Was the character French inspired by H M Bourgeois?

When ever the Military or History channel had a program about anything that had some kind of connection to the "original Blacksheep", they interviewed or played a clip from the same interview with Bourgeois (he always wearing the same brown shirt with the squadron patch embroidered into it). I remember reading that most of the men from the squadron hated the series because of the way they were portrayed. I watched or read an interview where one of the former pilots went to Fresno and visited Boyington in the hospital just before his death and patched up their relationship. I think it may have Bourgeois but I can't be sure.

With his death in November, I cannot help but wonder how many of "cactus air force" Black Sheep are still with us.