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Best Naval Aviation movies

Gatordev

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I thought Ryan was medically retired due to injuries sustained during his Helo crash while a MIDN.

It's been a while since I've read the book, but I thought he finished his time at the academy and was commissioned, but then left to do banking stuff (although I don't think that came out until later). But it's possible I'm remembering wrong.

The movie mentions that he finished his last year from a hospital bed, and I think Fred said he was a Marine when he was shutting down the CAG in the stateroom, but I'm not sure it went much farther than that in the movie. In Patriot Games, they show Ryan as a Marine when he kills the brother in the beginning, but again, that's the movie. I'm honestly not sure if I ever read Patriot Games.
 

Pags

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In the film, it’s a helo crash a 1Lt or 2Lt marine infantry officer.

I was not joking about Greer - never read the books, so I don’t know his backstory. Thought he was just CIA and freewheeling it.
Per IMDB (and my memory having also recently watched the movie)
"Admiral Josh Painter: You see that ring on his finger? The Academy, Class of '72. A Marine.
Captain Davenport: You're kidding! How did you...
Admiral Josh Painter: Greer told me. Summer of his third year, he and his squad went down in a chopper accident in the Med. Bad - pilot, crew killed. That kid spent ten months in traction, another year learning to walk again. Did his fourth year from the hospital. Now it's up to you, Charlie, but you might consider cuttin' the kid a little slack."

I always interperted that as he was in a crash during his junior (3rd yr) year and spent his senior (4th) in traction.

Edit:. Apparently the movie backstory is different from the books. Per Wikipedia, in the books hes a BC alum and the Helo crash is when he's in the fleet.
 
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BarryD

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In the books:
VADM Greer was a submarine officer (had multiple commands at sea) before going intel and eventually winding up at the Agency. Ryan was a Marine 2ndLt commissioned via BC NROTC who messed up his back in a helo crash in a NATO exercise off of Crete.
 

Hair Warrior

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Not sure how a retired 3-star admiral was ever able to complete the arduous training pipeline at the CIA to also become a case officer and a Chief of Station in the same lifetime, but I guess that’s why they call it fiction.
 

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Not sure how a retired 3-star admiral was ever able to complete the arduous training pipeline at the CIA to also become a case officer and a Chief of Station in the same lifetime, but I guess that’s why they call it fiction.
Are you talking about the Greer from the new Amazon show? If so, he's a break from canon.
 

BarryD

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Not sure how a retired 3-star admiral was ever able to complete the arduous training pipeline at the CIA to also become a case officer and a Chief of Station in the same lifetime, but I guess that’s why they call it fiction.

Greer wasn't a case officer. He was wasn't in the Operations Directorate. . .

Greer in amazon != Greer
 

Gatordev

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In the books:
VADM Greer was a submarine officer (had multiple commands at sea) before going intel and eventually winding up at the Agency. Ryan was a Marine 2ndLt commissioned via BC NROTC who messed up his back in a helo crash in a NATO exercise off of Crete.

Good stuff. But now you've come and ruined the question with "facts." Actually kind of cool that the Amazon story picked up on the BC angle. I either didn't know that or forgotten it, no doubt clouded by the movies.

I swear that Greer was an aviator though. I thought that was the link in "hiring" Kelly to go in country. At this point, I'm sure I'm wrong, but I thought that was why there was the connection between the two and why Greer helped Kelly go underground.

Maybe Greer was CNO at some point. Then the unauthorized ribbon issue could be explained.;)

#toosoon.
 

BarryD

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Good stuff. But now you've come and ruined the question with "facts." Actually kind of cool that the Amazon story picked up on the BC angle. I either didn't know that or forgotten it, no doubt clouded by the movies.

I swear that Greer was an aviator though. I thought that was the link in "hiring" Kelly to go in country. At this point, I'm sure I'm wrong, but I thought that was why there was the connection between the two and why Greer helped Kelly go underground.



#toosoon.

If I remember correctly it wasn't Greer who got Kelly to go in country. The two guys who did were both Aviators and I one was a three star and one was a two star, and Kelly happened to have pulled one of the Admiral's Aviator sons out of dodge in SE Asia. Greer recruited Kelly after the operation.
 

Gatordev

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If I remember correctly it wasn't Greer who got Kelly to go in country. The two guys who did were both Aviators and I one was a three star and one was a two star, and Kelly happened to have pulled one of the Admiral's Aviator sons out of dodge in SE Asia. Greer recruited Kelly after the operation.

My memory is obviously faulty. I think I reread it during my 3rd deployment, some 10 years ago, so obviously I'm missing something. Please correct me, but wasn't it Greer and "someone else" that pulled Kelly out of the Chesapeake, though? Come on, give me some hope I'm not a complete brain retard...although given my lack of recalling aircraft limits, I'll acknowledge the brain weakness.
 

BarryD

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My memory is obviously faulty. I think I reread it during my 3rd deployment, some 10 years ago, so obviously I'm missing something. Please correct me, but wasn't it Greer and "someone else" that pulled Kelly out of the Chesapeake, though? Come on, give me some hope I'm not a complete brain retard...although given my lack of recalling aircraft limits, I'll acknowledge the brain weakness.

Yeah I think it was OP-05, the 2 star, and Greer who extract Mr. C via sailboat.

If I ever fake my death I want it to be done via blowing up my fishing boat.
 
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