24. This Black Sheep Joined the “Ace in a Day” Club
Gregory Boyington’s men initially nicknamed him “Gramps”, later changed to “Pappy” in accordance with a contemporary song, because at age 31, he was a decade older than most of his Marines. The Black Sheep were in combat for 84 days, in which time they destroyed or damaged 203 Japanese airplanes, including 97 confirmed aerial victories. They also strafed, bombed, and destroyed numerous enemy ground installations, and sank several supply ships and troop transports. For exceptional heroism in action, the squadron earned a Presidential Unit Citation.
As their commander, Boyington not only led the Black Sheep, but led the way in taking on and aggressively tangling with the Japanese. In one exploit against the Kahili airfield in Bougainville, where 60 enemy airplanes were based, Pappy led 24 fighters in circling the Japanese to goad them into coming out en masse. When they did, the Black Sheep shot down twenty enemy planes, without losing any of their own. In his first 32 days of combat, Boyington personally shot down fourteen enemy airplanes. On his best day, he downed five Japanese in a single mission. That qualified him for the rare “Ace in a Day” – somebody who shot down five or more enemy planes in a day – club. By December, 1943, his confirmed victory record had risen to 25.
