World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch
O'Hare.
He was a
fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier 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 to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a
squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its 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.
Laying aside
all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes.
Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy
plane and then another. Butch 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, rendering them unfit to
fly.
Finally,
the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.
Deeply
relieved, Butch O'Hare 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 Butch's
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 Butch became the Navy's first Ace of
W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of Honor.
A year later
Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town would not
allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare
Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great
man.
So, the next
time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to
visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor.
It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.
