Gregory “Pappy” Boyington was an American combat pilot who was active during the World War II. A United States Marine Corps fighter ace, he was awarded both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. An Idaho native, he grew up with the dream of flying. Boyington enlisted for military training while he was still in college and in 1934, was designated as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Reserve. He later served with 630th Coast Artillery before joining the US Marines. Over the course of the next six years, Boyington was given flight training, receiving his Naval Cadet designation in 1937, following which he was assigned to naval bases all over America. After the World War II broke out, Boyington left the Marine Corps and was recruited by the legendary ‘Flying Tigers’ for combat in China, Burma, and Japan in late 1941 and early 1942. He rejoined the Marines in 1942, following America’s declaration of war against the Axis powers, and began flying an F4U Corsair in 1943. A few months later, he was promoted to the commander of marine fighter squadron VMF-214. His plane was shot down in January 1944 and he subsequently became a prisoner of war. When Japan surrendered in 1945, he was released. He returned home and led a tumultuous life until his death in 1988. A TV series, based on his autobiography ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’, aired from 1976 to 1978.