Pappy Boyington

Colonel Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (December 4, 1912 - January 11, 1988) was an American fighter pilot who flew with the American Volunteer Group (the Flying Tigers) in China and became a US Marine Corps ace in World War II.

Early life

Boyington was born in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho but grew up in the logging town of St. Maries, Idaho and later, Tacoma, Washington where he was a wrestler in high school. He first flew when he was eight years old, with Clyde Pangborn, who later flew the Pacific non-stop.

Related Topics:
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho - St. Maries, Idaho - Tacoma, Washington - Wrestler - Clyde Pangborn - Pacific

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In 1930, Boyington entered the University of Washington where he participated in the ROTC and became a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He was a member of the college wrestling and swimming teams, and at one time held the Pacific Northwest Intercollegiate middleweight wrestling title. He graduated in 1934 with a B.S. in aeronautical engineering.

Related Topics:
1930 - University of Washington - ROTC - Lambda Chi Alpha - B.S. - Aeronautical engineering

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He spent his summer vacations working in his home state. He worked in a mining camp and a logging camp and with the Coeur d'Alene Fire Protective Association in road construction and lookout work.

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He married his first wife, Helene, shortly after his graduation, after which he worked for Boeing as a draftsman and engineer.

Related Topics:
Boeing - Draftsman - Engineer

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In his youth, Boyington went by the surname of Hallenbeck, after his step-father. It was not until he decided to apply for flight training that he obtained his birth certificate and learned that his father was one Charles Boyington, and that his parents had divorced when he was a child. The discovery was fortuitous: since there was no record that Gregory Boyington had ever been married, he was free to become a cadet pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps.

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