As the number of David Letterman retrospectives, appreciations and remembrances nears critical mass before his final show this evening, most pieces focus on his place in American culture, his awkward relationship with fame, his status as the long-serving icon of late-night talk, or that time he put a camera on a monkey.
This one is less ambitious in scope: Ten times the retiring host sat down with members of the armed services, often those whose accomplishments more than merited the stage his program provided. Like the Top Ten Lists that Letterman has offered over more than three decades, the entries are in no particular order and don't pretend to be comprehensive. If images or video from a particularly memorable moment aren't included, it's likely because all evidence has been erased from the official online archive, which includes only a limited selection of Letterman segments, and only from his years at CBS.
10. Army Gen. Ray Odierno
The chief of staff has made multiple appearances, including the one pictured above, when he stopped by for Veterans Day in 2013. He also helped deliver a Top Ten List earlier that year to mark the Army's birthday, appearing alongside nine other soldiers who offered reasons why they loved being in uniform (Odierno likes the free haircuts, for those keeping score).
Like Letterman, the general is stepping aside this year. But should Odierno desire a return to late-night CBS TV, he knows a guy.
9. Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer
Letterman has played host to several Medal of Honor recipients, including a number on this list, but Meyer's take on the MoH process, including a running joke about working on construction equipment the day he learned he would receive the award, stands out among the group.
8. Marine Cpl. Kyle Carpenter
7. Adm. Mike Mullen
Then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mullen used a 2011 visit to prove that a service member can recover from a slow start to his career. For example, a midshipman who compiled triple-digit demerits in his first month at the Naval Academy and later hit a buoy while in command of his first ship could go on to be the nation's top military officer.
Letterman offered mock incredulity. "Does anybody look at your records?" he asked. "How does this happen?"
6. John Oliver
5. 10 airmen in Germany
All the services have been spotlighted in Top Ten Lists, but this 2002 offering from Ramstein Air Base offers the concept at its humorous core — 10 airmen, likely approaching midnight local time, attempting not to screw up their lines in front of millions of viewers. Winners include No. 10 ("If I want Chinese food, I fly to China"), No. 8 ("One weekend a year, you get to take your jet home with you") and No. 1 ("Chicks dig planes").
4. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Pitts
3. Army Sgt. Kyle White
2. Rear Adm. Grace Hopper
Recognized as a computer pioneer for a body of work that began before World War II, Hopper appeared on NBC's "Late Night with David Letterman" shortly after she retired in 1986. She admitted to never seeing the show ("I'm afraid it's too late for me"), plugged her civilian employer ("Gotta get that in there, they're a good outfit"), discussed her promotion to commodore ("President Reagan did it all by himself") and pretty much commanded the interest of the hippest late-night audience in history, and its favorite host, for two segments — at age 79.
1. 'The President's Own'
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.
