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Black Sheep One: The Life of Gregory "Pappy" Boyington
Black Sheep One is the first biography of legendary warrior and World War II hero Gregory Boyington. In 1936, Boyington became an aviation cadet and earned the “wings of gold” of a naval aviator. After only a short period on active duty, however, he was “encouraged” to resign from the Marine Corps due to his unconventional behavior. Remarkably, this inauspicious beginning was just the prologue to a heroic career as an American fighter pilot and innovative combat leader. With the onset of World War II, when skilled pilots were in demand, he became the commander of an ad hoc squadron of flying leathernecks. Led by Medal of Honor winner Boyington, the legendary Black Sheep set a blistering pace of aerial victories against the enemy.
Though many have observed that when the shooting stops, combat heroes typically just fade away, nothing could be further from the truth for Boyington. Blessed with inveterate luck, the stubbornly independent Boyington lived a life that went beyond what even the most imaginative might expect. Exhaustively researched and richly detailed, here is the complete story of this American original.
Though many have observed that when the shooting stops, combat heroes typically just fade away, nothing could be further from the truth for Boyington. Blessed with inveterate luck, the stubbornly independent Boyington lived a life that went beyond what even the most imaginative might expect. Exhaustively researched and richly detailed, here is the complete story of this American original.
493 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
111 people are currently reading
262 people want to read
About the author
Bruce Gamble
8 books41 followersA native of central Pennsylvania, Bruce Gamble is an award-winning author and historian specializing in highly readable narratives about World War II in the Pacific.
During his career as a Naval Flight Officer in the closing years of the Cold War, Bruce logged nearly 1,000 hours as a navigator in EA-3B Skywarriors, including deployments aboard aircraft carriers in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Later, while serving as a flight instructor in Pensacola, Florida, he was diagnosed with a malignant spinal cord tumor. After undergoing a complicated surgery, Bruce was medically retired from the Navy in 1989.
Bruce soon began volunteering at the National Naval Aviation Museum and eventually worked part-time as the staff historian for the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. Over the next several years he collected oral history interviews and wrote numerous articles, then made the leap to book-length manuscripts and published his first nonfiction book, The Black Sheep, in 1998.
With a total of six titles now in print and a seventh due for publication in late 2018, Bruce is recognized as one of the top historians on the air war in the Pacific. He does a substantial amount of public speaking and is featured in documentaries produced by the History Channel, Fox News Channel, PBS, and the Pritzker Military Library.
Bruce's literary awards include the Admiral Arthur W. Radford award for excellence in naval aviation history and literature, presented in 2010, and a Florida Book Award in 2013.
Holding life memberships in the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation and Paralyzed Veterans of America, Bruce has been cancer-free more almost 30 years. He lives near Madison, Georgia.
During his career as a Naval Flight Officer in the closing years of the Cold War, Bruce logged nearly 1,000 hours as a navigator in EA-3B Skywarriors, including deployments aboard aircraft carriers in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Later, while serving as a flight instructor in Pensacola, Florida, he was diagnosed with a malignant spinal cord tumor. After undergoing a complicated surgery, Bruce was medically retired from the Navy in 1989.
Bruce soon began volunteering at the National Naval Aviation Museum and eventually worked part-time as the staff historian for the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. Over the next several years he collected oral history interviews and wrote numerous articles, then made the leap to book-length manuscripts and published his first nonfiction book, The Black Sheep, in 1998.
With a total of six titles now in print and a seventh due for publication in late 2018, Bruce is recognized as one of the top historians on the air war in the Pacific. He does a substantial amount of public speaking and is featured in documentaries produced by the History Channel, Fox News Channel, PBS, and the Pritzker Military Library.
Bruce's literary awards include the Admiral Arthur W. Radford award for excellence in naval aviation history and literature, presented in 2010, and a Florida Book Award in 2013.
Holding life memberships in the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation and Paralyzed Veterans of America, Bruce has been cancer-free more almost 30 years. He lives near Madison, Georgia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
November 4, 2012
This title just jumped out at me when I walked by it in the bookstore. I remembered reading Baa, Baa, Black Sheep in the mid-1970s when the TV show was running, and I remembered liking that book (and totally loving the TV show), so I snapped it up.
It appears to be a well-researched biography, but wow, sometimes fiction is a lot more fun than fact. Pappy Boyington did not have a happy life (given his struggle with extreme alcoholism, some bad choices and some just plain bad luck) and he was not always the noble person we like our heroes to be. Welcome to the real world, I guess, but be warned that this is not a cheerful story.
It appears to be a well-researched biography, but wow, sometimes fiction is a lot more fun than fact. Pappy Boyington did not have a happy life (given his struggle with extreme alcoholism, some bad choices and some just plain bad luck) and he was not always the noble person we like our heroes to be. Welcome to the real world, I guess, but be warned that this is not a cheerful story.
August 31, 2018
Loved reading this. I had read Boyinigton's autobiography already, and wanted to see what somebody else had to say about him. The author seemed to waver between liking him, *really* disliking him, and feeling sorry for him. Excellent research, both in archives and interviews.
I learned much about this flawed, but great in his own way, man. Including that he went to the middle school I was teaching in when I read the book!
I learned much about this flawed, but great in his own way, man. Including that he went to the middle school I was teaching in when I read the book!
June 15, 2015
This books isn't about a hero who also has a life like the rest of us. It's about a man with a tough background, who made some bad decisions, but maximized his opportunity to become a hero (eventually).
"Pappy" Boyington grew up as Gregory Hallenbeck. His dad was an alcoholic who moved every year or so before everything could fall apart at his job as they discovered he had terrible alcohol problems. Gregory and his brother hated Christmas. It was when the relatives got together, got drunk, and ended up screaming at each other. Gregory had an obstinate streak, once he decided he was going to do something he did it all the way. Including fighting with the neighbor boys. He refused to be whipped. If he was, he would go back again and again until he could beat whoever beat him. He had a chance to fly as a young child when someone flew their plane into their little town and he fell in love with flying then and there. He didn't fear heights, he loved being in the tops of trees, and the edge of the mountains. He went into wrestling and did very well with a tremendous amount of upper body strength. He did well in college and discovered a possible avenue into aviation as a aeronautical engineer. He didn't drink at all during his high school or college years and after school was complete he got married and acquired a job with Boeing as a draughtsman. But, he wanted to fly.
He had an opportunity to join the Marine flying corps, he tried to apply and when he asked about his birth certificate found out his real father was not the man he grew up with, and his real last name was Boyington. This worked in his favor because he had to be unmarried to be accepted by the Marines and under Boyington, he hadn't married. He was accepted and took off to the other side of the country for training, leaving his wife and young son behind. The Marines introduced him to flying, and alcohol. He took to the latter faster and harder than the former and began to have some of the same troubles his step-father had with alcohol.
When Chennault's people began to recruit for the Flying Tigers Boyington was the only permanent officer the Marines agreed to release. His marriage almost destroyed and deeply in debt, he flew with the Flying Tigers until he became disenchanted with their organization and resigned. With WWII in swing he was lucky to be allowed back into the Marines who needed experienced flyers. Boyington was sent to the Pacific where he tied, and ostensibly beat the record for enemy planes shot down by a Marine (the author reviewed American and Japanese loss records and believes some of the his "kills" were lies or mistaken). He was shot down and missing in action. While missing, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his record. Captured by the Japanese he was sent to Japan for the rest of the war and survived to return to America. Where, he eventually went off the rails again with alcohol. Pappy eventually went to AA meetings was able to get his affairs in order. But, not before it ruined many relationships, closed many doors of opportunity, and damaged the legacy of someone with America's highest award for valor.
Authors write books for a variety of reasons. The author may have liked Pappy when he started writing this book but I have a feeling that didn't last long based on the tenor of many of his comments. This was worth the read but it's sometimes a sad story of someone's struggle with an addiction that robbed him of much of the happiness and respect he worked very hard to earn.
"Pappy" Boyington grew up as Gregory Hallenbeck. His dad was an alcoholic who moved every year or so before everything could fall apart at his job as they discovered he had terrible alcohol problems. Gregory and his brother hated Christmas. It was when the relatives got together, got drunk, and ended up screaming at each other. Gregory had an obstinate streak, once he decided he was going to do something he did it all the way. Including fighting with the neighbor boys. He refused to be whipped. If he was, he would go back again and again until he could beat whoever beat him. He had a chance to fly as a young child when someone flew their plane into their little town and he fell in love with flying then and there. He didn't fear heights, he loved being in the tops of trees, and the edge of the mountains. He went into wrestling and did very well with a tremendous amount of upper body strength. He did well in college and discovered a possible avenue into aviation as a aeronautical engineer. He didn't drink at all during his high school or college years and after school was complete he got married and acquired a job with Boeing as a draughtsman. But, he wanted to fly.
He had an opportunity to join the Marine flying corps, he tried to apply and when he asked about his birth certificate found out his real father was not the man he grew up with, and his real last name was Boyington. This worked in his favor because he had to be unmarried to be accepted by the Marines and under Boyington, he hadn't married. He was accepted and took off to the other side of the country for training, leaving his wife and young son behind. The Marines introduced him to flying, and alcohol. He took to the latter faster and harder than the former and began to have some of the same troubles his step-father had with alcohol.
When Chennault's people began to recruit for the Flying Tigers Boyington was the only permanent officer the Marines agreed to release. His marriage almost destroyed and deeply in debt, he flew with the Flying Tigers until he became disenchanted with their organization and resigned. With WWII in swing he was lucky to be allowed back into the Marines who needed experienced flyers. Boyington was sent to the Pacific where he tied, and ostensibly beat the record for enemy planes shot down by a Marine (the author reviewed American and Japanese loss records and believes some of the his "kills" were lies or mistaken). He was shot down and missing in action. While missing, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his record. Captured by the Japanese he was sent to Japan for the rest of the war and survived to return to America. Where, he eventually went off the rails again with alcohol. Pappy eventually went to AA meetings was able to get his affairs in order. But, not before it ruined many relationships, closed many doors of opportunity, and damaged the legacy of someone with America's highest award for valor.
Authors write books for a variety of reasons. The author may have liked Pappy when he started writing this book but I have a feeling that didn't last long based on the tenor of many of his comments. This was worth the read but it's sometimes a sad story of someone's struggle with an addiction that robbed him of much of the happiness and respect he worked very hard to earn.
December 13, 2018
I did not enjoy the *subject* of this book, and I'm not sure that I was meant to.
As I mentioned before, the book describes Greg "Pappy" Boyington as a self aggrandizing, alcoholic, silent, womanizing, financially irresponsible anti hero whose life is mostly a series of bad luck stories (most of his own design).
The first half of the book is about his youth, love of aviation, education and induction into the marines. Then his departure from the marines (with their blessing) and short adventure with a mercenary group in China (the Flying Tigers). The stories are very well written and told with enough detail that I'm sure Mr Gamble did a great deal of research.
Then, what I was originally interested in, was the story of his re-enlistment with the Marines and the lead up to what became the Black Sheep Squadron. The author tells how Boyington gained command of the squadron. I sort of get the feeling that Boyington didn't really earn his way there, but that there wasn't enough pilots with his specific experience (some of which he fabricated). His primary skills were flying and fighting tactics. Leadership didn't seem to be there, at least the boring parts of leadership that he allowed others under his command do.
It was disappointing to learn how poorly the TV Show represented the pilots of the Black Sheep Squadron as the mis fits of the Pacific theatre. They were professional pilots simply there to do a job and not all people that Boyington had "saved" from court-martials.
Then came a surprise to me, the story of his capture, life as a POW and rescue at the end of the war. Of course, only surprising because I didn't know about it.
Finally, the last third of the book is about his return to the states and life thereafter. I got the impression that he was a generally miserable person. Jumping from job to job, some pretty interesting: professional wrestler referee, author(some erotica), TV Consultant (Baa Baa Black Sheep), air show celebrity... but treated his friends, multiple wives, girl friends, fans, etc. pretty poorly.
The final few pages really hard for me to read, probably because of the loss of a family member at the start of the year. Maybe I was able to emphasize a bit with the story(if that makes sense)...
Admittedly, I *do* love my heroes to be flawed, however, in the case of Boyington, I seem to have found the limit of flaws that I can handle. And, in general, heroes tend to acknowledge their flaws and learn from them. Boyington may have started that particular journey, but it was very near the end of his life during his final days in hospice.
Finally, the author documents the book extremely well. I really liked the addition of the list of pilots known to have flown in the Black Sheep Squadron, and the pictures that span Boyington's life.
So, to sum up. Great book, well written, well researched, sad/poor subject matter. In fact, due to the subject matter I found I was unable to read more than a few pages at a time before having to move on.
Thanks to Mr. Gamble for this biography.
As I mentioned before, the book describes Greg "Pappy" Boyington as a self aggrandizing, alcoholic, silent, womanizing, financially irresponsible anti hero whose life is mostly a series of bad luck stories (most of his own design).
The first half of the book is about his youth, love of aviation, education and induction into the marines. Then his departure from the marines (with their blessing) and short adventure with a mercenary group in China (the Flying Tigers). The stories are very well written and told with enough detail that I'm sure Mr Gamble did a great deal of research.
Then, what I was originally interested in, was the story of his re-enlistment with the Marines and the lead up to what became the Black Sheep Squadron. The author tells how Boyington gained command of the squadron. I sort of get the feeling that Boyington didn't really earn his way there, but that there wasn't enough pilots with his specific experience (some of which he fabricated). His primary skills were flying and fighting tactics. Leadership didn't seem to be there, at least the boring parts of leadership that he allowed others under his command do.
It was disappointing to learn how poorly the TV Show represented the pilots of the Black Sheep Squadron as the mis fits of the Pacific theatre. They were professional pilots simply there to do a job and not all people that Boyington had "saved" from court-martials.
Then came a surprise to me, the story of his capture, life as a POW and rescue at the end of the war. Of course, only surprising because I didn't know about it.
Finally, the last third of the book is about his return to the states and life thereafter. I got the impression that he was a generally miserable person. Jumping from job to job, some pretty interesting: professional wrestler referee, author(some erotica), TV Consultant (Baa Baa Black Sheep), air show celebrity... but treated his friends, multiple wives, girl friends, fans, etc. pretty poorly.
The final few pages really hard for me to read, probably because of the loss of a family member at the start of the year. Maybe I was able to emphasize a bit with the story(if that makes sense)...
Admittedly, I *do* love my heroes to be flawed, however, in the case of Boyington, I seem to have found the limit of flaws that I can handle. And, in general, heroes tend to acknowledge their flaws and learn from them. Boyington may have started that particular journey, but it was very near the end of his life during his final days in hospice.
Finally, the author documents the book extremely well. I really liked the addition of the list of pilots known to have flown in the Black Sheep Squadron, and the pictures that span Boyington's life.
So, to sum up. Great book, well written, well researched, sad/poor subject matter. In fact, due to the subject matter I found I was unable to read more than a few pages at a time before having to move on.
Thanks to Mr. Gamble for this biography.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2021
Bruce Gamble has put together a birth to death biography of the famed Marine Corps World War II pilot - ace and commander of the famed VMF-214 Black Sheep Squadron. As the biography progresses, there are four major subplots that emerge and are sustained throughout the book:
Pugnaciousness
Love of Flying
Love of or involvement with women
Unabated alcoholism
These factors dominate Boyington's life and initially, one might get the opinion that the author is deliberately trying to besmirch the aura surrounding the war hero and Medal of Honor recipient. But further reading reveals the tragic life of an individual - a life lived and consumed by an alcoholic subsistence at a time when alcoholics were regarded simply as out-of-control drunks. Alcoholism was not acknowledged as a disease; hence the only cure was to dry a person out and hope that person didn't subsequently fall "off the wagon." Boyington was descended from parents suffering from the disease. He was vulnerable from the beginning.
In the end, Gamble does a wonderful job of getting at the persona of Greg Boyington so that the reader feels the empathy and sadness for one who meant so much to America's wartime effort in the Pacific. Like most history chronicles, the book is densely written (as in very little white space), but it is engrossing and smooth reading.
While reading the book, I re-watched all the episodes from the 1976-77 television series Baa Baa Black Sheep (later retitled in syndication as the Black Sheep Squadron) starring Robert Conrad as Major Boyington. The stories are fiction. The names and places slightly altered. But two things poured through, the pugnacity and the drinking of scotch were not "macho man" images. They were a reflection of the true character of the man.
Greg Boyington was a hero - flawed to be sure - but still a hero, and for all his faults, deserves our respect. A biography well worth reading.
Pugnaciousness
Love of Flying
Love of or involvement with women
Unabated alcoholism
These factors dominate Boyington's life and initially, one might get the opinion that the author is deliberately trying to besmirch the aura surrounding the war hero and Medal of Honor recipient. But further reading reveals the tragic life of an individual - a life lived and consumed by an alcoholic subsistence at a time when alcoholics were regarded simply as out-of-control drunks. Alcoholism was not acknowledged as a disease; hence the only cure was to dry a person out and hope that person didn't subsequently fall "off the wagon." Boyington was descended from parents suffering from the disease. He was vulnerable from the beginning.
In the end, Gamble does a wonderful job of getting at the persona of Greg Boyington so that the reader feels the empathy and sadness for one who meant so much to America's wartime effort in the Pacific. Like most history chronicles, the book is densely written (as in very little white space), but it is engrossing and smooth reading.
While reading the book, I re-watched all the episodes from the 1976-77 television series Baa Baa Black Sheep (later retitled in syndication as the Black Sheep Squadron) starring Robert Conrad as Major Boyington. The stories are fiction. The names and places slightly altered. But two things poured through, the pugnacity and the drinking of scotch were not "macho man" images. They were a reflection of the true character of the man.
Greg Boyington was a hero - flawed to be sure - but still a hero, and for all his faults, deserves our respect. A biography well worth reading.
November 9, 2020
I remember a television programme first aired 1976 to 1978 called "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and then renamed in syndication "Black Sheep Squadron." Robert Conrad played a tough, unorthodox, US Marine Corps aviator named Greg Boyington. Boyington, called "Pappy" because he was old for a squadron commander, developed a reputation for leading an undisciplined, rule-breaking, highly-successful group of fighter pilots. The creators of the show admitted that it was "fiction based on reality" and Boyington, who served as technical advisor to the series, admitted it was made of "... inaccuracies, hogwash, and Hollywood hokum." Bruce Gamble wrote this biography of Greg Boyington which serves as a sort of antidote to the hyperbolic and legendary aspects of the TV show. This Greg Boyington is not larger than life. This one made a lot of mistakes, left a lot of relational wreckage in his wake and was an active alcoholic all of his adult life. The story is, if anything, overly detailed, as if Gamble did a great deal of primary research and didn't want to leave a single gem out of his account. Unlike the several books about Boyington which focus only on his years in China, the South Pacific and Japan, Gamble tells the entire story from birth to funeral. This is quite necessary to better understand the man. Like all heroes, there are defects in his character and conduct which make him human. The result is well done, well written and important if one wants to know the real, as opposed to the dramatized-for-television version of Pappy.
August 5, 2017
Fans of the show, Baa Baa Black Sheep/Black Sheep Squadron will be disappointed in this book. Most will be expecting to hear more of the exploits of a man portrayed as an irreverent Marine pilot. There was more to his story. Abandoned by his father and raised by his mother and an alcoholic stepfather, he didn't know his surname was Boyington until he was a grown man. He was a gutsy pilot, prisoner of war and raging alcoholic. His life was filled with tragedy, much of it of his own making. However, rather than look at it as the destruction of an idol, I felt compassion for the man who relived his glory days until he died because he had little else.
April 15, 2018
At turns, Boyington's story is both sordid and heroic and Gamble does an excellent job of documenting it warts and all. I recommend that readers also read Boyington's book "Baa Baa Black Sheep" (and take it with a grain of salt" and Frank E. Walton's book "Once They Were Eagles," for a more complete understanding of Boyington and his Black Sheep.
August 16, 2023
Enjoyed this one. I loved the "Black Sheep" t.v. show so I was very interested in the real story behind Pappy Boyington. He was a very complicated man, and the book did a good job of shining a light on his flaws as well as his good points. Boyington apparently blurred the line between fact and fiction quite a few times, but it all made for exciting reading. I did shed a tear at the end.
November 18, 2019
Well Written
This is a better read than Boyington’s autobiography because it holds to the truth of the events rather than the doubt of veracity in the autobiography. Really enjoyed the book.
This is a better read than Boyington’s autobiography because it holds to the truth of the events rather than the doubt of veracity in the autobiography. Really enjoyed the book.
October 9, 2017
Very interesting life.
I think the book was well written and easy to understand. The author stayed neutral. He presented the facts. Or presented all the opinions.
I think the book was well written and easy to understand. The author stayed neutral. He presented the facts. Or presented all the opinions.
October 9, 2017
Historical non-fiction
A WWII hero, tragically flawed as all heroes. Pappy was as human as anyone. His excesses really hurt my image of him.
A WWII hero, tragically flawed as all heroes. Pappy was as human as anyone. His excesses really hurt my image of him.
November 12, 2017
This was a very thoroughly researched biography about Gregory Boyington. I watched Baa Baa Black Sheep when I was younger. I didn't realize the life and hardships he endured...
June 24, 2018
Well researched and extremely detailed biography of Gregory Boyington, illustrating the flawed alcoholic who craved attention even while being awarded his country's highest award.
April 16, 2019
A great inside look at Pappy's life. I was a fan of the show in the 70s, but never knew the details and real stories behind them. Gamble did a nice job exposing the real Pappy, warts and all.
October 26, 2019
Lost a star on readability. Still an accurate Biography of Gregg.
June 13, 2020
Fantastic
What an eye opener, looking into the life of Pappy Boington. What a revaluation. He suffered so much. Rest in Peace Pappy.
What an eye opener, looking into the life of Pappy Boington. What a revaluation. He suffered so much. Rest in Peace Pappy.
January 21, 2022
An old breed warrior.
August 7, 2025
This is a well-written and interesting biography of a complicated war hero. Gamble portrays Boyington "warts and all', so to speak. I recommend it for students of WWII.
March 3, 2025
Interesting story but definitely drug on at the end. The stories of aviation were spectacular.
October 3, 2010
Gamble is highly critical of a man and events he knows only second hand. He really wrote this book to go back and 'rewrite' the history that was already put forward in Pappy's own words in his autobiography. This sort of thing is all too common now days. Every one wants to go back and take a closer look at all of our heroes of the past and where possible show how they are not really heroes at all. Surprise! We are all human and so all have shortcomings. I like the book only because it had some good factual history. Yes and it probably dispelled any embellishments put forth by Pappy about himself or the events of his life. But No, I didn't care for those. Read the real autobiography of Pappy called Baa Baa Black Sheep for a much better read.
July 26, 2015
Ever since I was a child watching the TV show about the Black Sheep Squadron (Baa Baa Black Sheep), I have been interested in Pappy Boyington. He had an amazing ability to make great decisions in the air and an equally amazing ability to make poor life choices on the ground. One challenge he faced over and over was his profound alcoholism. The fact that he prospered even with this challenge is a testament to the amazing spirit inside the man. As a pilot I am in awe of him as a fighter pilots pilot.
January 11, 2015
This was an interesting read that confirmed many things that I had heard from a couple of Boyington's contemporaries over the years. I felt that the author was a little heavy-handed at times. The author seemed to be strongly biased against the use of alcohol and at times he belabored that aspect significantly.
I had to put the book aside several times because of the negativity. Of course, this book offsets the autobiography. I suspect the truth is somewhere in between the two books.
I had to put the book aside several times because of the negativity. Of course, this book offsets the autobiography. I suspect the truth is somewhere in between the two books.
January 18, 2016
Not what I expected. Instead of the story of an exciting, eventful life, it was the story of a struggling alcoholic who never recovered from his addiction, a man who fathered children but was never actually a father, and a shameless womanizer. I was disappointed. I think I would have liked to continue the illusion I had of this person rather than to know what he was really like.
October 4, 2012
On page 20 of 300 something
This book is a boy named Gregory Boyington who grew up in Eau Clare, Wisconson. Gregory grows up to be a WW2 pilot and eventually a WW2 hero. So far the book is decent, I will probably finish it
This book is a boy named Gregory Boyington who grew up in Eau Clare, Wisconson. Gregory grows up to be a WW2 pilot and eventually a WW2 hero. So far the book is decent, I will probably finish it
October 14, 2012
This is a first class book of a tortured sole. The talents of Pappy boyington are without any doubt. His ability to self destruct and sabotage his career are equally as obvious. This is a great book and leads you through the life of a great fighter pilot and his battles with alcohol. Great stuff
March 30, 2009
Candid view of national hero. Many examples of a troubled life. Interesting too was his actions with TV star Robert Conrad during production of the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep.
July 13, 2008
I am not a big fan of books written such that they are a list of facts. This books seemed like one of those books, the issue, the facts are amazing.
March 1, 2014
A wonderful book for anyone interested in flying & heroics. I believe, the maker breaks the mould after a "Pappy" is created.
April 30, 2014
If you have any interest in WWII, flying/pilots, etc. this is a great biography. Nothing here was sugar coated. Very good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews