Flying Tigers Ace, Pappy Boyington Shot Down! Not by the Japanese this time, but fragged by his own.

What can be more heartbreaking to a Daughter of Revolution than to hear of America’s shining star going down in flames at the trembling hands of some cowardly, still “wet behind the ears”, university kids? How could these pampered young Americans whose freedoms at this very moment are guarded by better Americans than they are, shun the memory of a heroic Medal of Honor winner, a Marine Corps officer who spent two years as a war prisoner of the Japanese, who risked his life again and again to save liberty for America and Europe? The alma mater of Colonel Pappy Boyington has repudiated a memorial to him. Will America survive this shameless generation of shallow ignorami at universities across the land, such as those uneducated student leaders at the University of Washington?

In a published piece from 18 February 2006, “Get Thee Behind Me, Pappy Boyington”, the author states that U-Dub “Student Senate Slams ‘Evil’ War Hero”.

Student senator Jill Edwards “questioned whether it was appropriate to honor a person who killed other people.” She added that the student leaders “didn’t believe a member of the Marine Corps was an example of the sort of person UW wanted to produce.” Another student sneered “Too many monuments commemorate white men.” Jon Lee said he “didn’t want to see a campus inundated with memorials.” Student Mikhail Smirnoff strived for magnanimity by commenting that “those who fought in WWII were heroes” unlike, he added, those who fight in Iraq. Director of Student Senate Operations Karl D. Smith thought he was going for the high ground when he wrote “How do we decide who is and is not deserving? We also are home to civil rights leaders such as Gordon Hirabayshi and a major contributor in the eradication of smallpox William Foege, and the Nigerian statesman who worked for peace Alex Ekwueme.” These are what pass for U-Dub values today. Fairness - If Alex Ekwueme of Nigeria was not worthy of a Medal of Honor, then why should upstart Pappy be rewarded for winning one? Thank you Washington state parents and taxpayers for the values you are instilling in your progeny.

Who was Gregory “Pappy” Boyington? Although the students have belittled his being white and rich, he was neither. Of native Sioux and white ancestry, he grew up hard scrabble, something few of the disrespectful U-Dubers have ever experienced. His mother worked as a switchboard operator and Pappy parked cars at school and worked in the Idaho mines in the summer to pay for his aeronautical engineering education.

Update: Linked at Righty In a Lefty State where there is the story of “Sheep, Sheepdogs and Wolves”.