The legends of the air from World War II have one fewer name on their rapidly dwindling rolls.

Retired Marine Brig. Gen. Bruce J. Matheson, who lived in Kailua, died on Thursday from a combination of lung cancer and a heart attack, his family said. He was 87.

When he was sent to the South Pacific in 1943, Matheson was the youngest member of the famed "Black Sheep" squadron under the command of Maj. Greg Boyington — who was later awarded the Medal of Honor, and whose exploits inspired the 1970s TV show "Baa Baa Black Sheep."

On Oct. 17, 1943, Matheson shot down a Japanese Zero in the Solomon Islands. He was hit with shrapnel in his legs but was able to land his damaged F4U Corsair.

By the end of his second Black Sheep tour, Matheson had three confirmed kills and one-and-a-half "probable" kills, his family said. Matheson also confirmed Boyington's final aerial victory before Boyington was shot down.

The Black Sheep brought down 97 Japanese aircraft — 95 of which were fighters — and received a Presidential Unit Citation, said the Marine pilot's son, Scott Matheson.

Out of 51 in the squadron, only 10 are still alive, Scott Matheson said.

It's a similar story for other famous units of World War II.

When navigator Thomas Griffin made a visit to Hawai'i for the recent 67th anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, he did so as one of only nine surviving members of the "Doolittle Raiders."

The Raiders flew 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers off the deck of the aircraft carrier Hornet to attack Japan.

The Black Sheep's Boyington, an ace with the Flying Tigers in China, pulled together unassigned pilots in the South Pacific to form Marine Fighter Squadron 214, or VMF-214.

Scott Matheson said his father didn't talk much about his combat exploits, but he did talk about and have respect for Boyington.

"He was quite a colorful figure and had lots of foibles," Matheson said of Boyington. "He drank heavily and he brawled, but he was an absolute terror in the sky. He was very, very proficient, and these guys loved him. He kept them alive. He taught them how to do it, and what to do."

Matheson said it was a misconception that Boyington was called "Pappy."

"That was something they put together after the war and the TV series," he said. "They called him Gramps or Skipper."

Bruce Matheson later flew night escort for Air Force bombers in an F3D Skyknight in Korea, and had about 400 missions flying Huey helicopters in Vietnam.

He received three Legions of Merit, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, more than 30 Air Medals and a Purple Heart.

He was stationed in Hawai'i in the early 1950s and late 1960s, and he and his wife, Mary Jo, bought a house here. After a 34-year Marine Corps career, Matheson sang with the Barbershop Society, the Honolulu Symphony Chorus and Hawai'i Opera Theater Chorus, and was vice president and treasurer of Windward Realty Inc.

For 25 years, Bruce Matheson ran and later walked the beach in Kailua, notching five miles a day.

"He walked me into the ground," said Scott Matheson. " ... He was fit. He was tough — those Marines."

Scott Matheson said his father didn't want to have any funeral services. Bruce Matheson also is survived by his wife, Mary Jo, and another son, Kerry.

HAWAI'I GUARD TO WORK IN THAILAND

Hawai'i National Guard members with the 230th Engineer Company will complete a humanitarian mission in Thailand with Royal Thai Marines on Feb. 11, officials said.

The Guard said the primary mission is a five-week-long construction project to build a multipurpose classroom facility for a rural school. National Guard soldiers and Royal Thai Marines are working together on the project to provide humanitarian aid to the local community, and to strengthen ties between the two military organizations.

Also, the U.S. citizen soldiers and Thai Marines will be distributing approximately 37,000 cartons of milk to the local community.

MARINES TO HELP WITH WEED CONTROL

Kane'ohe Bay Marines will drive their assault amphibious vehicles, or AAVs, through the Nu'upia Ponds Wildlife Management Area here Tuesday through Thursday.

In the early 1980s, Marine Corps Base Hawai'i natural resources staff and Marines began using AAVs each spring — just before the nesting season for the endangered Hawaiian stilts — to help control invasive pickleweed ground cover that would otherwise crowd the birds out of their natural habitat.

Breaking up the weeds on the mudflats opens up the habitat for better foraging and ground-nesting opportunities for the birds, and the water-filled furrows that form a checkerboard pattern across the mudflats also discourage predator access, the Corps said.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.