The man who was portrayed on television by the star of The Fifth Missile served in the U.S. military.
 He portrayed World War II ace Pappy Boyington in the television series "Baa Baa Black Sheep" (later syndicated as "Black Sheep Squadron"). 
Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (December 4, 1912 January 11, 1988) was an American combat pilot who was a United States Marine Corps fighter ace during World War II. 
The Fifth Missile is a 1986 TV movie starring Robert Conrad, Sam Waterston and David Soul about an American ballistic missile submarine, based on the novel "The Gold Crew" by Frank M. Robinson and Thomas N. Scortia. 
