Black Sheep One

by Bernard Dy

Article Type: Book Review
Article Date: March 26, 2002


Author Bruce Gamble knows the story of US Marine fighter pilot Gregory Boyington well, having written about the squadron Boyington is most recognized with, the VMF-214 Black Sheep. It is unsurprising Gamble elected to follow The Black Sheep with Black Sheep One, a thorough dissertation on Boyington's life. Boyington's name, if not life, is legendary. A television series loosely based (very loosely based, according to many) on the Black Sheep made Boyington's name a household item. Gamble looks far beyond the show, starting with Boyington's adventuresome childhood and following the pilot to the bitter end. Gamble reveals some painful truths about a man some might perceive as a typical war hero.

Actor Robert Conrad (left) and Boyington on set of 'Baa Baa Black Sheep'

I am somewhat remiss for missing the opportunity to examine several books on this topic: Boyington's own autobiography, Baa Baa Black Sheep, both of Gamble's books, and perhaps Black Sheep intelligence officer Frank Walton's Once They Were Eagles. Each volume could add textures to this article and make it a useful guide to Black Sheep fans. I'm presently without copies of some of those texts, however, but if enough readers like the topic, perhaps COMBATSIM.COM will revisit in the future.

The matter at hand is to determine if Gamble's Black Sheep One is right for you. It's easy to recommend the book on the basis of its research. Gamble conducted dozens of interviews, researched both American and Japanese war records, and studied several of the aforementioned books plus many others. Gamble also knows the subject of naval aviation well, himself a former naval flight officer.

Boyington receives the Medal of Honor from President Truman

Also competent is Gamble's writing, filled with the rewards of forethought. The style is perhaps a little flat for some tastes, but also largely maintains neutrality, avoiding the passing of judgement on the life of the subject although Gamble clearly respects Boyington's legacy. Gamble does something different with his transitions too, and while the chronological telling of the story lends a natural order to the chapters, Gamble will sometimes inject a clue about the future while involved in the story's present. Another interesting technique Gamble uses is to subtly refer to Boyington by his first name of Gregory in chapters about Boyington's childhood years. Boyington, until age 20, thought his last name was Hallenbeck, the surname of his stepfather. Calling him Gregory instead of Hallenbeck, Gamble avoids needless confusion for readers familiar only the television series. After Gregory changes his last name to Boyington, Gamble switches to it so smoothly most readers probably won't notice. This touch is an example of Gamble tackling difficult situations with professionalism, and when discussing Boyington, there are several difficult situations.

Whether viewers saw the television series as truth or fiction, one thing is certain. The Boyington of the series and real life was a charismatic talker. Differences between Boyington's garrulous claims and Gamble's research appear in several places. Gamble is good about identifying where his research disagrees with Boyington's and refutes many of the statements made in Boyington's autobiography. Some refutations, though, are often quotes from another book or interview and thus are themselves hearsay. When chasing down stories fifty-five years old, sometimes that's the only resource available. Such is the challenge of digging for truths of the deceased. And clearly, one of the most sensitive issues is that of victory claims in fighter combat.

The classic Boyington picture

Because aerial victories are sometimes amassed during swarming and confusing furballs (mass dogfights), claiming victories is a suspect practice. Dozens of factors can cloud reality: two pilots might take claim for the same victory; the targets might be misidentified; a claimed victory might not have died but perhaps limped home; some victories might be unclaimed; some victories may be completely made up. The uncertainty about who shot down Japanese Admiral Yamamoto's transport is but one example; its participants spent decades bickering about it and may still be. In Donald Caldwell's JG-26 War Diary, the subject of victory claim discrepancies between the German and English is prevalent.

Flying Tigers historian Daniel Ford is one of the few who publicly scrutinize victory claims of WWII pilots, and he takes much heat for it. Gamble questions several of Boyington's claims, particularly the last few of his days as a Flying Tiger, and also the last few from his stint in the Marines. Gamble ponders the possibility that some insecurity inspired Boyington to fabricate the claims so he could be the highest scoring Marine fighter. The same people that criticize Ford will probably dispute Gamble's questioning, but cooler heads will see that Gamble logically approaches the topic and his questions are the results of research.

Ford, incidentally, generally praises Black Sheep One, though he disagrees with Gamble's perception of Olga Greenlaw, the wife of Flying Tiger officer Harvey Greenlaw. Gamble describes her as a rather overbearingly libidinous part of the Flying Tiger experience, while Ford surmises she was no more untoward than any adventurous woman of the time. Gamble does share a joke from some Flying Tiger veterans that says,

"There's only two guys who didn't sleep with Olga, and I don't know who the other one is."

The infamous Olga Greenlaw

I don't know about COMBATSIM's readers, but there are a few girls like that I knew from high school, and I still don't know who the other guy is! Both Ford and Gamble accept that Boyington was likely one of Greenlaw's suitors, but for Boyington, this would hardly be the only count of marital infidelity and it was hardly the most debilitating of Boyington's missteps.

If there's a central theme in Black Sheep One, it's that Boyington's life was a hard one. As a child, Gregory Hallenbeck rarely had a stable home. His parents were heavy drinkers and were constantly moving the family. There were moments of success in school, as he became known as a hard working student and a capable wrestler. But Boyington seemed always involved in fights, and his progresses in domestic life were also stunted. Boyington went through four wives; that's a hard life, not including the combat or Boyington's time as a Japanese prisoner. Strangely, Boyington didn't imbibe alcohol until his twenties, but once he started, the juggernaut of alcohol addiction became his toughest wrestling opponent.

Gamble in several instances identifies that Boyington knew alcoholism was a problem. There appears to be much guilt in the passages Gamble quotes from Boyington's writings and Gamble correctly notes Boyington is paraphrasing the sentiments of Scott Fitzgerald when he wrote in Baa Baa Black Sheep,

"Just name a hero, and I'll prove he's a bum."

This self-effacing statement is the perfect summary of Boyington's life, and borrowed cliché though it may be, it is understandable that Gamble would harness it. Assuming Gamble's text is honest and accurate, and there is little indication to the contrary, then Boyington's life is tragic. This remarkable man performed great acts for his country in WWII, yet as Frank Walton told him,

"Greg, you're a worldwide hero. You can be anything you want to be. You could be a senator. You could be governor of this state if you want to be. Whatever you want to be. But you've got to lay off the booze."

None of Walton's prophecies came true, except for the caution about alcohol. The bottled demon stuck with Boyington his entire military career and beyond, though Gamble notes there were some heartening years when Boyington's fourth wife helped him find some peace.

Some may find Gamble's work difficult to read, because he's forthcoming about Boyington's problems. Others may see the work as an attack on an American icon, but that would be an incorrect assessment. Boyington isn't the only former fighter pilot that likes alcohol, but he is among the most famous. Far fewer people remember veterans of arguably greater character, such as Marion Carl or Robert Goebel. What Gamble does with Black Sheep One is execute the unpopular task of revealing the truth about a character that's larger than life. He does so with a reasonably even hand, though again, the reader may sense a slight leniency on behalf of Boyington, always a danger when the subject is close to the author's heart. Gamble rounds the book with a useful index, bibliographical notes, and an excellent selection of photos.

Boyington in later life.

Although the book is pure Boyington and not just air combt, I believe COMBATSIM's readers will find it engaging. If you have an interest in the history of the Black Sheep, and in particular the checkered past of its beleaguered and most popular leader, this book needs to be on your shelf.

Relevance to Combat Simulations:
Gamble offers some light observations about the various aircraft Boyington flew, such as the P-40 Warhawk and of course the intrepid Vought F4U Corsair. Regarding flight and air combat tactics, there is less to read, but Gamble does identify the importance of altitude and combat simulation fans will recognize that the Black Sheep were most successful when taking advantage of "boom and zoom" methods.

Presidio Press published Black Sheep One in 2000, ISBN 0-89141-716-8. Black Sheep One Purchase Info. Amazon.com sells the hardcover edition.



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