Sometimes, I guess there just aren't enough jet videos.

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My apologies to Forrest Gump, er- Winston Groom actually, for borrowing most of his quote from the movie.

I remember the quote, and the movie of course, very well.  It was the first film my wife and I saw after we moved to Japan.  We had been quite the movie-goers when we lived in San Diego after we were first married, but that slowed considerably after the trip across the pond to Atsugi Naval Air Facility. That wasn't due to a lack of theaters, but because of the frequent underway periods CVW-5 had aboard USS INDEPENDENCE (CV-62). Besides the one on base, there were two other theaters within train or driving distance, one at Camp Zama, and the other at the Sagamihara Housing Area, which we visited as often as my schedule would allow.  I don't remember necessarily being bored by life in Japan, we were still newlyweds after all, but other than watching AFRTS programming, visiting the O-Club, or playing American tourist, taking in a flick was the height of entertainment for us.

Forrest Gump was no exception.  It had already been a big hit back at home by the time it made its way to the overseas bases, and every showing in the theater was packed.  It was so popular in fact, that it was held over for a number of weeks, alternating each night between the three local theaters.  Many people saw it more than once, my wife and me included.

Forrest Gump is one of those films in our house, that when it comes on TV, is watched through to the end.  It's over 20 years old now so I can't even begin to guess how many times I've watched it.  One of my favorite scenes is when Forrest is carrying Bubba out of the jungle and F-4 Phantoms drop napalm behind him.  I admit I was a little disappointed when I found out years later that the jets weren't real- just computer generated.

There's a bunch of other great quotes in Forrest Gump which I repeat fairly regularly when given the opportunity.  My impression of Forrest's "I must have had about 17 Dr. Peppers" is usually good for a laugh when somebody at work says they have to use the restroom. The Shawshank Redemption is another oft-quoted, oft-watched film I love.  "Get busy living, or get busy dying.  That's damned right" is probably my favorite quote.

While it doesn't really compare to Gump and Shawshank, at least as far as critical acclaim goes, another film I've watched, and quoted, more times than I can remember is Top Gun (two words, not all caps, ha!).  It's not the greatest movie ever made, the dialogue is cheesy as hell, and the technical errors in it are laughable, but I still like it.  It came out just as I was beginning my Naval service- (NROTC).  Anytime you've got a movie or a clip with high powered jets in it, it'll get more than a passing interest from me.  Firefox, Flight of the Intruder, The Final Countdown, etc., all meet my admittedly low threshold for highly watchable jet flicks.   YouTube videos are no exception.

While Jenny in Forrest Gump coudn't find a way for her to change what had happened to her in childhood, not enough rocks, I can make my day a bit brighter just by watching a cool clip- and I really can't get enough of them.  Yes, I'm easily amused.

Some folks on here don't like the soundtracks attached to cruise videos, but this one is pretty decent.  The original track- Van Halen's Dreams, was stripped out, but the footage is excellent.  I guess I like these type of videos for several reasons.  The first is obviously because they have jets in them!  Jets are just cool, and I like them for some of the same reasons I like fast cars, skiing and all kinds of racing sports- they get my adrenalin pumping, even if I'm just watching them.  The second is that I was one of the guys who helped put together our Foc'sul Follies videos way back when, and I like to see the cinematography and creativity that others have put into theirs.  Lastly, it reminds me of what I used to do, and with that I remember the excitement and freedom that flying offered.

And a little bit of freedom, even if it's achieved vicariously through a YouTube clip, never hurt anybody.

Ok, that's all I have for you today.  I'm on vacation so Sarge owes me some extra kibble for putting together today's post.