The Last Black Sheep

This is the story of Ed Harper, an extraordinary man who made legendary—but largely unsung—contributions to WWII and Marine aviation. As a member of the VMF-214 Black Sheep squadron under “Pappy” Boyington, Ed shot down one Zero, was credited with one probable Zero, and was awarded three Distinguished Flying Crosses and two Purple Hearts. Ed went on to a 50-year career in the Marine Corps and industry, in which his leadership, innovation, and tenacity were instrumental in some of the most significant and substantial modernization programs in Marine Aviation in the 20th century. Several of these programs have proven to be foundational to Marine Aviation in the 21st century. The author is a retired Marine aviator and former Commanding Officer of VMA-214 Black Sheep. The book features a stunning cover photo of a VMA-214 F4U, A-4, & AV-8B by renowned aviation photographer Ted Carlson of Fotodynamics.com. Net proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.