He enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC) in 1939 with plans to study medicine, but left to join the US Navy Air Corp and earned the distinction of Navy Pilot LTJG.
In Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise, during any flight scenes one can clearly see "GOOSE VF-1" on LTJG Nick Bradshaw's (Anthony Edwards') flight helmet, as well as when they are on the USS Enterprise in the opening scenes of the movie, where the tail flash of the VF-1 is clearly visible in some of the shots.