Boyington & his Black Sheep

Great tribute!

Pacific Paratrooper

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.

Boyington formed the Black Sheep in the summer of ’43 when…

View original post 435 more words