Product Description

Chris Magee was the leading ace under Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington of the Marine Corp's legendary Black Sheep Squadron. A free-spirited intellectual with the heart of a warrior and the soul of a poet, Magee grew up on Chicago's rambunctious South Side dreaming of the day when he could fly fighter planes into combat. Magee's determination to achieve his goal prompted him to join the Royal Canadian Air Force as a flying cadet in 1941. Later, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought America into the war, he transferred to the U.S. Marine Corps. Following completion of flight training, he was sent to the South Pacific where his bravery and piloting skills earned him both the enduring respect of his fellow aviators and the Navy Cross. When the war ended, the fiercely independent Magee refused to pursue a conventional lifestyle or take advantage of the fame that awaited him in his hometown, choosing instead to seek new adventures. During the next twelve years he walked the razor's edge: black marketeer, bootlegger, volunteer fighter pilot for the fledgling nation of Israel, courier for a covert group of U.S. "businessmen" involved in Latin American politics, and, eventually, bank robber. Magee would pay dearly for the choices he made, losing family, friends, and his cherished freedom. In his middle years, he turned his life around and became a respected journalist. By age 70, he had resigned himself to a stoic retirement in a rustic apartment on Chicago's North Side. Then, one day, Chris Magee found an envelope slipped under his front door with a note inside that ultimately changed his life, causing him to revisit parts of his past he thought were forever forgotten.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #148121 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Robert T. Reed earned a BA in Journalism from San Jose State University in California and served as a U.S. Navy journalist. Freelance credits include more than 100 published stories and lyrics for three recorded songs. He resides in Huntington Beach, California, and currently works as an editor for a national magazine.

Customer Reviews

Excellent
If you are a fan of WW II VMF-214, "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and "Once They Were Eagles", this is a must read. Two stories in one. That of "Bandanna Maggie" before, during and after WW II. Also, a determined author's quest about a Marine hero he did not know until too long. Follow the trail of a Marine I'm sure Gregory Boyington admired as a great fellow warrior after the "big one" and his attepts to find himself in war and peace. (Success, or failure? Yes? No? You decide.) A remarkable book for those who are interested in the men of 214. As I said, if you liked the two first books mentioned, you will love this one written by the one man who would have done it.

Excellent Biography with an interesting twist
If, like me, you read Baa Baa Blacksheep and Once They Were Eagles, this is for you. The mysterious life and whereabouts of Chris Magee almost haunted me after reading Frank Walton's Once They Were Eagles. The information about Chris Magee in Walton's book and the fascinating letter it contains left many questions about Magee that begged for answers. I knew this would be an interesting book before I read it and I was not let down. I did not know it would be emotionally provocative. I won't spoil the surprises. Don't read too many reviews lest you not get the full effect. Pick it up soon.

The Wildman Found
Chris Magee, the enigmatic "Wildman" of Pappy Boyington's Marine "Blacksheep" fighter squadron of World War II, disappeared in the late 1950's after serving as a fighter pilot in Israel's fledgling Air Force and also after serving several years in an American penitentiary for robbing two banks in one day. Then journalist Robert T. Reed discovered that the "Wildman" was his biological father. And through an astute process of "investigative reporting," Mr. Reed has pieced together a thoroughly fascinating portrait of a gifted pilot, talented and sensitive human being and quintessential "free spirit." Mr. Reed's book constitutes a fine addition to the annals of those whom Tom Brokaw has designated America's "Greatest Generation." It's indisputable that the efforts of extraordinary men like Chris Magee were crucial in bringing victory to the Allied Powers in history's greatest conflict.