We learned today that a WW2 Hero passed away at the age of 100, he lived a long and full life and he truly was an American Hero. He never thought what he did on December 7, 1941 was heroic, he was doing what he knew was the right thing to do, he was shooting at Japanese airplanes as they strafed the Navy bases at Pearl Harbor.
After the war he became a cattle rancher in Southern California and spent 65 years married to his wife, with whom he was sleeping with on the morning of December 7, 1941 and ran from their bed, to his post at the Naval Air Station, she did not see him again until the next day after he was finally hospitalized with his numerous injuries. He had been shot, he had numerous wounds from shrapnel, yet he kept firing the machine gun he had at the planes who were inflicting serious damage at Pearl Harbor.
The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
to
FINN, JOHN WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy. Place and date: Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, Territory of Hawaii, 7 December 1941. Entered service at: California. Born: 24 July 1909, Los Angeles, Calif.
Citation:
For extraordinary heroism distinguished service, and devotion above and beyond the call of duty. During the first attack by Japanese airplanes on the Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, on 7 December 1941, Lt. Finn promptly secured and manned a .50-caliber machinegun mounted on an instruction stand in a completely exposed section of the parking ramp, which was under heavy enemy machinegun strafing fire. Although painfully wounded many times, he continued to man this gun and to return the enemy's fire vigorously and with telling effect throughout the enemy strafing and bombing attacks and with complete disregard for his own personal safety. It was only by specific orders that he was persuaded to leave his post to seek medical attention. Following first aid treatment, although obviously suffering much pain and moving with great difficulty, he returned to the squadron area and actively supervised the rearming of returning planes. His extraordinary heroism and conduct in this action were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
The Medal of Honor is obviously the highest award that a military person can be awarded, the majority of them are awarded posthumously, because the act is usually done at the cost of the recipients life, few are awarded to living service members. Most people say if they had thought about what they were doing to be awarded the "medal" would agree they would never had done the act, if they had to think about it first, most of the acts are done as an instinct, a reflexive reaction to something that they see needs to be done now, not a few minutes from now but an immediate response, and damn the consequences.
Memorial Day week end is a very somber holiday to military members, veterans and their families, to most Americans it is a day for a bar b que, a day at the beach, a special sale for mattresses, car dealers use it as an excuse for a "sale" how many American actually take time to remember the John Finn's, or the Melvin L. Baileys (my great Uncle, who was a civil war veteran, who is buried in Oakland in the GAR cemetary) most don't it is just a day off.
In the past 230 years, millions of members of the United States Military have paid the full measure of freedom with their life, the true reason we celebrate Memorial Day.
I ask you all to take a few minutes this week end and remember Lt John Finn and all the other men and women who have died for this nation that we call home.
Regardless of your politics and regardless of what YOU think of war, these people have earned all of ours respect and a few minutes of out time to remember them. They are part of why we remain a free nation to be able to argue over political ideals or which party has the better plan for America tomorrow. I have served all over the world during the years I spent in the Army, and the bottom line is I was always very happy to come back to the land of the big PX, as bad as the United States is, in my opinion it is still the finest place in the world to live, we have choices in our lives, that we are allowed to make daily, in some coutries they are not allowed to decide to move, or what they are even going to eat for a meal. Where they are going to work, or even if they are going to be able to find work they want to do, some places are nothing but war zones, always have been and always will be.
John Finn, Medal of Honor Winner, Dies at 100
John W. Finn, the last survivor of the 15 Navy men who received the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, died Thursday at a nursing home in Chula Vista, Calif. He was 100 and had been the oldest living recipient of the medal, the nation’s highest award for valor.
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U.S. Navy, via Associated Press
John W. Finn, with his wife, Alice, was awarded the Medal of Honor during ceremonies at Pearl Harbor in 1942.
His death was announced by J. P. Tremblay, deputy secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs.
On the morning of Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese planes bombed the American battleships in Hawaii, plunging the nation into World War II, numerous acts of valor played out. Most of them took place aboard the stricken ships — in some cases efforts by the wounded and the dying to save their fellow sailors. Amid the death and destruction, Chief Finn, on an airfield runway, was waging a war of his own against the Japanese.
Please remember John Finn and all of the men and women currently in uniform on Monday regardless of your thoughts on war, it is not their fault we are in wars today, they are just doing what they see as their duty, please there is no right or wrong to it and let's not make this diary a fight on the right or wrong of the wars, please honor the death of John Finn and everyone else who has given their life for this nation, there is nothing wrong with that act.
As a permanently disabled Army veteran myself of 2 war eras, I just ask for a few moments of your time this holiday week end to remember the millions of men and women who have died to keep the United States as a free nation. Which enables us to fight out our politics. It may not be perfect, but the US is a great place to be from and normally a great place to live.
If you are going to the beach this week end be safe