Greg Boyington

Pappy Boyington
Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (World War II photo)
Birth name	Gregory Boyington
Other name(s)	Gregory Hallenbeck
Nickname(s)	Pappy, Gramps
Born	(1912-12-04)December 4, 1912 Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Died	January 11, 1988(1988-01-11) (aged 75) Fresno, California
Buried at	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America  China
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps  Republic of China Air Force
Years of service	1934–1947
Rank	Colonel
Commands held	VMF-112 VMF-214
Battles/wars	Second Sino-Japanese War World War II  (Solomon Islands)
Awards	Medal of Honor Navy Cross Purple Heart Medal Presidential Unit Citation (2)

Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (December 4, 1912 – January 11, 1988) was an American combat pilot who was a United States Marine Corps fighter ace during World War II. He received both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross.

Boyington was initially a P-40 Warhawk fighter pilot with the legendary "Flying Tigers" (1st American Volunteer Group) in the Republic of China Air Force in Burma at the end of 1941 and part of 1942, during the military conflict between China and Japan, and the beginning of World War II.

In September 1942, he rejoined the Marine Corps (he had been an aviator before the war). In early 1943, he deployed to the South Pacific and began flying combat missions as a Marine F4U Corsair fighter pilot. In September 1943, he took command of U.S. Marine Corps fighter squadron VMF-214 ("Black Sheep"). In January 1944, Boyington, outnumbered by Japanese "Zero" planes, was shot down into the Pacific Ocean after downing one of the enemy planes. He was captured by a Japanese submarine crew and was held as a prisoner of war for more than a year and a half. He was released shortly after the surrender of Japan, and a few days before the official surrender documents were signed.