Rating: 
Summary: magnificent biography of a troublesome hero
Review: Pappy Boyington is one of the most memorable pilots of World War II. But as he famously said: "Show me a hero, and I'll show you a bum." He did the best to prove his own maxim.As a member of the Flying Tigers of Burma and China, he was credited with two Japanese aircraft shot down, but left early and in such disfavor that he got a "dishonorable discharge" from its commander, Claire Chennault. He then re-joined the Marines and proceeded to build an unorthodox fighter squadron--the Black Sheep--with many similarities to the Tigers, with himself playing the role of Chennault. Shot down, he was awarded the Medal of Honor while serving time in two of Japan's most notorious prisons. He emerged alive at the end of the war, claiming to have accounted for enough Japanese planes on his final day to make him the leading USMC ace of World War II. It's a fascinating story, but Bruce Gamble goes beyond the war record to show us the boy growing up in a troubled family and following his seemingly doomed path to alcoholism and brawling and a troubled marriage of his own. Boyington's checkered career postwar is equally compelling. You feel sorry for him, angry at him, and in awe of him as one of the great shooters of all time. This is a brilliant book and an important one, and it belongs on the shelf of anyone with an interest in World War II aviation.
Rating: 
Summary: Black Sheep One
Review: While preparing for my senior seminar in History, I chose a topic that my WWII Marine grandfather introduced me to, the Black Sheep. I was disappointed in the way the world remembered the history of Pappy Boyington and the Black Sheep Squadron, seeing them as the misfits that they were portrayed to be by a 70s television show. These were American heroes and yet they were better remembered as renegade troublemakers. This was not the situation. I was at a loss of where I would come by all the detail and depth that I would need to review activities of fifty years ago. That's when I discovered Bruce Gamble's books. Loaded with facts and with extreme attention to detail, these books gave me more than I ever needed and were more than just required reading on this subject, the books were intriguing. As I read them, I felt as if I had been there. Without these books, my project would have been a wreck. Thanks Bruce, great books, waiting for more...
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