Fullbore Friday

A quick FbF today taking a lot from my bud Stephen over at AcePilots.

... young Greg had a rough childhood - divorced parents, alcoholic step-father (who Greg believed to be his natural father until he entered the Marine Corps), and lots of moves. He grew up in St. Maries, Idaho, a small logging town. Greg got his first ride in an airplane when he was only six years old.
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In high school, he took up a sport that he would practice for many years - wrestling. Especially when he had had a few too many (which was often), (he) would challenge others to impromptu wrestling bouts, frequently with injurious results. He enrolled at the University of Washington ... where he continued wrestling and participated in ROTC. He met his first wife, Helene there; they were married not long after his graduation ... His first son, Gregory Clark Boyington, was born 10 months later.
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After a year with Boeing, Greg enlisted in the Marine Corps. On having to supply them with his birth certificate, he only learned of his natural father at that date. He began elimination training (he) had a tough time with flight training, and had to undergo a number of rechecks.

Until he arrived in Pensacola, (he) had never touched alcohol. But here, with hard-partying fliers, and aware of his wife's "fooling around," he soon discovered his affinity for liquor. Early on, (he) established his Marine Corps reputation: hard-drinking, brawling, well-liked,
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Before reporting for his assignment with VMF-1 at Quantico, Virginia, he took advantage of his 30-day to return home, and reconcile with his wife Helene, who became pregnant with their second child. In those days Marine aviators were required to be bachelors; Greg's family was a secret that he kept from the brass, but he brought them with him to Virginia, installing them quietly in nearby Fredericksburg.
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In July, he moved to Philadelphia, to attend the Marine Corps' Basic School for ten months. Apparently not motivated by the "ground-pounder" curriculum, Boyington here evidenced the weaknesses that would haunt him: excessive drinking, borrowing money (and not repaying it), fighting, and poor official performance.

His irresponsibility, his debts, and his difficulties with the Corps continued to mount ... when he flew with VMF-2, stationed at San Diego. One memorable, drunken night, he tried to swim across San Diego Bay, and wound up naked and exhausted in the Navy's Shore Patrol office. Despite his problems on the ground, it was during these days (he) first began to be noticed as a top-notch pilot. Whatever his other issues, he could out-dogfight almost anyone. Back at Pensacola ... his problems mounted - he decked a superior officer in a fight over a girl (not his wife), and his creditors sought official help from the Marine Corps. Greg's career was a hopeless mess ...
Rescue came from, of all places, China.

Of course ... you know who we are talking about, right?

The money looked very good to Boyington. Assured that the program had government approval and that his spot in the Corps was safe, he signed on the spot, and promptly resigned from the Marine Corps. While the AVG deal for pilots normally did contemplate a return to active U.S. military service, in Greg's case, his superiors took a different view. They were happy to be rid of him, and noted in his file that he should not be reappointed.

Yea ... our SOB. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington. Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Marine Corps top ace, and a year and a half as a Japanese POW.

Head on over to AcePilots and read the rest.