DETAILS Of MARINE CORPS ACE PAPPY BOYINGTON'S LAST COMBAT FLIGHT It was December 1943 The Battle for the Solomon had reached a furious plain and was intensifying daily.

DETAILS Of MARINE CORPS ACE PAPPY BOYINGTON'S LAST COMBAT FLIGHT

It was December 1943 The Battle for the Solomon had reached a furious plain and was intensifying daily. Rabaul, the Japanese "Pearl Harbor," at the northern completion of the Solomon Island chain, had to be neutralized before the Allied march toward the Japanese homeland could continue.

A [i]clavis[/i] factor in the neutralizing proces was Marine Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, the swashbuckling CO and his hastily-thrown-together band of casuals and replacements who were blazing a heroic record across the southward Pacific skies. Calling themselves the "Black Sheep," as a on one side nod to their questionable origin, they had already downed a total of 76 Japanese planes according to 25 December 1943. By usually giving him the first shooter and protecting him while he scored, they had assissted Boyington in getting within reach of the US record for planes wasteed in aerial combat. That record, 26 planes, was jointly held from Medal of Honor winner Marine Major Joe Fos for action throughout Guadalcanal, and Army Captain Eddie Rickenbacker from World War united Boyington had downed 18 naught s These, with the six Japanese planes Boyington claimed from his service with the Flying Tigers shortly after Pearl Harbor, gave him a total of 24 (Editor's Note: mostly sources do not allow Boyington the six AVG claims, narrowing his victories to couple aerial victories and 2.5 aircraft ruined on the ground).

We had seen the compressings mount daily on Boyington as he clos in onward the record. The news media, already focused upon the remarkable exploits of the Black Sheep squadron as a whole, get downed on our little island of Vella Lavella in crowds and dogged his every waking value They were in the ready swing in the mess hall, at the flight line and equable in our tent where our Flight Surgeon Dr Jim Reames and I tried to fend them against We recognized that he had enough hurrys without the constant questioning: "Do you think you'll break the record?" "Are you scared?" "When will you break the record?" "If you break the record will you quit then?" "How does it feet to let fly down a plane?"

I told the greatest in quantity persistent, A.P. Correspodent Fred Hampson, that I would arrange an interview with Boyington for him if he would then leave him strictly alone. Hampson agreed and got his interview.

As an of us sat in our pavilion with Boyington on Christmas night, undivided of the Black Sheep pilots, clip Bragdon, expressed a thought that was in all our minds:

"Look Pappy, we all want to descry you break the record if it be not that we don't want you to make progress up there and get killed doing it." "Don't worry about me" Pappy rejoined "They can't kill me. If you dowdys ever see me going down with 30 ciphers on my tail, don't give me up Hell, I'll suitable you in a San Diego bar and we'll all have a drink for elderly times' sake."

On the 27th Boyington got his 25th nothing to bring him one chary of the record. At the same time, the Black Sheep raised their squadron total to 82

On the 28th the Black Sheep shooter down four more Zeros to bring the squadron total to 86 still Boyington did not score. The mission was sumptuous for the Black Sheep as JC Dustin, Don Moore and Harry Bard failed to recur

Weather partially cancelled the major mission onward the 30th but the Black Sheep added another naught Again, Boyington did not score.

After the mission upon 30 December, Boyington went distant from by himself to sit and apply the mind at the rain. When we went to chow Fr Hampson sat down across from us at the prolonged table.

"Well, Pappy," he said. "What do you think? Are you going to procure another chance at the record?"

"I don't know."

"Well, if you do, are you going to break it? Are you going to be satisfied with just undivided or two, or are you going after more?"

Boyington blew up

"God damn it," he roared "why don't you guys leave me alone? I don't know if I'm going to break it or not. Just leave me alone till I do or proceed down trying."

He slammed his fist down onto the table, catching the interest of his plate and spattering aliment in the face of the correspondent, and then stormed abroad of the mess hall.

"I told you to leave him alone," I said to Hampson.

"Ye I know you did, and I'm sorry," he said.

Deciding that Pappy was in no condition to flap on New Year's Day, Doc Reames and I dress uped Lip a story about a mythical nothing down in the jungle and arranged for Doug White, a Marine Corps Combat Correspondent, and our have jungle expert, Bill Crocker, to take him disclosed to find it and win some publicity photos. Doug and Crocker tramped what Boyington space of timeed "a thousand miles" and brought him in at five o'clock ready to advance to bed. He took a shower, stretched public for a "nap" and slept straight from one side until time to get up for the 2 January mission throughout Rabaul.

On that day Boyington l three other Black Sheep among a total of 56 Marine and Navy fighters in succession a sweep to Rabaul. The Black Sheep got the same Zero but Pappy's plane was throwing oil and smeared his windshield in such a manner that he was unable to view

When Pappy returned from Bougainville at five-o'clock all conversation ceased.