Welcome Back Ladies & Gents! I hope everyone is having a good week and are excited with anticipation for the Holidays! We at Black Sheep Heritage have been hard at work to bring you some new designs and our newly added interview segments. Stay Tuned! Just in case you didn’t see our previous post online and Instagram, we have added two new members to our team, Rashad Bailey and Zachary Storm. With the addition of these two outstanding gents, we hope to bring you much more within all aspects of life. Inspired by our new additions, I bring you our Black Sheep of the Month, the Black Sheep Squadron.
What many of you may not know, within the Halls of our Marine Corps traditions, we have had an exceedingly large number of elite warriors.
In December alone, history has had a remarkable impact on us. From Theodore Roosevelt receiving a Nobel Peace Prize to Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat to Pearl Harbor and lastly the creation of the amendment that ended slavery. Not to mention the Bill of Rights went into effect, the Boston Tea Party took place, Rome celebrated its first Christmas, and it was the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union. These are all just a small number of recorded events throughout December.
Much more has happened throughout the ages, lest we forget the Trail of Tears and the induction of Japan into the United Nations, my point is December has always had a long standing history of ending the year with an impact.
With that being said, my inspiration for this month comes from our own standing history in the Marine Corps and our newly added teammate, Rashad. Still unknown to many of you, Rashad worked in the same field as Phan. Funny enough, our fellow Black Sheep was actually a part of the infamous Black Sheep Squadron while he was enlisted. In light of this remarkable coincidence, I bring you our Black Sheep of the Month, the Black Sheep Squadron. Known to only the few, the proud, the Marines, the Black Sheep Squadron were a legendary, rag tag group of misfits. This brave group of fighters made their debut in World War 2 and gained their fame for one of it’s commanding officers, Colonel Gregory “Pappy” Boyington. Colonel Pappy’s memoirs would later inspire the 1970’s television show Baa Baa Black Sheep, which dramatized the squadron’s exploits during the war.
The Black Sheep Squadron gained its fame from its many victories throughout the South Pacific.
They were known as Black Sheep because they were all deemed misfits and screwballs among all of the fighter pilots. Against all odds, having no mechanics, and having to borrow planes, these brave few have countless victories and medals etched in their history. Having fought throughout all of the major battles in World War 2, the Black Sheep Squadron continued their legacy of victory through the Korean War, specifically the battles of Pusan, Inchon, and they are heroes of the Frozen Chosin, also known as the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir.
Fortunately, our Black Sheep Brethren did not stop there, they continued on to fight in the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and were the first to fight in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Unlike other air units, the Black Sheep Squadron were one of the few awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its valor in World War 2. During this campaign, this squadron continuously fought for 84 days, destroyed over 203 planes, produced 9 ace pilots, sank several ships, and destroyed many installations.
Clearly, they epitomize what it means to be a strong, intelligent, and courageous Band of Brothers.
As you may already know, Black Sheep Heritage was created with the purpose of illuminating past, present, and future Black Sheep. Throughout many of our lives, our experience and knowledge are limited to our own environment. With that being said, we created this movement to bring you the knowledge, experience, and more personally, the people. In light of that, we bring you the Black Sheep Squadron. At their start, these Marines were outcasts with no place to call a home, but due to their tenacity and perseverance, they became an elite fighting force worthy of many victories. These Marines can teach us that no matter our situation, we can change the tide of our destiny and legacy if we just take control of who we are and what our life’s purpose is meant to be.
These men make me proud to be a Black Sheep!
Indirectly, like many of our previous Black Sheep, through their actions, push us to continuously better ourselves in all aspects of our lives. Now, let me let you in on a little secret?! We are just getting started! There are thousands, if not more, Black Sheep out there buried in our past, hidden in our present, and bound to our future! I hope you all enjoyed this Black Sheep of the Month, the Black Sheep Squadron. If you have any further questions or would like to comment, feel free here. Also, if you like what were doing feel free to show us some love on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. Lastly, we just released three new designs to our store so check it out and tell us what you think. Thanks again, everyone!
