Flying Tigers

[Teal]

Some of you guys beat me to a reply to Xing's inaccurate description of one of the most effective and heros of the pre world war II volunteer groups. The link to the Flying Tiger Story is great, but let me quote parts of it for my good friend Xing.

Flying Tigers was the nickname of the 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) that operated within the Chinese Air Force in 1941 and 1942. In essence a private military contractor, the volunteers were former United States Army (USAAF), Navy (USN), and Marine Corps (USMC) pilots and ground crew, recruited under Presidential sanction and commanded by Claire Chennault. The AVG consisted of three fighter squadrons that trained in Burma prior to the American entry into World War II to fight against Japanese forces.

One of the more famous pilots was Gregory Pappy Boyington, who was discharged from the AVG in April 1942 and returned to active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps. He went on to command the successful Black Sheep Squadron in the Solomon Islands, an outfit with many similarities to the Flying Tigers, and was one of two AVG veterans (the other being James Howard of the USAAF) to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Other notable AVG veterans were David Lee "Tex" Hill, later commander of the USAAF 23rd Fighter Group; Charles Older, who postwar earned a law degree, became a California Superior Court judge, and presided at the murder trial of Charles Manson; and Kenneth Jernstedt, long-time Oregon legislator and mayor of his home town of Hood River. Robert Prescott founded Flying Tiger Line as a cargo carrier; along with other AVG pilots: Dick Rossi, Robert Raine, Joe Rosbert, Tom Haywood, Robert "Duke" Hedman, Link Laughlin, Cliff Groh, Bus Loane and Robert Bartling.

Please note that our fighter support squadron was named after the Black Sheep Squadron which was lead by the former AVG Flying Tigers Gregory "Pappy " Boyington who was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor.

Excuse the rant, but it really bothers me when someone "puts foot in mouth" and then tries to justify it.