Gregory 'Pappy' Boyington memorial shot down by leftists

[GI Joe]

This is totally outrageous




'Pappy' Shot Down by Campus Ignoramuses

It's well known that college students today aren't as educated in our nation's history as they should be, but it's still hard to grasp the mind-bending political correctness just displayed by the University of Washington's student senate at its campus in Seattle.

The issue before the Senate this month was a proposed memorial to World War II combat pilot Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, a 1933 engineering graduate of the university, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service commanding the famed "Black Sheep" squadron in the Pacific. The student senate rejected the memorial because "a Marine" is not "an example of the sort of person UW wants to produce."

Digging themselves in deeper, the student opponents of the memorial indicated: "We don't need to honor any more rich white males." Other opponents compared Boyington's actions during World War II with murder.


snip
As for the sin of honoring a rich white male, Mr. Ludeman points out that Boyington (who died in 1988) was neither rich nor white. He happened to be a Sioux Indian, who wound up raising his three children as a single parent. "Colonel Boyington is luckily not around to see how ignorant students at his alma mater can be today," says Kirby Wilbur, a morning talk show host at Seattle's KVI Radio. Perhaps the trustees and alumni of the school will now help educate them.


http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110007988




more on these idiots who disrespect a true American Hero and one of my personal heros.

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=5402ffa9-2b17-4684-82b1-0989242cdf59

A good article on his life
http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=021706H

[GI Joe]

Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington
C.O. VMF-214, Black Sheep Squadron
"Just name a hero, and I'll prove he's a bum." - Pappy's self-assessment

Undoubtedly the most colorful and well known Marine Corps' ace was Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, commanding officer of VMF-214.



Stories of Pappy Boyington are legion, many founded in fact, including how he led the legendary Black Sheep squadron, and how he served in China as a member of the American Volunteer Group, the famed Flying Tigers. He spent a year and a half as a Japanese POW, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, was recognized as the Marine Corps top ace (more on that below). Always hard-drinking and hard-living, Pappy's post-war life was as turbulent as his wartime experiences.

The best biography of Boyington that I've read is Bruce Gamble's Black Sheep One: The Life of Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, released late in 2000.

Born on Dec. 4, 1912, 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. The famous barnstormer, Clyde Pangborn, flew his Jenny into town, and Greg wangled a ride. What a thrill for a little kid!

http://www.acepilots.com/usmc_boyington.html

[GI Joe]

Medal of Honor citation

His citation reads in full:


The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR to MAJOR GREGORY BOYINGTON UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE for service as set forth in the following CITATION

For extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of Marine Fighting Squadron TWO FOURTEEN in action against enemy Japanese forces in Central Solomons Area from 12 September 1943 to 3 January 1944. Consistently outnumbered throughout successive hazardous flights over heavily defended hostile territory, Major Boyington struck at the enemy with daring and courageous persistence, leading his squadron into combat with devastating results to Japanese shipping, shore installations and aerial forces. Resolute in his efforts to inflict crippling damage on the enemy, Major Boyington led a formation of twenty-four fighters over Kahili on 17 October and, persistently circling the airdrome where sixty hostile aircraft were grounded, boldly challenged the Japanese to send up planes. Under his brilliant command, our fighters shot down twenty enemy craft in the ensuing action without the loss of a single ship. A superb airman and determined fighter against overwhelming odds, Major Boyington personally destroyed 26 of the many Japanese planes shot down by his squadron and by his forceful leadership developed the combat readiness in his command which was a distinctive factor in the Allied aerial achievements in this vitally strategic area.

/S/FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

[GI Joe]

From a Blogger who knew Pappy

snip
This issue is particularly interesting to me because I personally knew Pappy Boyington, not so much as a friend, but as a regular visitor to the Chino Air Museum and Air Show. I met him on numerous occassions and thoroughly enjoyed his willingness to tell me stories about his experiences - and I must say it was HEAVEN to this young man who'd rather feel his way around a restored Corsair than hang out at the mall with his contemporaries.

Pappy was famous for once saying: "Just name a hero and I'll prove he's a bum." And he knew this from personal experience. Pappy's childhood wasn't easy and he and his mother had to work VERY hard to get him through school - he was no rich boy and neither did he live off government grants...personally I wonder if those students who "shot this memorial down" could remotely say the same? And he was a real human being who did not hide his faults, particularly with alcohol and marital problems. Like all heros, no one is a "super" hero. While Pappy could work hard, he could "play" hard too and landed himself in trouble from time to time. Here is a more detailed story...from the University of Washington oddly enough.

http://paradosis.blogspot.com/2006/02/we-dont-need-to-honor-any-more-rich.html

[steveksux]

Do we really need to revisit Pat Robertson calling for assassinating foreign leaders and show how stupid it is to blame all Christians for what he says? Do we really? Sigh.

Blame this on some stupid college kids. Nothing more.

Randy.

[The_Comedian]

Well, seems to be another case where "Freedom of Speech" is a bad thing, eh?

[Riddley]

A lack of historical knowlege and appreciation.
Even weirder, the university has a scholarship named after Boyington (http://secure.gifts.washington.edu/uw_foundation/gift.asp?source_typ=3&source=PAPPYB)

[faithfulservant]

Do we really need to revisit Pat Robertson calling for assassinating foreign leaders and show how stupid it is to blame all Christians for what he says? Do we really? Sigh.

Blame this on some stupid college kids. Nothing more.

Randy.
Sorry, but your attempts to minimize this have failed. It wasn't so much that some stupid college kids protested, it was that the people in authority submitted to them, instead of telling them to get a life. The blame lies with the spineless college authorities who refused to do what's right and instead used this protest to carry out their own agenda. Had they made any effort whatsoever, the lids would have backed down.

[NiteGuy]

Sorry, but your attempts to minimize this have failed. It wasn't so much that some stupid college kids protested, it was that the people in authority submitted to them, instead of telling them to get a life. The blame lies with the spineless college authorities who refused to do what's right and instead used this protest to carry out their own agenda. Had they made any effort whatsoever, the lids would have backed down.

Perhaps, faithfulservant, you should read all of the articles again, and try reading for comprehension this time.

There was no "protest" by students to the faculty and "spineless" college authorities. There was no presentation to the university administration at all.

This was one man, an alumnus of the same year as Boyington, who suggested in a presentation to the student Senate, and student Senate alone, apparently, that a statue of "Pappy" Boyington be erected on the campus to honor him.

Now, please note that I am not defending the stupidity of this group at all. Especially considdering the fact that they apparently have no appreciation of history, or of the importance of air groups like the "Flying Tigers" and the "Black Sheep" to winning the war against Japan.

But your painting this as the administration furthering some kind of "leftist agenda" by asceding to the demands of a few misinformed students is just plain false, and disingenuous to boot.

The administration had nothing to say about this, because it wasn't brought to them to start with. It was taken directly to a student body, and those students spoke, however misinformed and lacking in historical perspective they might have been.

[Sgt Schultz]

UW Students face barbs of free speech (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/259719_pappy16.html)

One thing though that wasn't really mentioned in any of the news articles was that the resolution only failed by one vote. It was made to sound like the entire school senate was against it.

The resolution, which received support from 45 students, failed by one vote.