I believe Col Boyington is third from the right in the first row.
Yup. That’s him.
If Pappy were alive now, he’d be in Mattis’ job, probably. Trump loves that stuff.
According to a Marine Corps biography, 'Pappy' Boyington got his nickname because at 31 he was older than most of the pilots he commanded. He was shot down in his Corsair in January 1944, but not before downing two enemy planes, and went on to survive internment at the Otami prison camp. Boyington released his memoirs, entitled Baa Baa Black Sheep, before his death in 1988.
I met Colonel Boyington at an air show in Washington State years ago. He said the TV show starring Robert Conrad was BS.
Yep.
Pappy Boyington didn’t look a thing like Robert Conrad. He looked a boxer who had take a few to the face.