Baa Baa Black Sheep: The True Story of the “Bad Boy” Hero of the Pacific Theatre and His Famous Black Sheep Squadron by Gregory “Pappy” Boyington is a candid look into his life and career in and out of the military. Many of you may have heard of the Black Sheep Squadron from the old TV series, but this is the real story.
The book is divided up into four (unequal in length) parts. Starting out in the Marine Corps, he voluntarily resigned his commission in August 1941 after punching another officer in the face, to go fly as a civilian in P-40’s defending China and the Burma Road as a member of the famed Flying Tigers.
In September 1942 he rejoined the Marines as a Major and a year later became the commanding officer of Marine Fighter Squadron 214. Originally calling themselves Boyington’s Bastards, they were informed that it was an unacceptable name because the newspapers would never print it. Instead they came up with “The Black Sheep Squadron” and it stuck.
Boyington was 31 and all his men referred to him as “Gramps” and then later just as “Pappy.” The second part of the book covers his time in VMF-214 where his exploits were legendary including taunting the Japanese to come up and fight. After breaking WWI ace Eddie Rickenbacker’s record of 26 kills Pappy was shot down and became a Japanese prisoner.
The third section of the book covers his time in Japanese Prison Camps and the fourth section is his time after the war, including receiving the Medal of Honor and his exploits as a referee for professional wrestling.
Written by Boyington in 1958 it is a personal, honest look into his life in the air and on the ground. He pulls no punches about himself, including his vices, and there is no political correctness. Told in the first person, he is engaging and will often wander off on a slight tangent, only to bring you back with, “Anyway….”
Enjoyable, entertaining, and informative.
