Customer Reviews

Once They Were Eagles: The Men of the Black Sheep Squadron

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The Black Sheep legend, as retold through the eyes of the survivors. The first half of the book is the squadron history of VMF 214, from the time of its resurrection under the command of Major Gregory Boyington, until the squadron was disbanded, and the squadron number reassigned to another outfit, after Boyington went missing in action (and was presumed dead), near the end of their second tour under his command. The last half of the book is a personal history from each of the survivors, as to what the experience was like, how it has affected their lives, what they did in post Black Sheep life. An assortment of interesting characters, molded under the guidance of Boyington, in to "the terrors of the South Pacific". Very interesting, although it does vary some from the version told by Boyington himself in his autobiography "Baa Baa Black Sheep". As is only human, each man sees 'the truth' from his own perspective, so it is interesting to see the whole thing through the eyes of someone other than Boyington himself. This book shows that the Black Sheep were more than Boyington. They were a well rounded team, molded and hardened under the realities of aerial combat. It comes across quite clearly however, that regardless of what they thought of Boyington as a person (they didn't all look up to him like a bunch of starry eyed boys, as depicted in the TV show...some in fact were older than Boyington), they definitely respected him as "a warrior, a fighter & a leader", and one pilot recalls thinking of Boyington as "Jesus Christ himself", upon first being introduced. Originally published in 1986 (before Boyington's death), it is surprisingly frank in it's assessment, some might even say it's condemnation, of the leader of the Black Sheep, not so much in his days as the commanding officer of the 214, but in his postwar life. Many of them felt betrayed by Boyington, after his role as 'technical advisor' on the TV series. Overall it makes for an interesting read. Well worth it. Dave White

I was a bit leary of this book when I started it. The claim of the author to be one of the Black Sheep, even though he was not one of the pilots seemed a bit odd. Well, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It is a very easy read and contains a good deal about the day to day life of a pilot in the South Pacific.

It also gives a terrific look into the people behind the personas of the Black Sheep, especially Pappy Boyington. The writer does a good job of relating the respect that his men had for him as well as about the team of pilots the Black Sheep were.

A very good read for a very good price.

As the intelligence office for the Black Sheep Squadron, author Frank Walton had access to their daily combat reports. He himself had written them. From these records and his later interviews with the surviving members of the group, he penned this history. Written primarily to dispel the myth created by the TV production, he most certainly shows the men in a more realistic light. The false presentation of these men by the writers of that series as "brawling bums" and "fugitives from courts-martial" does not stand in the light he casts upon them, their character and their record. In the second half of the book, Walton introduces each man as he was when the book was written in 1986. By and large, most became very successful.

But the drama of their fighting over the Solomons falls flat in the telling. Their aerial exploits read with all the excitement and anticipation of the menu at the corner hamburger joint. The men of the Black Sheep fought together for only 12 weeks and amassed the best kill record in the South Pacific: 94 kills in only 84 days. Pappy Boyington accounted for 26 (or 28, if he is to be believed). Unfortunately, these moments of high achievement are told in the driest of voices.

Perhaps the biggest fault in the book is Walton's almost non-telling of Boyington's troubled life. He originally left the Marine Aviators days before they would have put him out for unbecoming conduct and he left the Flying Tigers for much the same reason. This highly skilled combat pilot and gifted leader of men was deeply troubled and it manifested itself in his drinking and unpredictable fighting. Playing it down adds nothing to Walton's attempt to "set the record straight" for the rest of the squadron.

Given the resources at his command, his personal friendship with all 51 original members of the group and his intimate friendship with Boyington, one would have expected a better result. Walton's stated purpose was to clear the record for the men, to present them as the men of ability, honor and skill that they were. In this regard, he does succeed.

A great telling of a famous and very successful Marine aviation squadron, The Black Sheep - VMF 214, led by Maj. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, by the squadron ACIO, or Air Combat Information Officer. It may not be the best of writing skills, but the story is unbeatable.
Frank Walton was the individual who wrote all of the 'after-mission' (combat) reports, interviewing each pilot after each mission and writing up the details. Frank Walton went much further. He wrote up biographies of each pilot - where they were from, where they went to school, their families, their likes and dislikes. All of the info provides a human side to the men, makes them believeable, and helps you fly with them as they go out on each mission.
The second half of the book contains his 'current-day' stories. He looked up as many of the original members as he could and interviewed them "today" (the early 8o's.) The book includes both WWII and "today" pictures of most all of the pilots. After reading of their WWII exploits, I really enjoyed learning of each of these men 'today,' where they've gone, who they've become, generally very successful business men all. I guess what surprised me was that most of them, after all of their exploits and adventures, 'walked away' from aviation, to be normal everyday business and family men. I guess I would have expected them to mostly go on to careers in aviation. But they are our businessmen, some our business leaders, and mainly, our neighbors. Thank you all for what you did for us.

Extremely well written and concise book that tells of the INDIVIDUALS in the squadron. This book is written to tell of the professionalism and "after the war" historys of the squadron members without the sometimes overpowering myths portrayed by the TV show.

The author has a different view of VMF - 214 than Major Boyington book entitle BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP.
About a third of this book, Once They Were Eagles, deals with Squadron members after the war returning back to civilian life.

Loved Frank Walton's look at the men that made up the larger than life VMF-214. From the details of those 84 days of aerial combat to the men they became in peacetime this is a wonderful book for those of us who never experienced such demands to reflect upon. Thank you VMF-214 and all the others....

I grew up watching Baa Baa Black Sheep as a pre-teen, thoroughly enjoying the show, not realizing I was watching a very loose interpretation of a real squadron of fighter pilots. I now have 4 books on the subject in addition to a full DVD set of Season 1 for Baa Baa Black Sheep/Black Sheep Squadron. In reading the books first to better understand the 'truth' about this storied group of men, I've had to decide who is the most factual, who is slightly biased, and who has embellished their story. I will leave those descriptions of each book for you to decide for yourselves, but I for one find Frank Walton's version mostly credible, if not slightly biased. The book is still an excellent read with respect to facts and chronology. Frank appears to share the opinion of another author on the subject that "Pappy" Boyington was a superior pilot, an above average leader when in the air, fair, with few peers in that era. I congratulate Mr. Walton for taking on the cause to set the record straight with regard to the background of each pilot chosen for the VMF214 under Pappy, as well as their exploits in those few short months of operation. Greg Boyington's book and the TV series did an injustice to the character of the men of The Black Sheep. 'Once They Were Eagles' goes a long way towards correcting that injustice.

Like "Black Sheep One", this is a good read.

I loved this book and the way the team is described in its members and spirit; an objective review of fighter pilot's life in the Pacific War. Highly recommended!

The Black Sheep story as told by a member who kept a journal. Completely believable and fascinating.