thedrifter
02-23-08, 12:08 PM
Documentary recounts efforts to rename airport for 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' hero
February 23, 2008 6:00 AM
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Gregory "Pappy" Boyington's last battle was tough, but he prevailed because fellow Marines had his back.
A two-year fight to rename the airport in Boyington's hometown in honor of the troubled World War II ace ended in success last fall, but only after overcoming reservations about the Medal of Honor winner who has been dead for 20 years.
Now Kevin Gonzalez, one of the leaders of the effort, has produced a documentary about the conflict that ended with Pappy Boyington Field being added to the Coeur d'Alene Airport name.
He interviewed everyone from Boyington's son to Robert Conrad, the actor who portrayed the pilot in the 1970s television series "Baa Baa Black Sheep." He particularly showcased the military veterans who stood firm when some local leaders opposed the change.
"I was inspired by the many veterans involved with the campaign because their resolve grew stronger," said Gonzalez, who served in the Marines from 1984-1988. "This was truly a grass-roots effort."
The 90-minute documentary, "Pappy Boyington Field — A Campaign to Honor a Hero," had its premiere Jan. 11, the 20th anniversary of Boyington's death.
Boyington, who was born in Coeur d'Alene, became a celebrity during World War II when he tied the Marine record for enemy planes shot down. After the war, he had problems with booze, women and money, but remained in the public eye because of his best-selling memoirs, "Baa Baa, Black Sheep," and the television series in which he served as technical adviser.
Boosters initially assumed there would be little opposition to renaming the airport, but the effort stalled in 2006 when the Kootenai County Commission refused to vote on the proposal.
"One of the major stumbling blocks was people bringing up the fact he was a womanizer and drinker," said veteran Robert Rohrscheib, a member of the local Marine Corps League Pappy Boyington Detachment 966.
But Boyington was an authentic hero, and likely suffered from what would later be called post-traumatic stress disorder, Rohrscheib said.
When two new commissioners were elected, the veterans tried again and the change was made last August.
County Commissioner Todd Tondee says in the documentary that Boyington was "a hero's hero" who deserved honor in his hometown.
"This man was an ace five times over," Commissioner Rick Piazza added.
The ceremony to unveil the new name drew plenty of veterans, including Boyington's son, retired Air Force officer Greg Boyington Jr.
"Pappy belonged to the nation," he said.
Conrad became friends with Boyington when he portrayed the hero on the television show. In the documentary, Conrad praised the effort to rename the airport.
"It's an honorable thing to do," he said.
Boyington was born Dec. 4, 1912, and grew up in St. Maries, Idaho, and Tacoma, Wash. As a child, his first airplane flight was as a passenger of legendary Northwest aviator Clyde Pangborn during a barnstorming tour. Pangborn and a co-pilot later became the first men to fly nonstop across the Pacific Ocean.
Boyington graduated from the University of Washington in 1934 with an engineering degree.
He spent a year as a Boeing draftsman before he joined the Marines. He was a flight instructor for six years until he volunteered to be a "Flying Tiger" pilot in China before Pearl Harbor.
Boyington became a Marine pilot after war was declared. In 1943, at the Espiritu Santo airfield in the New Hebrides, Boyington had a desk job handling the replacement pilots pool.
When a call for a fresh fighter squadron from the United States could not be filled, Boyington persuaded his superiors to let him form a unit from replacement flyers. The VMF 214 was born, and became the Black Sheep Squadron.
At first derided, the squadron in 12 weeks of combat destroyed 94 enemy fighters and made headlines back home.
Boyington, who got the name Pappy because he was a decade older than most of his pilots, was a flamboyant commander and a darling of war reporters.
As he neared the Marine record of 26 air kills, reporters descended on the squadron.
But the day of Boyington's 26th kill was also the day he was shot down. Rescued by a Japanese submarine, Boyington spent the next 20 months in prisoner of war camps.
The Marines listed him as missing in action, and many thought he died in the crash. President Franklin Roosevelt awarded him a Medal of Honor.
Boyington was found alive when his camp was liberated on Aug. 28, 1945. He was honored at parades in San Francisco and Okanogan, Wash., where his family settled for a time.
He moved to California and became an executive at a brewery and later at an aerospace parts manufacturer.
He died on Jan. 11, 1988, in Fresno, Calif., at 75 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Ellie
February 23, 2008 6:00 AM
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Gregory "Pappy" Boyington's last battle was tough, but he prevailed because fellow Marines had his back.
A two-year fight to rename the airport in Boyington's hometown in honor of the troubled World War II ace ended in success last fall, but only after overcoming reservations about the Medal of Honor winner who has been dead for 20 years.
Now Kevin Gonzalez, one of the leaders of the effort, has produced a documentary about the conflict that ended with Pappy Boyington Field being added to the Coeur d'Alene Airport name.
He interviewed everyone from Boyington's son to Robert Conrad, the actor who portrayed the pilot in the 1970s television series "Baa Baa Black Sheep." He particularly showcased the military veterans who stood firm when some local leaders opposed the change.
"I was inspired by the many veterans involved with the campaign because their resolve grew stronger," said Gonzalez, who served in the Marines from 1984-1988. "This was truly a grass-roots effort."
The 90-minute documentary, "Pappy Boyington Field — A Campaign to Honor a Hero," had its premiere Jan. 11, the 20th anniversary of Boyington's death.
Boyington, who was born in Coeur d'Alene, became a celebrity during World War II when he tied the Marine record for enemy planes shot down. After the war, he had problems with booze, women and money, but remained in the public eye because of his best-selling memoirs, "Baa Baa, Black Sheep," and the television series in which he served as technical adviser.
Boosters initially assumed there would be little opposition to renaming the airport, but the effort stalled in 2006 when the Kootenai County Commission refused to vote on the proposal.
"One of the major stumbling blocks was people bringing up the fact he was a womanizer and drinker," said veteran Robert Rohrscheib, a member of the local Marine Corps League Pappy Boyington Detachment 966.
But Boyington was an authentic hero, and likely suffered from what would later be called post-traumatic stress disorder, Rohrscheib said.
When two new commissioners were elected, the veterans tried again and the change was made last August.
County Commissioner Todd Tondee says in the documentary that Boyington was "a hero's hero" who deserved honor in his hometown.
"This man was an ace five times over," Commissioner Rick Piazza added.
The ceremony to unveil the new name drew plenty of veterans, including Boyington's son, retired Air Force officer Greg Boyington Jr.
"Pappy belonged to the nation," he said.
Conrad became friends with Boyington when he portrayed the hero on the television show. In the documentary, Conrad praised the effort to rename the airport.
"It's an honorable thing to do," he said.
Boyington was born Dec. 4, 1912, and grew up in St. Maries, Idaho, and Tacoma, Wash. As a child, his first airplane flight was as a passenger of legendary Northwest aviator Clyde Pangborn during a barnstorming tour. Pangborn and a co-pilot later became the first men to fly nonstop across the Pacific Ocean.
Boyington graduated from the University of Washington in 1934 with an engineering degree.
He spent a year as a Boeing draftsman before he joined the Marines. He was a flight instructor for six years until he volunteered to be a "Flying Tiger" pilot in China before Pearl Harbor.
Boyington became a Marine pilot after war was declared. In 1943, at the Espiritu Santo airfield in the New Hebrides, Boyington had a desk job handling the replacement pilots pool.
When a call for a fresh fighter squadron from the United States could not be filled, Boyington persuaded his superiors to let him form a unit from replacement flyers. The VMF 214 was born, and became the Black Sheep Squadron.
At first derided, the squadron in 12 weeks of combat destroyed 94 enemy fighters and made headlines back home.
Boyington, who got the name Pappy because he was a decade older than most of his pilots, was a flamboyant commander and a darling of war reporters.
As he neared the Marine record of 26 air kills, reporters descended on the squadron.
But the day of Boyington's 26th kill was also the day he was shot down. Rescued by a Japanese submarine, Boyington spent the next 20 months in prisoner of war camps.
The Marines listed him as missing in action, and many thought he died in the crash. President Franklin Roosevelt awarded him a Medal of Honor.
Boyington was found alive when his camp was liberated on Aug. 28, 1945. He was honored at parades in San Francisco and Okanogan, Wash., where his family settled for a time.
He moved to California and became an executive at a brewery and later at an aerospace parts manufacturer.
He died on Jan. 11, 1988, in Fresno, Calif., at 75 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Ellie