In what can only be described as a waste of young minds, the University of Washington's Student senate has decided that Col. Gregory "Pappy Boyington, a CMH winner is not worthy of honor!

Student senator Jill Edwards, according to minutes of the student government's meeting last week, said she "didn't believe a member of the Marine Corps was an example of the sort of person UW wanted to produce."

I grew up reading of the exploits of Pappy Boyington (I was a huge student of the Second World War).  And as a young person, I came to idolize him.  Before America ever got into the war, Boyington and some others went to China to help out the beleaguered Chinese against the Japanese.  He is credited with tying the record for enemy planes shot down.  When America entered the war, he started the "Black Sheep Squadron", reputedly to be made up of misfits in the air force that more than held their own.

He was shot down and imprisoned by the Japanese who would not even let America know that he was alive and not dead as many had feared for 20 months.  Was he a saint?  Even he admits that he was not and his life story bears out his ugly, if human side as well.

But one thing is without question, true.  He was a hero. Not only to America, but to China as well.  That he chose to serve his country and humanity in the Marine Corps was his choice, and a very noble one.  And one that countless other great men and women have chosen.

And for this gray cell starved stupid - err Student - Body to say he is not what they want to represent the finest that UW has to offer indicates that there must not be any worth wile graduates of that idiotic school.

It is their right to choose who they want to honor.  But their decisions and language indicate they have no conception of what Duty, Honor, and integrity means.  And that is a very sad indication of the teaching environment at what can only be classified as a sorry excuse for a school of higher education.