USMC Col. Pappy Boyington: WWII Ace & Legendary Black Sheep Squadron Leader

Welcome back everyone.  On this episode of Duty & Valor, you’ll hear the story of a man who found an ingenious way to enter flight training when he was first denied.  A man who brash leadership style saw him being disliked by others, but credited with the success of his unit.  A man who would go on to be the highest scoring Ace of the Marine Corps during WWII.  This is the story of Medal of Honor recipient US Marine Corps Colonel Pappy Boyington.  

Born on December 4th, 1912, Gregory, was born to parents Charles and Grace Boyington of Coeur d’Alene, ID.  His parents divorced when Gregory was very young and unbeknownst to him, he was raised by his mother and step father, Ellsworth Hallenback.  Because of this he would go by the name Gregory Hallenback as a child and young adult.  

His family eventually moved to Tacoma, WA where he attended Lincoln High School, and after graduation in 1930, he attended the University of Washington where he joined the Army ROTC.  He eventually received a commision as a 2nd. LT in the US Army Coast Artillery in 1934 where he served on active duty for two months.  The following year he applied for the Aviation Cadet training but was turned down as he had gotten married to Helen Clark the previous year and the program was only open to unmarried men.    

Shortly after, Gregory decided that he wanted to transfer into the Marine Corps.  During the process of securing identity documents, he stumbled upon his original birth certificate and it was then that he first learned a man named Charles Boyington was his biological father.  With his birth certificate in hand, he joined the Corps as Gregory Boyington, a man who had no record of ever being married.  Because of this, he was able to attend flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola.  

On March 11th, 1937, Gregory was officially designated as a Naval Aviator and was soon moved to Quantico and then later to the San Diego Naval Air Station.  By November, 1940, Gregory, who was now a first lieutenant, returned to Pensacola as an instructor.

In mid-1941 he had an incident with another instructor there.  The two men had a disagreement and during the argument, Gregory punched the other officer.  He was soon advised that he would be facing a court-martial for his actions.  Around this time representatives had visited the Air Station and were looking for volunteer pilots to fight the Japanese in China.  Not wanting to face the court-martial, he resigned his commission in August of 1941 and volunteered to fight with what would be called the American Volunteer Group, or the Flying Tigers as they would famously be called.  The Flying Tigers were tasked with defending China and the Burma Road.  His time there was marked with aerial successes and turmoil in his unit.  He was credited with six aerial victories, but it was also reported that he was in trouble continually and was even called a “liar and a drunk” by other pilots.  

His time with the Flying Tigers ended in April 1942, less than a year after joining them.  By September of that year, he was back in the Marine Corps, now with the rank of Major.  Gregory was soon sent back to the Pacific as the executive officer of Marine Fighting Squadron 122 and then with the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 214, the unit better known as the Black Sheep Squadron.  

Gregory, who was 31 years old, about 10 years older than the other men of the unit, was given the nickname Gramps.  That nickname didn’t stick, but it was eventually changed to Pappy.  A name that ended up staying with him the rest of military career and beyond.

During his time in the Black Sheep Squadron, Pappy flew the F4U Corsair, a single seat fighter plane that entered military service during WWII and served through the Korean War.  

Over a 32 day stretch, Pappy was in his Corsair as he shot down 14 enemy planes, and by December 1943, his number of aerial victories had reached 25, just one short of the record set by Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker.  US Army Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker had set the record of 26 over the skies of Europe during WWI.  In addition to Pappy’s success, The Black Sheep Squadron, under his leadership, shot down at least 100 enemy aircraft and destroyed approximately 100 more on the ground in just 84 days of combat.    

The following month on January 3rd, 1944, Pappy tied Capt. Rickbacker’s record when he scored his 26th aerial victory over Papua New Guinea.  During this same battle, he shot down another two planes, bringing his total to 28.  But the last two kills weren’t confirmed until almost two years later, as Pappy was shot down and taken as a POW by the Japanese.  

After being shot down, Pappy was able to escape his plane and ended up in the waters off the New Britain coast.  He was soon captured by the crew of the Japanese submarine I-181 and transferred to confinement with the forces on shore, and it was lucky for Pappy that they did so, as the submarine was sunk just days after capturing him.  The Americans were never notified that Pappy was being held as a POW, so his official status remained missing in action.  Though he was not confirmed to still be alive, he did receive a promotion to Lt. Colonel while in confinement.  In total he spent 20 months as a prisoner of war until he was finally released on August 29th, 1945 following the Japanese surrender.

After his final two kills were confirmed, he became the top ace in the Marine Corps during the war.

In March 1944, prior to being released, and being presumed dead, Lt. Colonel Boyington was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Franklin D. Roosevelt for his extraordinary valor and leadership in combat.  Now that he was confirmed to still be alive, he joined other Marines at the White House on Oct. 5th, 1945 where President Truman personally bestowed the medal upon him.

Pappy remained in the Marine Corps until August, 1947 when he retired at the rank of Colonel.

Colonel Gregory “Pappy” Boyington passed away on Jan. 11th, 1988 at the age of 75 in Fresno, CA and is interred at the Arlington National Cemetery.

Colonel Pappy Boyington's unwavering courage, leadership, and exceptional combat skills not only made him one of the top-scoring aces of World War II but also a symbol of resilience in the face of adversity.  Boyington's "Black Sheep Squadron" overcame odds, proving that with determination, teamwork, and unconventional thinking, even the most unlikely heroes can soar to incredible heights.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Duty & Valor.  

For those interested in learning more about Col. Pappy Boyington, I've provided links to all sources used in today's episode in the show notes and on our website, dutyandvalor.com.  

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