VMF-214 Black Sheep Aces

The Homecoming by John Shaw *

"September 12, 1945 - For countless American boys who sailed off to war in the Pacific, the Golden Gate Bridge was their last sight of home. Many would never return. In this scene, many veterans who had for months and years experienced some of the most horrific chapters in history are finally returning home to the nation they served. Over the period following the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945, military vessels of virtually every type, in addition to ‘liberty ships’ participated in Operation Magic Carpet, transporting many thousands of American troops home, between September ‘45 and into the beginning of 1946. Here, as watercraft excitedly escort some of these vessels into San Francisco Bay, several F4U Corsairs roar past. Several are from VMF-214, the “Black Sheep”, based in California at this time, bearing small crests of the emblem made famous by their successors who served several years before under the command of Greg ‘Pappy’ Boyington. Joining these new late model F4Us is an old war-weary ‘birdcage’ Corsair, symbolizing the ‘early’ days when our forces were fighting for Guadalcanal and other enemy-held territories on the eventual road to Tokyo. Like the heroes below them, this tired fighter will soon retire, its mission accomplished. America is free…no homecoming would be sweeter than this."