Gregory "Pappy" Boyington

[b]Gregory "Pappy" Boyington[/b] (December 4, 1912 – January 11, 1988) was a highly decorated American combat Pilot who was a Marine Corps Fighter Ace. He received both the Medal Of Honor and the Navy Cross. Boyington was initially a P-40 Warhawk combat pilot with the legendary "Flying Tigers" (1st American Volunteer Group) in the Republic of China Airforce in China and in Burma, at the end of 1941 and part of 1942, In September 1942, he rejoined the Marine Corps (had been an aviator before the war). In early 1943, he deployed to the South Pacific and began flying combat missions as a Marine F4U Corsair fighter pilot. In September 1943, he took command of fighter squadron VMF-214 ("Black Sheep"). In January 1944, Boyington, outnumbered by Japanese Zero's, was shot down into the Pacific after downing one of the enemy planes. He was captured by a Japanese Sub crew and was held as a POW for more than a year and a half. He was released shortly after the Surrender, and a few days before the official surrender documents were signed