Henry Bourgeois, 'Black Sheep' aviator (Died)

NOLA.COM ^ | Saturday, November 14, 2009 | St. Tammany bureau

[jrushing]

Lt. Col. Henry "BOO" Bourgeois that flew on the 2nd Tour with Pappy Boyington.

Henry Mayor "Hank" Bourgeois, one of the last surviving aviators from World War II's famed Black Sheep Squadron, died Monday at St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington. He was 88.

(Near New Orleans)

[mountainlion]

As of April 2009 there are still 9 surviving members:
William M. Bower

Richard E. Cole

Thomas C. Griffin

Robert L. Hite

Frank A. Kappeler

James H. Macia

Charles J. Ozuk

Edward J. Saylor

David J. Thatcher

They are all Medal of Honor winners aren't they

[mountn man]

I loved that show.

[jrushing]

Still my favorite plane. I love the sounds of them.

You Tube Sounds & pics for you.
1. F4U start-up

For my Dad.
2. B24 start-up

[jrushing]

Here's an even better F4U start-up, take-off & fly-by.

1. F4U

[TweetEBird007]

Hellcats were much more reliable than the Corsairs.

[jrushing]

One of my dad's favorite programs.

It was one of my favorite also.

The Corsair's distinctive sound, which earned it among the Japanese the nick-name of "Whistling Death", partly because of the engine sound, that was caused by the wing-root inlets for engine air. Shown above is Maj. Gregory Boyington's F4U from VMF-214.

[RebelTXRose]

Yeah - there’s a lot of brave folks still living -getting fewer by the day.

My dad stayed stateside in the service - he wrote the manual for the M-1 rifle. When I found it in his things after he died, I almost threw it out, then realized what I was holding.

Hubby’s uncle was a bombadier in Europe - MANY pictures he wasn’t supposed to take are in family albums.

[wally_bert]

The Corsair is one of the best looking prop job fighters ever built and I loved the series too. I have the DVDs around here.

[jrushing]

Your screen name made me think of this B25 named The Yellow Rose. I saw this airplane & met the pilot at the Belle Chase air show in Louisiana.

The Yellow Rose

[sasportas]

If I’m not mistaken, the Hellcats racked up a much higher total kills than the Corsairs. It’s kill numbers ranked right up there near the top with any of our fighters in WW2.

My Dad too, he was in the Leyte invasion of the Philippines. He died last year.

[alfa6]

Thanks for the ping PE

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[70th Division]

To all you fans. YOu can watch “og Fights” rom the history channel on line. Just go to the site. The Hell Cat had 6 Fifty cals, could climb higher than the zero and had armorment and bladder fuel tanks. The pilots liked to take a Zero on Head on. Talk about guys with guts.

[Pan_Yan]

I lost my Dad in May. He was on the USS Block Island, so he and your Dad were in the same waters. The Block Island was all Marine Corsairs. He contracted malaria in the Philippines, which kept him from becoming a foreign missionary after the war. A few years ago my brothers and I got him to talk about his service. He told us about his ship picking up the prisoners of war and carrying them back to an island with a hospital. After years of captivity many of them died on the way. Very sad.

[RebelTXRose]

Wow! Nice plane!
My mom & dad met at a USO dance in Alexandria, LA...got LA blood along with TX blood.

[jrushing]

Check out your very own WWII flying museum in Texas. The Yellow Rose is from the CAF in Midland, TX.

This used to be the Confederate Air Force but that name became politically incorrect.

[RebelTXRose]

Thanks! That’s cool.

Didn’t the Confederate Air Force have a museum in breckenridge? I saw it once when traveling in a small plane - that was a fuel stop. I didn’t know CAF had to change their name.

[bunkerhill7]

MMF Salute—My father EE helped build Corsairs- I saw them fly off the factory field in Connecticut when I was 2- 3 years old and still remember the P&W roars-and Sikorsky`s “Big Bugs” next door- Still got his 1940`s Corsair flying jacket-

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[A.A. Cunningham]

the last survivor is supposed to open the bottle of brandy and toast his squadronmates

In addition, the president of Hennessy Company gave Jimmy Doolittle a bottle of 'Hennessy Very Special' cognac, vintage 1896, the year of Doolittle's birth. When there are only two raiders left, these two men will open the bottle and have a final toast to their departed comrades, Air Force officials said.

[A.A. Cunningham]

They are all Medal of Honor winners(sic) aren't they

recipients and no they aren't.