How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Top Gun.
Quote #4
VIPER: In my squadron in Vietnam, we lost eight of 18 aircraft. Ten men. First one dies, you die too. But there will be others. You can count on it. You gotta let him go. You gotta let him go.
Viper describes the reality of being a fighter pilot, and the realities of war. He not only gives Maverick (and us) a history lesson about high death rates in Vietnam, but also points out that jets are almost as dangerous in peacetime as in war.
Quote #5
VIPER: We were in the worst dogfight I ever dreamed of. Bogies like fireflies all over the sky. His F-4 was hit, he was wounded, but he could've made it back. He stayed in it, saved three planes before he bought it… Now that's not something the State Department tells dependents when the battle occurred over the wrong line on some map.
Viper again describes the realities of war with perfect precision. He tells Maverick about his father's heroic, wartime death, and also alludes to the politics of war. Wars are fought over "lines" on maps, and Maverick has grown up believing a lie because of the contours of some dumb boundary.
Quote #6
STINGER: There are MiGs in the area. Tensions are high. If you witness a hostile act you are to return fire.
Stinger finally gives the boys permission to fire because he knows it's his guys or the enemy's guys. Nevertheless, he doesn't exactly give the guys a blank check. They still have to witness a "hostile act," which soon happens as Hollywood is shot down.