RIP, famous person

[Pamela]

Originally Posted by Griff

I liked his portrayal of Pappy Boyington.

It made for good TV, but Black Sheep Squadron was not anywhere close to real life, despite Greg Boyington consulting on the project. I've read two biographies on Major Boyington and in an interview he said as much.

The men of VMF-214 were neither misfits nor screwballs; they were simply Marine aviators who happened to be either unassigned or available at the time when 214 was being assembled. Their planes were not stolen, they were merely being turned in from another squadron and Boyington only appropriated them.

Major Boyington was a colorful figure and fascinating to study.