Most, or maybe many of the pilots had never heard of Boyington. I was shocked since it was his book "Ba Ba Blacksheep" that made me want to be a marine aviator.

His wife of the time was protecting him form marine assaults, since he'd sit in a chair in the middle of a group of guys and drink and tell memoriable sea stories. I never met they guy. I did have a friend ask Pappy to sight his book for me, and he did at an airshot in Ukiah, CA. The next year Pappy died.

Fighter pilots IMO have to be hell raisers. This PC b.s. that we see now only dampens the fighting spirit of a mean ass killer, which is exactly what a fighter pilot must be. Combat is indeed a street fight, and damn it, we can't have women in the cockpit!!

I've met marines who were with Pappy in WWII and they are angered by their reputation of a bunch of bums who could also fly. They told me they were dedicated professionals, who also knew how to raise hell, which is exactly what a good fighter pilot should be.