Although another review revealed that "Pensacola, Wings of Gold" was not shot in Pensacola....... We watched them shoot the 66 episodes at Miramar Marine Air base in San Diego with the marine brass strictly guiding and assisting in the accuracy of all the series episodes. This went all the way up to Washington, D.C. where the Marine corps leader General James Jones approved the overall coordination of the show and it's accuracy with the USMC. General Jones presented the show and it's exec producer James Brolin a Marine Corps award for the show's help in recruiting and goodwill for the USMC. The Segal Studios are right outside the base fences where many the additional interiors were shot for a 3 year period. The base Hornet F-111 Jets worked most all days during the shoot, with their always active pilots assisting. While jet noise or no jet noise, so did the show go on. The show was dropped in the scramble of the Viacom stock takeover of CBS and Paramount, and replaced by a cheap reality show. At the time it was showing and representing American good will in a full 39 countries around the world.

The first season told pretty much how all elements of the Marine Corps would operate (i.e. ground, air, helicopters and jets) as a team. That's the season I give the high rating to! (True, there are still a lot of "liberties" taken in season 1, but the stories were more believable.)The subsequent seasons were a gawd-awful attempt of Melrose Place meets Top Gun! I was a Marine stationed at Miramar at the time and I remember them shooting the show around the San Diego area. I got to talk to Rod Rowland and James Brolin.Rowland's character was good to go.Brolin's character was good in the first season only. For some reason he slacked off after the first ep of the second season.If you want to see a LITTLE of how the Marine Air Ground team operates, then season one is the one to watch.If you're into Melrose Place and soap opera like plots with an attempt to merge them into Top Gun, then see the last two seasons.

I would just like to point out (in addition to pleading for the series to be released on DVD) that a show does not have to be realistic to be entertaining. These days, with all the blood and gore in the news and in crime dramas, reality shows, etc. it's nice to get lost in a good, cheesy show with entertaining characters. PWOG fits the bill. Was it Emmy material? No, but it was awesome just the same.I also have to put a vote in for the second cast - they were more charismatic than the cast of season one. I would definitely agree that the first season had a more serious vibe than the second two, but I was definitely more sucked in by the latter cast. Even though the series has been off the air for years, I'll never stop hoping that it be released for purchase.

The first season was excellent with its four Marines -- the Sea Dragons. The show was about "teamwork" with its exciting story lines about how four people come together as a unit. They are intelligent and respectful of one another, their superiors, and their assignments. The first season portrayed women and male/female relationships in a very positive manner, without the degrading cheap attention-getting tricks like boobs, bodies, bikinis, and the sexual innuendo that slimed across the screen in the second season. Yes, the Sea Dragons are the best of the best, and first season took my breath away.