age 94

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botany_bae@reddit

He made me never want to fly a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong.

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latedescent@reddit

Ironic how it turned out to be one of the best jobs though 😂

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Fighter pilot: "I can do anything you can do." Cargo pilot: "Bet you can't do this." Few minutes later: Cargo pilot: "Well?" Fighter pilot: "What did you just do?" Cargo pilot: "Went back to the lav and took a shit."

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kmac6821@reddit

There is no way I would have ever pooped in the back of the COD.

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Kitty_Skittles_181@reddit

No in-aircraft lav? Damn. Clearly I was not familiar with you guys' game.

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kmac6821@reddit

No, our game was to take care of that business in the hotel we were staying in each night. We would be on the boat for about an hour each day with most flights behind less than a couple hours each way. Life was good.

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bc47791@reddit

It pains me to say it- you're going to Miramar

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HKTLE@reddit

Best douce bag and bad guy RIP 🙏🏾

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Dittofield@reddit

94, that’s a good run.

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Merc5193@reddit

💯

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philips800@reddit

Not quite, 6 years short.

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C-57D@reddit

💯

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Merc5193@reddit

💯

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NoTap8889@reddit

💯 − log(💯) × log(💯) − log(💯)

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lolariane@reddit

I wish him all of the air conditioning he could ever dream of!!

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nigelfaragesonlyfans@reddit

Sounds like his ego was writing checks his body had no problems cashing. RIP.

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DramaticIsopod4741@reddit

A great innings.

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Palorrian@reddit

He almost reached lvl 100 but got slain by the horde

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Dolmetscher1987@reddit

Depends on your physical and mental state. It's not the same to reach 94 in good physical and mental conditions and then deteriorating in your final weeks or days, than to spend your final years bedridden because some sort of dementia.

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CharcoalGreyWolf@reddit

Not “Hondo”?

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MoeSzyslakMonobrow@reddit

"Your ego is writing checks your body can't cash!" RIP

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Theres3ofMe@reddit

I'm feeling a bit stupid here, what does that mean in simple terms?

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cat_prophecy@reddit

Maverick thinks he's hot shit (big ego) but he doesn't have the skills to back up his ego.

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Fun-Cauliflower-1724@reddit

It means you can’t actually do what you’re saying you can do

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-Wolf_ODonnell_16-@reddit

"Cause your mouth's writing checks that your ass can't cash!"

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downforce_dude@reddit

This man made me afraid of Exocet missiles as a child

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gumball2016@reddit

"There's FIVE?"

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indimedia@reddit

Yessir

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naclest79@reddit

Sadly and ironically, the USS Stark (FFG 31) was attacked with two Exocet missiles exactly one year and one day after Top Gun was released.

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cheetuzz@reddit

by an Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1 in 1987. I can’t keep track, was US enemies or allied with Iraq at that time?

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Sivalon@reddit

“And *you,* asshole, you’re lucky to even *be* here!” “Thank you, sir!”

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OldStromer@reddit

I loved that scene.

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Mitochondria420@reddit

Principal Skinner noooo

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Haldron-44@reddit

And Detective Lubic in Masters of the Universe 😭

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err-no_please@reddit

He's also briefly in Serpico. You may be surprised to learn that he plays an angry authority figure

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mencival@reddit

🤯 never even thought about it

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odin_the_wiggler@reddit

"Didn't that guy EVER have hair?" "You're a SLACKER!"

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pistolpoida@reddit

Eat lead slacker

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ifcknkl@reddit

Should I watch topgun? Is it worth it?

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mpg111@reddit

do you enjoy shirtless men playing volleyball on a beach?

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Nasty_Rex@reddit

IN JEANS. It's important

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SufficientSquirrel27@reddit

Do you like movies about gladiators?

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mpg111@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/h4vw7imf1prg1.jpeg?width=348&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=61462ed5d9c4048a32f4993c2a720958c63ade71

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Unable_Ad8675@reddit

Have you ever seen a grown man naked?

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Mitochondria420@reddit

You like movies about gladiators?

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clearly_inebriated@reddit

Haha, great reference

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big_pete1000@reddit

Best sports movie ever made

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FixergirlAK@reddit

At least watch the opening credits. They filmed live catapult launch operations instead of using special effects, it's really cool. I had a boyfriend who was an Airedale and he said that aside from dramatic cinematic sunrise it felt real. The flying sequences are also great. For extra fun, watch it with someone who is flat-out aerophobic.

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Animal__Mother_@reddit

Your ex was a small Scottish dog?

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naclest79@reddit

Kenny Loggins approves this message (probably)!

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pornborn@reddit

You should watch Quentin Tarantino’s explanation of Top Gun: https://youtu.be/OxzwfZ2Wa94

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space_coyote_86@reddit

Do you like planes? Sure. The second one is even better.

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porkswords@reddit

I disagree, the second one is almost beat by beat the first one but dumber

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Talon-ACS@reddit

Ok, boomer.

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swordrat720@reddit

Do you like gladiator movies?

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boomHeadSh0t@reddit

1 and 2 absolutely even if just for the cultural heritage

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Shadowrend01@reddit

Yes. The story is average at best, but the plane stuff is great

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Original-Alps-1285@reddit

Hopefully not flying a cargo plane full of dogshit out of HK

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RedditReader4031@reddit

I guess he’ll never see anyone flying rubber dog shit.

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SaturnSociety@reddit

He and Tom Skerritt were standouts in Top Gun. They each gave it a certain gravitas. RIP

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CodeMonkeyPhoto@reddit

Tom is still going at 92.

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BusySeagulls1967@reddit

RIP James

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DionFW@reddit

"Who's up there?"

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Jonfers9@reddit

How did I not ever realize he was Strickland and in top gun.

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Cycleofmadness@reddit

Viper is still alive & also in his 90's.

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hullgreebles@reddit

He's flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong in the sky

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Obvious-Hunt19@reddit

And you, asshole… you’re just lucky to be here

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dudeilovethisshit@reddit

“I want some butts!”…hope he has all the fighter pilot ass he wants in the afterlife. RIP

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ningyna@reddit

I think his boss wanted the butts lol

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dudeilovethisshit@reddit

Ah, right you are! The sentiment remains. I guess I should be flying rubber dog shit to China.

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cosmicthepenguin@reddit

Everyone else is trying to fly it out of Hong Kong only the real ones are trying to sneak it back in.

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hacourt@reddit

Why does this feel more of a loss than I would have expected. RIP you f$%#&#@g legend. P.s. you were right Maverick was well out of order.

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BoseSounddock@reddit

I want some BUTTS

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gumball2016@reddit

Negative Ghost Rider - That was the tower boss at Miramar.

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Kotukunui@reddit

One at Miramar and one on the carrier after the final dogfight. Same guy. Not Stinger.

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cruisin_urchin87@reddit

“You’ll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of HAWNG KAWNG!”

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DCUStriker9@reddit

No McFly ever amounted to anything

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Galaldriel@reddit

...in the history of Hill Valley.

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Griffdorah@reddit

Eat lead slackers!!

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pornborn@reddit

Cue “I Can’t Drive 55” by Sammy!

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Green_Demo@reddit

It's funny to see that he wasn't bald his entire life. https://preview.redd.it/951yxcpnlorg1.jpeg?width=978&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea2a2143ebb69c70c0256b40fccaf6d52f627157

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pornborn@reddit

Mr. Strickland! Jeez. Didn’t that guy ever have any hair?

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Hobear@reddit

This is obviously a toupee.

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Titan-828@reddit

Was he ever named in the movie?

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pornborn@reddit

I don’t think he was.

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DasbootTX@reddit

RIP fellow handsome bald man

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MissNashPredators11@reddit

God I hate this year.

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lt_dt@reddit

Slacker!

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jimmax23@reddit

Thought of him just a couple of days ago driving past Miramar on a work trip.

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QNZMadamant@reddit

God help us

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fdwyersd@reddit

he was bad ass... fly on buddy

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Captainrexcody@reddit

We shall all fly cargo planes full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong in his honor

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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Sad-Umpire6000@reddit

“You screw up just this much, Maverick, and you’re going to be working 12 days a month for half a million a year!”

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GeraintLlanfrechfa@reddit

*I'm gonna send you up against the best. They are better than you. Maybe they'll knock that shine off your eagle and you'll see, finally, where discipline and teamwork fit it.*

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GlassCleaner_Stan@reddit

“Gentlemen!” “Good luck, gentlemen.”

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LuuDinhUSA@reddit

May her forever being flying cargo planes full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong

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hamburgler26@reddit

Between Top Gun and Back To The Future this guy was a legendary figure in my childhood. 94 is a great run, RIP and thanks for the amazing work you did.

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