Let's make this birthday one to remember.

86 years old (Born on May 26, 1938)

Happy Birthday, Darryl Ponicsan! Whether you're celebrating with "The Last Detail" or starting a new chapter today—may your plot twists this year be as entertaining and unforgettable as the antics of Buddusky and Mulhall. Your keen literary wit has guided us through storytelling brilliance; cheers to crafting tales that remain timeless classics!

Here's hoping any recent successes—and surely more adaptations are lining up for attention—bring you even greater joy than seeing Navy life immortalized by Jack Nicholson under Hal Ashby's stellar direction. Keep filling pages (and movie screens) so vividly—we eagerly await each sequel around life's next corner!