Gregory Boyington (1912–1988)

Pappy Boyington was, as many war heros were and still are today, not cut from the fair haired American boy central casting image often seen in movies. Not even close.

I can't decide if he was more likely to be killed by the Japanese or court marshalled and jailed by the military in which he served.

Either way, a hero for certain given all he accomplished as a fighter pilot and leader of other fighter pilots.

I give him credit for titling his book as he's done. To have called it anything else show more would have been a failed attempt to whitewash his image.

Instead, based on his own account, he appears to struggle to make amends for some of what he did and didn't do, said and didn't say.

We should all be so self aware and honest about ourselves.

I've dropped off one star for what could have made this a better book with better editing. You believe you are reading the words of a man who was not well educated, but such was not the case.

He graduated college, joined the service, learned to fly, was a POW, awarded the Medal of Honor, all in addition to having done an incredible job leading men into air combat with the Japanese in the early days of the war.

That said, the fact that the writing often violates the Chicago Manual of Style only makes his story all the more believable. show less

I read the book after seeing the TV series, and found the book to be much better. The TV series was well-made but so full of tired cliches about rebellious airmen bucking the system that it really sank without trace. The book is much more subtle, an excellent account of war, the men who fight them, their disillusionment and how they interact with the enemy when they happen to come face to face with them. Great read

This book is considered a classic WWII memoir for a very good reason.

Filled with tales both funny and heart-wrenching, Pappy Boyington gives the reader an unpretentious view of his life on the Pacific war front, from his early days of looking for a fight, to his capture and imprisonment by the Japanese. As he tells his story, we learn about everyday life as a fighter pilot, the beaurcracy of the government and armed forces that sometimes keep the best soldiers from doing what they do best, show more the wacky sense of humor men develope when under extreme pressure, and why Boyington came to like and respect the Japanese people even while his prison guards beat and starved him nearly to death.

This book has remained in print since its initial publication in 1957, and even inspired a hit television show in the 1970s. show less

2318 Baa Baa Black Sheep, by "Pappy" Boyington (Col. Gregory Boyington, .U.S.M.C.Ret.) (read 14 Aug 1990) I read Robert Leckie's book on Guadalcanal in April 1990 so I decided to read this book, published in 1957. The author was in the Flying Tigers in 1941 and 1942. Then he flew as a Marine in 1943 in the South Pacific. He was shot down Jan 3, 1944 and was a prisoner of the Japs --most of the time in Japan--till the war ended. He was quite a guy, and a drunk. The end part of the book seems show more very amateurishly written. I haven't read a war experience book like this one before--irreverent is, I guess, the best word for it. show less