http://history1900s.about.com/library/prm/blpappyboyington1.htm
Oddly enough, I just finished Boyington’s “Baa Baa Black Sheep” earlier today.
There’s a whole lot in the interview you posted that correlates with his book. But there’s some dialogue that’s new to me and, since I just finished his book, helps to complete his diary. One thing I noticed that contradicts his book is that, in the interview, it claims he had 24 kills, while in his book, he had 28 kills.
Thanks for that link. Boyington’s character is such an enigma for me.
Boyington claimed 6 with AVG, but was paid for 2. SOme give him 24 kills based on this, others 28. Only he knows for sure. Be sure to read Bruce Gamle’s " Black Sheep One", and his “Black Sheep” book. Excellent well researched material.
Very interesting… thanks for the link.
YES! Those are fantastic and very well-researched books. I’ve met Bruce Gamble on a couple of occasions, and I was very impressed. He’s a good man and a good writer.
Another book I’d recommend is Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and the American Volunteer Group by Daniel Ford. Boyington pops up pretty frequently in Ford’s book, which is the definitive history of the Flying Tigers.
Regards,
Good read. Thanks for the link.
Regards, Rick
I know this is an old topic, but I didn’t find it until today. I have a story that I thought y’all might appreciate. It is NOT intended to be disrespectful of Maj. Boyington! It is only intended to put him in the context of the opinions of one of his peers, Joe Foss.
About 5 or 6 years ago, I had the honor of spending some time chatting with Joe Foss at the Albuquerque, NM gun show. My brother and I had hauled our Dad down there because Dad said he’d met Foss in the SW Pacific. I can’t describe the feeling of seeing two of my greatest heroes shake hands!
There weren’t a lot of other people standing around to talk to Foss, so we had some terrific 3-on-1 time with him. At one point I asked, “The theme of Pappy Boyington’s book was “show me a hero and I’ll prove he’s a bum,” and Pappy seemed to go out of his way to validate that. However, it’s obvious that neither you nor any other Medal of Honor recipient I’ve ever met was a bum – and I’ve met a bunch of ‘em. Was Pappy really as big a jerk as he made himself out to be?”
Now, Foss had been the very soul of decorum and gentility – as perfect a gentleman as you could ever want to meet. In an instant, though, he scowled and his voice rose in pitch and volume. He snarled, “When Pappy was drinking he was in IDIOT!!” [Very, very strong emphasis on the word.]
Then, just as instantly, he composed himself and took in a breath. “When he was sober, he was…[ pause three seconds] a very unpleasant man.”
As a personal aside, I’d always doubted that Dad had actually met Foss. After all, what’s the use of having been a Marine if you can’t tell the odd whopper? I’m not sure Foss remembered Dad, but from the way they described a couple of scenes, there’s not a doubt in the world that they were within arm’s reach of each other more than once. This was on Emirau Is… Semper Fi, Dad.
Wess Rodgers
At the time, we needed heros & Pappy was one of those nominated. A lot of stories suggest ha wasn’t the nicest guy on the block nor the sharpest arrow in the quiver, but his exploits & contributions did capture the imagination.
Regards, Rick
Pappy was the right man at the right time. He would have never survived the peacetime Corps, but in the time of need he was there to make a difference. He made his name in 11 weeks or so of actual combat. Not too bad. Was he perfect, no. He is still a hero in my book. His men still speak fondly of him. He never asked his men to do something he would not do. In one of the Gamble books, I think I remember Pappy taking a Corsair up even though it was having problems. He gave “his” Corsair to another pilot. He took the risk, not his men.
A Marine Corpse Sgt. Major told me a Pappy Boyington story I’ll share with you. Pappy went out on the town the night before he was to receive his Medal of Honor from the President. Pappy did what he did best and got drunk. Pappy was still in rough shape when the President put the medal on him while he was being held up by a couple of Marines. I do not remember ever seeing this story in print but photos of Pappy after he received the medal definetly fit the story. He looks like he is still drunk.
The Sgt. Major was one of the Marines who had Pappy by the belt and was holding him up. He was a three “hard stripe” Sgt. at the time he and Pappy received the MOH. After all the cerimonies and the picture taking Pappy wanted to go out and drink some more. He did!
As for the number of enemy aircraft shop down, keep in mind that there had to be more than one witness confirmation. The gun cameras did not always work, or were short on film. No matter which number is correct Pappy was an accomplished fighter pilot. The “mud Marines” loved the Black Sheep because they provided excellent ground support. I think I read somewhere that the Black Sheep pioneered some of the ground support tactics.
Compared to Pappy, Dick Bong was a saint.
Glad this is getting some airtime. I agree with these estimations of Pappy. He was a hell of a man, a hell of a fighter pilot, and a hell of a leader of fighter pilots. This country was incredibly fortunate to have him and others like him at the time.
I have no tolerance for those who would detract from the courage and accomplishments of others because of some irrelevant personality or character trait. It’s like the people who want to rip Roy Brown about not killing von Richtofen. The way I see it, Brown was on Richtofen’s six, fanning lead like crazy. A lot of guys died trying to do that. Maybe Brown didn’t fire that “golden BB,” but that don’t take away from his guts or his skill. Personally, I think every man who went up in those kites deserved a VC.
Wess
[#ditto] on Bruce Gamble’s books on the Blacksheep and Greg Boyington. They definitely shed more light on the history of VMF-214 and Pappy. He was a great pilot (which many of his men can atest to) but they also said he wasn’t a very good Commanding Officer. They said the Executive Officer (XO) was the one that kept the admin stuff running.
That aside, he is in the top ranks of Marine Corps Aces, and two out of the top three were “Blacksheep” (Bob Hanson and Greg Boyington). John Bolt, a two war Ace (WWII and Korea), was also a Blacksheep.
Wess,
Thanks for sharing the story of your Dad and Joe Foss.
I feel compelled to put in[2c] I have a connection to Pappy in a way… My grandmother had known him before he went to the Flying Tigers and, had dated him after ww2. She was stil friends with him when his book was published & she gave it to me one day. It was signed " To Marge with love Pappy" I have the book tucked away somewheres. I have been a big fan of the Tv series & have done research on Pappy & VMF-214.( I love dem Corsairs!!) Grandma said he was a drunkard & a hardA**!! He relied heavily on others to make decisions for him. He was a brawler always looking to fight the good fight which is what made him the terror of the south Pacific. He had respect from everyone, including the enemy. Hated by many too. He was a hard man to get along with to say the least. HE was the Right Man at the Right Time in the right Job.
Hippy-Ed has said enuff