Airport named for WWII ace Pappy Boyington

Posted : Thursday Aug 9, 2007 5:48:03 EDT



COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — After more than a year of debate, the local airport has been renamed to honor the late Gregory H. “Pappy” Boyington, one of the most decorated U.S. military pilots in World War II.

Marines Corps veterans shouted “oo-rah” in joy and thanks after Kootenai County commissioners voted 2-0 to approve the name Coeur d’Alene Airport-Pappy Boyington Field.

Area Marine Corps veterans pushed for the renaming, calling the Medal of Honor recipient a “hero’s hero” whose name on the north Idaho airport could draw more attention to history and military veterans.

“He’s a reason why we’re not speaking Japanese or German today,” Commissioner Rich Piazza said.

Commission Chairman Rick Currie said the Airport Advisory Board, which consists of pilots and business representatives, unanimously opposed the change because they believed it could cause confusion and raise safety concerns with pilots.

When a Federal Aviation Administration official was asked about accidents at other airports that have a name other than the location, “he knew of none,” Tondee countered. “There are tons of [such airports[ all over the U.S.”

The Marine Corps League Pappy Boyington Detachment 966 has agreed to pay the cost, perhaps $1,000, to replace airport signs and maybe add a memorial to Boyington.

The previous county commission never acted on an initial request to honor Boyington, infuriating many veterans and attracting some national attention, including from the Distinguished Flying Cross Society and news pundit Oliver North. Many believe the inaction may have had to do with Boyington’s postwar years of fighting and drinking.

The proposal gained momentum after Piazza and another commissioner were elected and took office in January.

Boyington grew up in Coeur d’Alene, St. Maries and Tacoma, Wash., before becoming one of the nation’s most decorated military fliers. He was credited with shooting down 26 planes in the Pacific theater during World War II and was commanding officer of the famed Black Sheep Squadron.

Boyington was shot down on his last combat mission and spent 20 months as a prisoner of war in Japan. After the war ended, he joined his mother and stepfather in Okanogan, Wash., then moved to California and became an executive at a brewery and later at an aerospace parts manufacturer. He died in 1988 at age 75 in Fresno, Calif.

Ellie