World War II Honoree

Edward Henry 'Butch' O'Hare

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

St. Louis, Missouri

Honored By

Charles Henry Atkinson

Relationship

Vietnam Veteran

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER. WAS A FIGHTER PILOT ASSIGNED TO THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS LEXINGTON IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC. ONE DAY HIS ENTIRE SQUADRON WAS SENT ON A MISSION. AFTER HE WAS AIRBORNE, HE LOOKED AT HIS FUEL GAUGE AND REALIZED THAT SOMEONE HAD FORGOTTEN TO TOP OFF HIS FUEL TANK. HE WOULD NOT HAVE ENOUGH FUEL TO COMPLETE HIS MISSION AND GET BACK TO HIS SHIP. HIS FLIGHT LEADER TOLD HIM TO RETURN TO THE CARRIER. RELUCTANTLY, HE DROPPED OUT OF FORMATION AND HEADED BACK TO THE FLEET. AS HE WAS RETURNING HE SAW A SQUADRON OF JAPANESE AIRCRAFT WERE SPEEDING THEIR WAY TOWARD THE AMERICAN FLEET. THE AMERICAN FIGHTERS WERE GONE ON A SORTIE AND THE FLEET WAS ALL BUT DEFENSELESS. HE COULDN'T REACH HIS SQUADRON AND BRING THEM BACK IN TIME TO SAVE THE FLEET, NOR COULD HE WARN THE FLEET OF THE APPROACHING DANGER. THERE WAS ONLY ONE THING TO DO HE MUST SOMEHOW DIVERT THEM FROM THE FLEET SO HE DOVE INTO THE FORMATION OF THE JAPANESE PLANES. WING-MOUNTED .50 CALIBER GUNS BLAZED AS HE CHARGED IN, ATTACKING ONE SURPRISED ENEMY PLANE AND THEN ANOTHER. HE WOVE IN AND OUT OF THE NOW BROKEN FORMATION AND FIRED AT AS MANY PLANES AS POSSIBLE UNTIL ALL HIS AMMUNITION WAS FINALLY SPENT. UNDAUNTED, HE CONTINUED THE ASSAULT. HE DOVE AT THE PLANES, TRYING TO CLIP A WING OR TAIL IN HOPES OF DAMAGING AS MANY ENEMY PLANES AS POSSIBLE AND RENDERING THEM UNFIT TO FLY. FINALLY, THE EXASPERATED JAPANESE SQUADRON TOOK OFF IN ANOTHER DIRECTION. HE AND HIS TATTERED FIGHTER LIMPED BACK TO THE CARRIER. UPON ARRIVAL, HE REPORTED IN AND RELATED THE EVENT SURROUNDING HIS RETURN. THE FILM FROM THE GUN CAMERA MOUNTED ON HIS PLANE TOLD THE TALE. IT SHOWED THE EXTENT OF HIS DARING ATTEMPT TO PROTECT HIS FLEET. HE HAD, IN FACT, DESTROYED FIVE ENEMY AIRCRAFT. THIS TOOK PLACE ON FEBRUARY 20, 1942 AND FOR THAT ACTION HE BECAME THE NAVY'S FIRST ACE OF WWII AND THE FIRST NAVAL AVIATOR TO WIN THE MEDAL OF HONOR. A YEAR LATER HE WAS KILLED IN AERIAL COMBAT AT THE AGE OF 29.