Greg “Pappy” Boyington WW2 – Hero or Villain – Forgotten History 

foreign Of all the American fighter pilots who emerged  after World War II few remained in the public   imagination more than Marine Colonel Gregory  Pappy Boyington. This was due to the highly   fictionalized and popular 1970s TV show Baa  Baa Black Sheep later retitled Black Sheep   Squadron starring Robert Conrad as Boyingnton.

  Many still hold him in high esteem for his   wartime accomplishments as a fighter ace while  many of those who knew Boyington wanted nothing to   do with him and considered him unworthy of  the accolades he received due to his conduct.   Who was the real Gregory Boyington? What  made him famous during and after the war?   Why were so many of his fellow veterans  disgusted with him after the war?   Hello I’m Colin Heaton a veteran of the United  States Army and Marine Corps former history   professor book author and welcome to this  episode of Forgotten History [Music] foreign

[Music]   Gregory Boyington was born in Coeur d’Alene Idaho  on December 4th 1912 of Sioux and Irish descent. He   admired the First World War aviators and loved the  idea of flying. During my full interview with him   in June 1986 many revelations emerged but there  are also many contradictions that were challenged   by many of the men who knew and even flew with him  who I had already interviewed and others I would   interview later and compare notes. Boyington admitted  that he was always eager to mix it up in a fight  

whether in the sky or in an officer’s club and he  admitted that his approach to life made him his   own worst enemy. He was always in fights when  he was a schoolboy but he stated that he was   never a bully but he did look for them to change  their attitudes. He was also notorious for getting   into fights when he was a Marine pilot prior to  resigning his commission and joining the American   Volunteer Group better known as The Flying Tigers  under the command of Brigadier later Major General   Claire Chennault. These were American mercenaries  sent to assist China in their war against Japan  

before the United States was actively involved. In  one example in his own words, “I did have a run-in   with a naval pilot some Lieutenant Commander who  made some smart-ass comment about my Flying Tiger   jacket I was wearing.

 I asked him if he liked his  drink because it would be about all he could eat   for a few weeks when I beat the [ __ ] out of him.  He said he would have me on charges. I told him to   get in line he was small fry. I had just pissed  on a brigadier general. He left rather quickly.”   Boyington’s relationships with the other AVG  pilots was somewhat problematic. All the men   interviewed admitted that he was a good pilot  when sober, but he was not one that they really   trusted to have his head in the game when it came  to combat.

 Chennault placed a two-drink maximum on   him during events and he sent spies to watch him.  Boyington often flew drunk and even crashed his   P-41 trying to take off and he also destroyed a  water truck. Once after a combat mission Boyington   was describing a victory when a very wet  very cranky New Zealand P-40 pilot came in.   The New Zealander asked who just shot down  a single-engine fighter over Segi Point.  

Boyington perked up: “Can you confirm it for me?” The  Kiwi pilot went up to him and laid him out with   one punch, leaned over and said, “Next time yank  check recognition,” then he left. Boyington had   apparently shot him down by accident, again  probably being drunk. Once he ran out of fuel   not long after takeoff and it was suspected that  he was flying drunk again and wanted to deflect   the blame, but he was pilot in command therefore  responsible for checking his fuel and pre-flight   checks. He blamed the ground crew and crew chief  for the event. After Chennault finally banned him  

from drinking any alcohol whatsoever Boyington  was accused of breaking into the unit’s liquor   locker as well as stealing the good stuff. It could  never be proven but the suspicion remained. Boyington   decided to part company with the Flying Tigers who  were still flying after the USA declared war on   Japan after Pearl Harbor. He was to be transferred  to the U.

S Army Air Force as a lieutenant which   did not sit well with Boyington who had already  accused Chennault and his second in command Harvey   Greenlaw of stealing their pay. Greenlaw had been  preparing court martial charged on Botington for   variety of reasons from buffalo races to shooting  chandeliers in a hotel to killing a water buffalo   strafing it, which Boyington obviously did not  do.

 Other charges against him were just piling   up; insubordination, you name it. In fairness to  Boyington he and the other pilots had not been paid   for some time. Boyington effectively leveled a veiled  threat that Greenlaw would find himself mortally   injured if he did not get his money. The men were  finally paid and all charges were dropped as well.  

So Boyington wrote a letter to the Commandant  of the Marine Corps requesting his commission   in the Marine Corps be reinstated which was  approved avoiding his absorption into the Army.   Also in contention was Boyington’s claim that he  had six victories with the AVG but their records   only show that he had 3.5 victories, three clear  kills and a shared enemy kill.

 Once Boyington managed   to return to the Marines with rank of major  he decided to form a squadron. He stated the   situation in his own words; “I spoke to the Marine  Air Group 11 Commander Colonel Lawson Anderson   who gave his off the record approval and I went to  work collecting pilots wherever I could find them.   Not all of these men were fighter pilots but  anyone could be converted. or so I thought.

 I   just started finding guys.” Boyington managed to score  22 victories with his famed VMF-214 Black Sheep   which when added to his confirmed 3.5 victories  with the AVG brought his score to 25.5 victories   which would have made Joe Foss the number one  Marine Ace with 26 victories.

 However the Marine   Corps decided to accept the extra victories from  China and Burma without question, a situation that   did not sit well with the other Flying Tiger  pilots who knew better. Boyington was shot down   on January 3rd 1944 on a mission over Rabaul and  picked up by a Japanese submarine. He would remain   a prisoner of war until Japan surrendered. U.S.

  signals intelligence decoded an intercepted   message from the Japanese rear Admiral at Truk  Island requesting Tokyo’s permission to execute   a field grade USMC officer just rescued at  Sea which had to be Boyington who was listed   as missing in action that day in that area.  The former staffer said his boss immediately   realized the implications knowing that Boyington  had been recommended for the Medal of Honor but   also knowing his reputation he apparently said  “Let us hope that the Admiral’s request is granted.

”   Something to the effect that it would spare  everybody a good deal of trouble if Boyington   were just killed. Boyington ended up in Japan  with other American pilots and air crews where   his reputation took an even deeper nosedive.  F6F Hellcat pilot Frederick DeWitt Turnbull   a naval officer was already a POW when Boyington  arrived and his observations, courtesy of historian   Barrett Tillman are of great interest.

 “Boyington  was assigned to work in the Japanese officer’s   kitchen. No other POW had ever worked there. No one  ever learned how he got the job. A nice elderly   lady was the chief cook. and one thing became very  apparent. While all the other POWs were starving   to death Greg Boyington was gaining weight. Now  this was at the time when Fred and the others   had actually risked their lives to escape at night  to steal vegetables from nearby fields to try and   keep those too weak to walk alive. As it became  obvious that Boyington was getting extra rations  

while working in the kitchen, the camp seniors  had a meeting to decide what to do about it. It   was decided to confront Boyington and encourage him  to try and steal some food for the very weak men   since he obviously had special access to meat  here, rice or vegetables there, anything to help   the starving men. When he was approached Boyington  flat out refused.

 He said it was too risky as   he had a good deal going and he wasn’t going  to do anything to screw it up.” Over time he was   approached by many to please help the other men  and each time he refused. While Boyington was being   hailed as a hero in the United States he was being  shunned by his fellow POWs with utter contempt.   there were other instances that made things  even worse with regard to Boyington’s reputation.  

By the time they were released Fred  Turnbull said, “Boyington probably had   just one friend left in the whole camp and  he was no jewel himself, birds of a feather.”   This stain on Boyington’s character followed him  all of his life and most of the men who attended   the Medal of Honor reunions avoided him since  when he drank he tended to get out of control.  

Once at a Medal of Honor reunion Boyington got drunk  and wanted to wrestle Joe Foss who was pretty well   built, but Foss said Boyington was as strong as  a bull and he could not be stopped physically.   Boyington shoved him against the pillar and  Joe’s head connected with it and he said he saw   stars. Finally Foss got an arm free and clobbered  Boyington with a fist.

 Much later Boyington knocked on   Joe’s door and said something like “we sure had  fun didn’t we?” Fellow Marine pilot and Medal of   Honor recipient Major General Joseph Foss stated,  “Boyington did his job but his character was less   than stellar in my humble opinion.” Fellow flying  tiger and 18 Victory Ace (12.25 victories with   the AVG) Brigadier General David Lee “Tex” Hill said,  “Boyington lives in a very strange world.

 It’s okay   to visit just do not take up residence.” Air Force  Colonel and prior enlisted Marine George E. “Bud”   Day a colonel and Medal of Honor recipient from  Vietnam’s notorious Hanoi Hilton said, “Greg was   a walking contradiction and he was never able to  see himself as the trainwreck all the rest of us   did. It really was embarrassing for us, the military,  especially the Marine Corps and the Medal of Honor.

”  However one man who supported Boyington was  fellow Marine Lieutenant Colonel Robert Wesley   McClurg who flew in VMF-214 and stated that,  Boyington was an inspirational leader who led   by example. Pappy taught me what I needed to  know to succeed and stay alive. He is why I   am still here. I owe him that.

” Former Flying  Tiger Brigadier General and Medal of Honor   recipient James Howard said if bullshit artist were  a military occupational specialty Boyington would   have been at the top of the promotion list. Take  what he tells you with a pound of salt. However he   is very entertaining unless he is drunk, then  you just want to get the hell away from him.”   Fellow Medal of Honor recipient Navy Captain and top Navy fighter race David McCampbell remarked,   “If you have an event where alcohol is being  served protect your open bar.

 I would suggest armed   security. Historian Barrett Tillman who also knew  Boyington and is a friend of mine related an event   he said years later. “Fred Turnbull confronted  Boyington in public at an event in Reno, Nevada.   He stood in front of Boyington, who looked up  and said ‘Hi Fred.’ Fred then yelled, These people   think you’re a hero but I know the truth  you’re a lying worthless piece of shit.

”   Boyington got up and disappeared into his RV.  Boyington died on January 11, 1988 in Fresno,   California. He is still credited with 28 aerial  victories, six according to the Marine Corps   records with the AVG. Joe Foss said, “I wonder  if they put a bottle of Scotch in his casket.   That would be the best send-off.

” Gregory Boyington  was a paradox beloved by many, hated by several,  and avoided by most who knew him. However, despite  his recorded victories the actual AVG records   credit Boyington with only 3.5 victories, so until the  record is properly corrected Boyington will still   be falsely considered the top Marine Corps ace  of World War II an honor that should have gone   to Joseph Foss.

 He is still ranked as the top  Marine Corps fighter ace of the war although there   is great controversy and solid evidence as  stipulated that this is just in fact not true.   In fact if facts mean anything that honor  would go to Marine Corps ace Joseph Foss.   For all of his faults Boyington created and led  the Black Sheep to an enviable record and they   all became legends under his leadership.

 Besides  the Medal of Honor he also received the Navy   Cross for heroism and despite other factors  in Boyington’s life he was indeed a brave man.   What most biographers and historians ignored over  the years are the great controversies surrounding   his career as a fighter pilot, his 16 months as  a POW and his altering certain facts regarding   situations to benefit himself, ignoring his  dissenters who flew with him including those who   were prisoners of war with him. Who was the real  Gregory Boyington? We leave that for you to decide.  

His full interview as well as the interviews  with Joseph Foss and David McCampbell are in my   book “Above the Pacific” available in paperback  ebook and audio book from Penguin Random House. Thank you for watching Forgotten History. Please  click “like” subscribe and share. Send us comments   and show ideas and we will get back to you  as soon as possible until next time [Music] thank you [Music]