"There are countless horrible things happening all over the world and horrible people prospering, but we must never allow them to disturb our equanimity or deflect us from our sacred duty to sabotage and annoy them whenever possible." -Auberon Waugh
Great poster, and you can still ride the Indian Pacific across the Great South Land. And when you've done the latitudinal run, you can go longtitudinal on the Ghan.
That would be cool. I took a railroad across Kenya in the early 80s, it was cool. I bet it was probably not as modern a train as across Australia though.
I forget who told me I should read Baa Baa Black Sheep. He was right. Good book. I found out how much of the show was accurate, at least in the basics, if not in the episodes. Boyington did have desk work before getting the squadron where he had to deal with court martial stuff and he let a lot of guys slide. He also did sort of scam his squadron, except in the show he stole it from another squadron instead of taking a number when nobody was using it. There's no mention of getting all the supposed-to-be-court-martialed guys into his squadron like the show. There was an A-Hole colonel who kept hassling him about nit-picking regulations, Colonel Lard just like the show, and General Moore did drink with Boyington and get Lard off his case.
There was a guy in the Flying Tigers who crashed 5 planes they called a Japanese ace and put 5 American flags on his plane, in the TV show he was in the Black Sheep. Pretty funny. I never knew, or didn't remember, he was shot down and spent 18 months as a prisoner. He's pretty laid back about it, he describes how horrible it was but he didn't really hate Japanese over it. It was just stuff that happened.
That was probably me. It really is a good book (his old Flying Tiger squadron mates readily admitted he was a great story-teller, as well as the only man they ever knew who could stay on his feet while trying to walk at 45° angle). I thought it was interesting that the USMC gave Boyington credit for the last Zero he claimed shot down before one finally got him, even though there were no witnesses.
"Boyington-san" still gives me a chuckle. It did him when I mentioned it when I met him at the autograph signing at a March AFB airshow 40-odd years ago.
Great poster, and you can still ride the Indian Pacific across the Great South Land.
ReplyDeleteAnd when you've done the latitudinal run, you can go longtitudinal on the Ghan.
That would be cool.
ReplyDeleteI took a railroad across Kenya in the early 80s, it was cool.
I bet it was probably not as modern a train as across Australia though.
I forget who told me I should read Baa Baa Black Sheep. He was right. Good book.
I found out how much of the show was accurate, at least in the basics, if not in the episodes.
Boyington did have desk work before getting the squadron where he had to deal with court martial stuff and he let a lot of guys slide. He also did sort of scam his squadron, except in the show he stole it from another squadron instead of taking a number when nobody was using it. There's no mention of getting all the supposed-to-be-court-martialed guys into his squadron like the show.
There was an A-Hole colonel who kept hassling him about nit-picking regulations, Colonel Lard just like the show, and General Moore did drink with Boyington and get Lard off his case.
There was a guy in the Flying Tigers who crashed 5 planes they called a Japanese ace and put 5 American flags on his plane, in the TV show he was in the Black Sheep.
Pretty funny.
I never knew, or didn't remember, he was shot down and spent 18 months as a prisoner. He's pretty laid back about it, he describes how horrible it was but he didn't really hate Japanese over it. It was just stuff that happened.
...you can go longtitudinal on the Ghan.
ReplyDeleteHmm. I think that's illegal in North Carolina.
Veeshir,
ReplyDeleteThat was probably me. It really is a good book (his old Flying Tiger squadron mates readily admitted he was a great story-teller, as well as the only man they ever knew who could stay on his feet while trying to walk at 45° angle). I thought it was interesting that the USMC gave Boyington credit for the last Zero he claimed shot down before one finally got him, even though there were no witnesses.
"Boyington-san" still gives me a chuckle. It did him when I mentioned it when I met him at the autograph signing at a March AFB airshow 40-odd years ago.