Boyington & his Black Sheep

Gregory ‘Pappy’ Boyington

The brashest, most publicized pilots of the Pacific Theater belonged to the appropriately named Black Sheep Squadron.  They were rowdy, profane, hard-drinking, fun-loving and credited with so many Japanese aircraft that they became legends in their own time.

The leader of this wild bunch was Major Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, a former Flying Tiger with 6 kills to his credit.  The boozing, brawling commander downed 28 enemy planes – more than any other Marine pilot.  He was born 4 December 1912 and in Coeur d’Alene, IA he took his first flight at 6 years old with barnstormer, Clyde Pangborn.  Boyington grew up thinking his step-father was his biological father and went by the name Hallenbeck.  It wasn’t until he graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in aeronautical engineering that he learned his real name.

Black Sheep Squadron patch.

Boyington formed the Black Sheep in the summer of ’43 when he noticed scattered pilots and aircraft unattached and unused by other units, despite the US forces need of more squadrons.  They flew their first mission 14 September in Chance Vought F4U Corsairs.

So confident of their success against the enemy, Boyington and his cohorts made a startling announcement in October 1943.  Having run out of baseball caps – their traditional headgear – they promised to shoot down a Japanese Zero for every cap sent to them from a major league baseball team.  In December, when the St. Louis Cardinals forwarded 20 caps, the daredevils more than kept their end of the bargain – 48 aircraft downed; 14 of them by Boyington himself.

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On 3 January 1944, the Black Sheep lost their commander.  During a fighter sweep over Rabaul, Boyington parachuted from his flaming plane into St. George Channel, just after bagging his 28th enemy aircraft.  He was picked up by a Japanese submarine and brought to Rabaul where he was interrogated and sent to Japan.  He remained a prisoner until 29 August 1945.  During his time as a POW, he was made a temporary Lt. Colonel and awarded the Medal of Honor and Navy Cross.   A TV series, staring Robert Conrad, Baa Baa Black Sheep, aired 1976-78, depicting Boyington and his crew’s antics and bravery.

Gregory Boyington passed away 11 January 1988 and was buried at Arlington Cemetery.

R.I.P.

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Military Humor – 

Click to enlarge ol’ Sad Sack.

made by Dennis the Vizsla’s father.

“I think Auntie (she wasn’t ‘Auntie’ then, of course) sent me the ‘Keep Smiling’ card. I got shipped to Crailsheim Germany because the Rehab Center needed two social workers, but six months later they closed it and I got reassigned to a hospital in Muenchweiler. They had no active psych. unit so I ran the PA system, paging people, and reading lots of books.

Dennis’s website is HERE.

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Farewell Salutes – 

Tom Abrash – Windsor, CAN; RC Navy, WWII

Ray Brendemuehl – Milwaukee, WI; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USS Natoma Bay

Albert ‘Sonny’ Erickson – San Jose, CA; US Army, WWII, ETO

John Gunselman – Ephrata, PA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th Airborne Div.

John Jones – Gloucester, NJ; US Navy, WWII, Korea, SeaBees

Jim McQueen – Auckland, NZ; RNZ Air Force # 404466, WWII, ETO, POW

George Ogden – Broad Channel, NY; US Navy, WWII

Trevor Riordan – Sydney, AUS; RA Air Force # A222011, Vietnam, 9th Squadron

Melvin Strople – Gloucester, MA; US Army (Ret. 21 years), WWII & Korea

Steven Talamantez – Laredo, TX; US Army, Iraq, 1st Cavalry Div., Sgt., KIA

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