A special film screening of “Pappy Boyington Field,” a documentary about the Idaho airfield, will be held in Boise to commemorate National Medal of Honor Day, March 25, as well as Idaho native Pappy Boyington.
Boyington was the leader of the famed Black Sheep Squadron in the Pacific during World War II. An ace fighter pilot, prisoner of war and Medal of Honor recipient, Boyington chronicled his adventures during the war in his best-selling book, “Baa Baa Black Sheep.” The book later became the basis for a television series in the 1970s, which starred Robert Conrad.
Kevin Gonzalez, a first-time filmmaker and former Marine, decided to film the documentary after becoming intrigued by the controversy surrounding the naming of the Coeur d’Alene airport in honor of Boyington. “The Medal of Honor is a rare award. How many small towns can say that a Medal of Honor recipient was born here? I couldn’t understand why this proposal to honor a World War II hero would be so controversial.” The film tells the story of the grassroots effort by veterans to honor this World War II hero in the town of his birth.
A DVD of the film is available for $19.99 at PappyBoyingtonField.com
