I'd bet you are both correct.
There is a new book out about Boyington called Black Sheep: The Life of Pappy Boyington. I'm hoping to pick up a copy eventually, don't have the free cash right now.
Here is a quote from the review by Phil Scott (bold added by me):
<snip> Boyington led the Black Sheep across the South Pacific. He was shot down on January 3, 1944. Fished out of the sea by the Japanese, Boyington spent the next 19 months as their sober guest, finding a nobility in resisting their extreme cruelty. After VJ Day, he arrived home and received the Medal of Honor awarded to him when he was MIA. He considered entering politics, but he started boozing again and drank himself through a host of jobs before being consumed by bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer. (He died in 1988.) Truthfully, the best time of Boyington’s life was war.<snip>
I would tend to agree with Mr. Scott also.
Review: http://www.airspacemag.com/history-o...digal-Son.html
Book: http://www.amazon.com/Black-Sheep-Bo.../dp/1591149770