You lucky bastard. He's one of the few people I'd like to have been able to have a long conversation with. He was an amazing writer. My workstation at the office is called "tanstaafl". :-)
It was even better. My story of that encounter as previously posted on FR:
At the L-5 Society Convention in 1984 (I think that was the year) I was sitting there in my tuxedo waiting for the final banquet to begin. Everybody at our table buzzed with excitement. I asked why. “Don’t you know, this is Heinlein’s table!”
Soon, they seated R.A. Heinlein next to me. I finished off most of the wine on the table, and then turned to him. “Mister Heinlein, I got a bone to pick with you. I read Starship Troopers and was inspired to go to West Point. It wasn’t any fun at all.”
“Well”, he replied, “That’s where you screwed up. You should have gone to Annapolis”. And then he told me a parable.
“When Navy played Army, they took the cadets to Chicago for the game. The good people of Chicago made sure that all of the cadets had blind dates. One cadet got along so famously with his blind date that she wrote him a letter advising him that she was with child.
The cadet went to the Commandant and asked for Compassionate Leave. Then he went to Chicago. He met the girl’s parents and said, “I’m terribly sorry about what happened, but I am ready to resign from West Point and make your daughter an honest woman”.
The parents replied, “Son, that won’t be necessary. We’ve discussed it, and we’d much rather have a bastard in the family than a West Pointer”.
What an honor to be zinged by RAH!