Once They Were Eagles

by Frank Walton

  (d) We have trained together and fought together for a long period of time. Twelve of our thirteen pilots who have had two tours have been together for these two tours. The thirteen pilots who have had one tour not only trained together here for seven weeks before making that tour but trained together in the United States and came overseas together.

  (e) Finally, under Major Boyington, the Black Sheep developed an esprit de corps we believe unparalleled in this area. This spirit will be lost if the unit is broken up.

  (5) For these reasons it is urged that this unit be kept intact.

  Henry S. Miller

  Appendix G

  Accomplishment Record of Boyington’s Black Sheep Squadron

  Combat tours:

  12 September 1943–24 October 1943

  27 November 1943–8 January 1944

  97*

  Enemy planes shot down in aerial combat: 95 of them fighter planes; 94 over enemy territory

  35

  Enemy planes probably shot down in aerial combat

  50

  Enemy planes damaged in aerial combat

  21

  Enemy planes destroyed on the ground

  203

  Total enemy planes destroyed, probably destroyed, or damaged

  * Upon Boyington’s release from Japanese prison, he reported that he had shot down three Zeros instead of the one we had reported and that Ashmun (who was lost) had also shot down one. These raised the Black Sheep total from 94 to 97.

  1

  100-foot transport vessel destroyed

  1

  50-foot transport vessel destroyed

  1

  70-foot Japanese-operated Chinese junk destroyed

  1

  70-foot steam launch destroyed

  20

  barges destroyed

  3

  barges loaded with enemy troops destroyed

  1

  raft loaded with enemy troops destroyed

  15

  other craft probably destroyed

  125

  Japanese bivouac and concentration areas and antiaircraft positions in New Ireland, New Britain, Buka, Bougainville, and the Shortlands strafed.

  4

  Japanese airfields strafed: Kahili, Kara, Ballale, Borpop.

  Successfully intercepted enemy aerial formation attempting to attack U.S. Task Force reinforcing Barokoma.

  Relieved Bougainville ground Marines in an untenable position by strafing enemy mortar positions.

  Participated in 1,776 individual combat missions and flew a total of 4,195 combat hours.

  Black Sheep aces and their scores:

  Major Gregory Boyington

  28

  Lieutenant Christopher Magee

  9

  Lieutenant William Case

  8

  Lieutenant Robert McClurg

  7

  Lieutenant Paul Mullen

  6½

  Lieutenant John Bolt

  6

  Lieutenant Don Fisher

  6

  Lieutenant Edwin L. Olander

  5

  The Squadron Presidential Unit Citation reads, in part:

  In some of the most bitterly contested Air Combats on record, contributed substantially to the establishment of an aerial beachhead over Rabaul … frequently outnumbered but never outfought, Marine Fighting Squadron 214 achieved an outstanding combat record.

  Index

  accomplishment record, Black Sheep, 206

  aerial combat, 40, 43, 51, 55, 88, 91, 92; Boyington, five Zeros, 23; Magee shoots down two dive bombers, 34-35; five more Zeros for Black-Sheep, 49; twelve more for Black Sheep, 53; last Black Sheep score, 97

  “Air Battle Notes From the South Pacific,” 10

  Air Command, Northern Solomons, 107, 133

  Air Command Headquarters, Munda, 84

  Air Intelligence duties, 10

  air raid, Munda, 32

  Alexander, Robert, 3, 17, 23, 24, 40, 79, 140; shot down, 46; search for crash site, 81-83

  Altadena, California, 120

  Amarillo, Texas, 17

  American Volunteer Group, 7

  Amherst, 14

  ANZAC, 69

  Arizona State University, 137

  Army Air Corps, 144

  Army B-24s, 22, 49, 51, 88, 140

  Army Liberators, 44

  Ashmun, George, 13, 52, 58; MIA, 95

  Austin, Texas, 126

  Australia Hotel, 69

  Avey, Fred, 71, 91; interview with, 125-26

  Baa, Baa Black Sheep (TV show), xi, 111, 127, 149, 163, 184, 189

  Bailey, Stan, xi, 11, 23, 24, 30, 32, 40, 41, 70, 111; competition equestrian, 14; in shower during air raid, 37; sees Alexander shot down, 46

  Bainbridge Island, Washington, 185

  Ballale, 5, 23, 55

  Barakoma, 34

  Bartl, Harry, 72; MIA, 92

  Battle of Midway, 19

  Beaufort, South Carolina, 180

  Beaumont, Texas, 72

  Begert, John, 15, 23, 26, 70; knocked down by bomb blast, 36; interview with, 111-14

  Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, 72

  Bellevue, Nebraska, 71

  Birmingham, Alabama, 73, 159

  Bismarck Archipelago, 85

  Black Sheep: Hawaii reunion, xii; singing tradition, 13, 47-48, 114, 163; name, 21-22, 99; patch, 22; first combat action, 23; combat scores, 51, 56, 88, 91, 94, 96; end of first combat tour, 60; depart for second combat tour, 78; back to Espiritu Santo, 97; ask to stay together, 98; west coast reunion, 101; spirit, 115, 129, 137, 141, 153, 163-64; innovative approach, 128; sense of purpose, 129; pride, 155, 157, 160; experience, 183; assessment, 168, 170, 173; a team effort, 174; camaraderie, 183; origins of members, 191

  Bolt, Dottie, 109

  Bolt, John, 16, 41, 53, 74, 121, 128; strafes Tonelei Harbor, 51; receives DFC, 52; becomes ace, 97; interview with, 108-10

  Bomber’s Moon, 30

  Bougainville, 5, 22, 43, 80, 107; Kahili strafed, 60

  Bourgeois, Henry, 15, 39, 70, 113, 114; interview with, 141-44

  Bowers, Glenn, 72; interview with, 164-67

  Boyington, Gregory, xi, 1, 2, 10, 11, 13, 18; background, 7-8; instructs on tactics, 20-21; as fighter pilot, 27-29, 36, 44, 48-49, 51-53, 55-57, 58-60, 78, 84-88, 91-95; and trouble at home base, 75-77; letters to mother, 89; rumors about, 99, 100; released from prison camp, 100; makes War Bond tour, 101; receives Medal of Honor, 100, 101; character of, 109, 127; recollections of, 121, 125, 133, 141, 162, 165, 179; saved by Tucker, 174; postwar career, 188-90

  Boyington Park, 99

  “Boyington’s Bastards,” 22

  Bragdon, Robert, xii, 16, 35, 70, 74, 90, 111, 121

  Brown, John, xii, 72, 196

  Brubaker, James, 72; MIA, 88

  Bryant, Bear, 160

  Buka, 121

  Camp Elliott, 9

  Camp Lejeune, 9

  Camp Miramar, 188

  Cape St. George, 85

  Carnagey, Mary Jeanette, 71

  Carnagey, Pierre, 71; MIA, 88

  Case, Ellen, 16

  Case, William, 15, 16, 22, 25, 34, 44, 49, 51, 52, 70, 113; becomes ace, 50; wounded, 57; interview with, 185-87

  Cedarville Ridge, New York, 135

  Chance-Vought Aircraft Corporation, 6

  Chatham, R. Mack, 72, 95; interview with, 126-27

  Chennault, General Claire, 7

  Cherry Point, North Carolina, 125

  Chicago, Illinois, 14, 17

  Chicago Daily News, 45

  China, 113, 181

  Choiseul, 60

  Christmas 1943, 89-91

  CIA, 169

  Civilian Pilot Training, 128, 181, 185

  Clearwater, Florida, 72

  Coast Watchers, 86, 105, 204

  Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, 7

  Colonial Air, 146

  Coral Sea, 66

  Corman, J. Ned, 72, 91; interview with 128-31

  Corpus Christi, Texas, 71

>   Corsair, xii, 6, 21, 109, 158, 185

  Crocker, William, xi, 73, 94, 196

  DeChant, Jack, 22

  Decker, Dave, 10

  Detroit, Michigan, 125

  Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, 164

  “Doctor Boo,” 15

  Doswell, Elizabeth, 71

  Doswell, Gelon, 71; interview with, 155-57

  Dustin, J. Cameron, 71; MIA, 92

  Elizabeth, New Jersey, 73

  Emirau, 105, 168

  Empress Augusta Bay, 80, 107

  Emrich, Thomas, 16, 26, 50, 51, 63, 109; interview with, 147-49

  Espiritu Santo, 6, 61, 128, 145, 161, 167, 174

  Europe, 169

  Ewing, Robert, 15, 26, 70; MIA, 29

  FAA, 171

  Far Hills, New Jersey, 13

  F-86, 109

  Ffoulkes, Bruce, 72; MIA, 88

  First Marine Aircraft Wing, 10

  fighter sweep, 51, 85, 91

  Fisher, Bette, 181

  Fisher, Don, 13, 27, 44, 47, 74, 111, 147; becomes ace, 91; interview with, 180-83

  Flying Tigers, 7, 8

  Foss, Joe, 53, 84, 95, 188

  Glenn, John, 161

  Green Island, 115, 136, 139, 140, 147, 158, 175, 181

  Greenland, 151

  Groover, Denmark, 16, 40-42, 60, 97; interview with, 183-84

  Guadalcanal, 4, 5, 19, 80, 105, 146

  Hallenbeck, E. J., 7

  Hallsboro, North Carolina, 17

  Halsey, Admiral William, 4, 5, 6, 60, 84

  Hampson, Fred, 92, 95

  Harper, Edwin, 3, 16, 34, 52, 53, 91, 109; interview with, 115-17

  Harris, Maurine, 45

  Harris, Walter, 17, 70; MIA, 44

  Heier, William, 3, 6, 39, 52, 88, 121; interview with, 137-39

  Henderson Field, 19

  Hill, James, 17, 52, 57; interview with, 140-41

  Hobart College, 13

  Hobbs, Ann, 73

  Hobbs, William, xi, 73

  Holden, Herb, 73, 168; interview with, 167-68

  Holt, Bus, 92

  Houghton College, 15

  “In a Rowboat at Rabaul,” 14, 48

  Indianapolis, Indiana, 72

  Intelligence Officer duties, 11, 12

  intelligence reports, 3

  interviews with pilots, 12

  Iowa State, 17

  Israeli Air Force, 150

  Japanese campaign, 4

  Japanese dive bombers, 34

  Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, 71, 120

  jet/prop ace, 108

  Johnson, Alfred, 73; interview with, 144-46

  Johnson, Dorothy, 73

  Johnson, Harry, 73; gets last Black Sheep score, 97; interview with, 159-60

  Johnson, Pen, 22

  Kahili, 5, 22, 39, 51, 53, 55, 59, 80

  Kailua, Hawaii, 160

  Kamikazi pilots, 144

  “Kill the Bastards,” 20

  Knox, Frank, 8

  Kolombangara, 46, 79, 81

  Korea, 125, 129, 139, 149, 159, 161, 171, 185

  Lakunai airdrome, 86, 91

  Landauer, Captain, 11

  Lane, Perry, 73; interview with, 171-73

  Larryville, Pennsylvania, 73

  Leckie, Robert, 29

  Litton Industries, 157

  Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, 9

  Los Angeles Police Department, 9, 107

  Losch, Fred, 94; interview with, 120-23

  Louisiana State University, 15

  Lunga River, 20

  Lurline, 141

  MacArthur, General Douglas, 84, 87

  McCartney, Evelyn, 15

  McCartney, Henry A., 15, 45, 70; interview with, 131-32

  McClurg, Robert, 17, 26-27, 52, 55, 58, 82, 87; becomes ace, 88; interview with, 135-37

  McDonnell Aircraft Company, 115

  Macon, Georgia, 181

  Magee, Christopher, 17, 18, 34, 52, 53, 58, 88, 121; earns Navy Cross, 35; becomes ace, 57; postwar career, 149-52

  Maine Township Jr. College, 74

  Malabeta Hill, 48

  malaria tests, 63

  Manchuria, 143

  March, Marion, 71; interview with, 133-35

  Marine Aircraft Group 11, 10

  Marine Aircraft Group 21, 20

  Marine Aircraft Group 36, 163

  Marine Corps, 99

  Marker, Alan, 74; interview with, 175-78

  Markey, Lou, 180

  Marshall Islands, 177

  Maryland, 141

  Matheson, Bruce, 13, 45, 52, 53, 95, 121, 127; interview with, 160-64

  MIA procedure, 93

  MIG, 109

  Miller, Henry, 71, 88, 96; interview with, 117-20

  Moore, Don, 3, 17, 39, 44, 52, 53, 82, 87; MIA, 92

  Moore, Major General James T., 6, 8, 76, 97

  Mountbatten, Lord, 157

  Munda, 5, 29, 30, 35, 36, 38, 58, 84, 136

  Mullen, Paul, xi, 14, 26, 41, 43, 47, 52, 57, 74, 82, 90, 96, 97; becomes ace, 91

  nanny goat, 60

  Nashua, New Hampshire, 171

  Nashville, Tennessee, 17, 173

  NATO, 157

  Navy flight training, 178

  Navy Hellcats, 23, 25

  Navy V-5 program, 132, 147, 167

  New Britain, 5, 86

  New Caledonia, 10

  New Georgia, 30

  New Hebrides, 6

  New Ireland, 86

  New Orleans, 15, 71

  New Smyrna Beach, Florida, 108

  New Year’s Day 1944, 165

  New York University, 73

  New Zealand War Hawks, 23

  night flight, 147

  Northhampton, Massachussetts, 157

  Northwestern University, 17

  Notre Dame, 14

  Noumea, New Caledonia, 9

  Ocean Springs, Mississippi, 155

  Oerlikon, 169

  Olander, Edwin, 14, 47, 49, 52, 53, 58, 111, 121; becomes ace, 93; interview with, 157-58

  Omaha University, 71

  Oregon State University, 16, 17

  Paetznick, Chaplain, 131

  Park Ridge, Illinois, 74

  Parris Island, 17

  Pearl Harbor, 161

  Peking, 143

  Penn State University, 72, 73, 164

  Pennsylvania Game Commission, 164

  Philadelphia, 14, 169

  Pittsburg, 14

  preflight training, 145

  Preston, Idaho, 71

  Princeton, 16

  Purdue, 15, 72

  Quonset hut, 58, 136

  Quitman, Georgia, 16

  Rabaul, 1, 5, 80, 84, 85-87, 88, 89, 105, 165

  Ray, Virgil, 17, 70; MIA, 50

  RCAF, 16, 17, 18, 71, 137

  Reames, Dr. James, 1, 2, 3, 14, 22, 30, 32, 35, 44, 58, 79, 82, 87, 94, 96, 114; toasts birth of son, 47; bandages Harper and Matheson, 54; gives Boyington his shoes, 59; interview with, 178-80

  Reames, Rosalita, 14, 47

  Rendova, 5

  Republic of China, 7, 8

  Rickenbacker, Captain Eddie, 53, 84, 136

  Rinabarger, Rolland, 17, 25, 43, 44, 62, 79; interview with, 153-55

  Roosevelt, President Franklin D., 7

  Russell Islands, 5, 20, 23, 46, 47, 60

  Rutland, Vermont, 73, 171

  Sacramento, California, 72

  Sacramento Junior College, 72

  St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco, 188

  San Jose, California, 133

  San Mateo, California, 72

  SCAT, 65, 78

  Schiflett, Ed, 185

  scramble alert, 20

  Seattle, 71

  Sherrod, Robert, 97

  Sims, Sanders, 14, 39, 47, 74; interview with, 169-70

  Sinatra, Frank, 160

  Skokie, Illinois, 140

  Solomons, 4

  Solomon Sea, 2

  Sonoma, California, 175

  Springfield College, 73

  Stanford University, 71, 72

  Steine
r, Lt. Col. W. B., 198

  Strother, Brigadier General D.C., 78

  survival instructions, 86

  Suwo, Major General, 143

  Sydney, 63-67, 129

  Syracuse, New York, 144

  Tabar Island, 105

  Tempe, Arizona, 137

  Tenaru, 20

  Thai Marines, 157

  Tokyo Rose, 49

  Toomey, K.O., 90

  Tonolei Harbor, 51

  Tontouta, 10, 66

  Topeka, Kansas, 111

  Torokina, 165

  Treasuy Island, 44

  Tucker, Burney, 17, 36, 46, 51, 52, 53; locates Alexander crash site, 82; interview with, 173-75

  Tucker, Greg, xii

  Tulelake, California, 153

  TWA, 147

  United States Information Service, 169

  United States Olympic team, 107, 169

  University of Chicago, 14, 18

  University of Florida, 16, 72

  University of Georgia, 16, 184

  Univesirty of Idaho, 16

  University of Illinois, 14, 161

  University of Kansas, 16

  University of Missouri, 73

  University of Nebraska, 17

  University of North Carolina, 145

  University of Southern California, 71

  University of Tennessee, 14

  University of Texas, 17

  University of Washington, 7

  Utica, New York, 73

  Vancouver, 16

  Vella Lavella, 2, 41, 79, 80, 81

  Vero Beach, Florida, 131

  Vietnam war, 129, 163

  VMF 122, 185

  VMF 214, 6, 10

  VMF 221, 52, 55

  Waite, George, 11

  Walton, Carol, 9, 181, 188

  Walton, Frank, 1, 3, 9, 30, 37, 47, 82, 94, 96, 97; briefs first fighter sweep, 85; War Bond tour with Boyington, 101; postwar career, 105-08

  “Washing Machine Charlie,” 5, 32

  Washington, D.C., 10, 51, 89

  Walker Township, Pennsylvania, 128

  Weaver, Weavo, 54

  Webster Groves, Missouri, 73

  Weller, George, 45

  Wentworth Military Academy, 16, 147

  Westminster College, 17

  White, Doug, 94