Lt Cdr, U.S. Navy — World War II
Edward Henry “Butch” O’Hare was born on March 13, 1914, in St. Louis, Missouri. His father, Edward J. O’Hare, was a Chicago lawyer who had worked with gangster Al Capone before turning against him and providing evidence that helped convict Capone of tax evasion; the elder O’Hare was gunned down in November 1939. Butch graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1937, served two years aboard the battleship New Mexico, and earned his wings as a naval aviator in 1940, joining Fighting Squadron Three (VF-3), where Lt. Cdr. John Thach recognized and mentored his exceptional flying talent.
O’Hare’s Medal of Honor action came on February 20, 1942, in the South Pacific, while VF-3 flew from the carrier USS Lexington. When radar picked up a second formation of nine Japanese “Betty” bombers closing on the carrier, only O’Hare and his wingman were in position to intercept — and his wingman’s guns jammed. Alone and unaided, O’Hare dove into the tight bomber formation again and again, making the most of his limited ammunition. In a matter of minutes he shot down five bombers and severely damaged a sixth before they could reach their bomb-release point, undoubtedly saving Lexington from serious damage. He became the Navy’s first fighter ace of World War II and the first naval aviator to receive the Medal of Honor in the war. President Franklin D. Roosevelt presented the medal on April 21, 1942, with O’Hare’s wife Rita placing it around his neck.
Promoted to lieutenant commander, O’Hare went on to command Fighting Squadron Three and then Air Group Six aboard USS Enterprise, earning the Navy Cross and two Distinguished Flying Crosses in the fighting around Marcus and Wake Islands in 1943.
On the night of November 26, 1943, O’Hare led the Navy’s first-ever night fighter operation launched from an aircraft carrier, against Japanese torpedo bombers near the Gilbert Islands. His F6F Hellcat was shot down, and the aircraft was never found; he was 29 years old. In 1945 the Navy named the destroyer USS O’Hare (DD-889) for him, and in 1949 Chicago’s airport was renamed O’Hare International Airport in his honor — one of the most familiar memorials to any American serviceman.
Sources: Wikipedia · Congressional Medal of Honor Society