Corrected entry: At the end Maverick throws Goose's dogtags off the ship. American soldiers wear two dog tags. When killed, one tag goes to administration for paperwork purposes and the other is given to the family (if any). Goose's personal effects should have had only one tag and been mailed home to his wife, NOT given to Maverick. It is not military policy to let a deceased soldier's friends pick through his stuff after he dies, as we see Maverick do.
Grumpy Scot
20th Jun 2003
Top Gun (1986)
Correction: Going through a deceased service person's items is often handled by their closest friend or person in their chain of command. They do that to spare the family of embarrassment by accidentally sending things home that would upset them. In the movie, Goose's wife is waiting for the stuff, possibly because it's an all male BOQ.
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Correction: It is common for service members to have multiple sets of dog tags so Maverick could certainly have a set of Goose's dog tags.