WWII uncovered: Ball Caps for the Black Sheep
During their first combat tour, while on the island of Vella Lavella, the Black Sheep’s Intelligence Officer Frank Walton wrote to the Commissioner of Baseball with a proposition:
“The Black Sheep, said Walton, were in dire need of sun-shading ball caps due to the humid weather which quickly destroyed their military issue caps. He promised that his Squadron’s pilots would shoot down a Japanese aircraft for each cap sent to them. Only the St. Louis Cardinal organization of the National League responded, sending dozens of caps to the heroes in the Pacific.
Pictured is Major Greg “Pappy” Boyington (right) pretending to take a stack of Cardinals caps from Chris Magee who accepts a stack of Japanese Navy “victory” decals in return. According to the National Baseball Hall of Fame: “In return for the caps, the Black Sheep made good on their end of the bargain. Instead of taking down just 20 enemy planes, though, the original 20 members of the Squadron accounted for 48 enemy planes destroyed.” The St Louis Cardinals more than doubled their investment and the Black Sheep Squadron were happy to oblige!! Semper Fi.
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