Edward O'Hare
Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare (born March 13, 1914 in St. Louis , Missouri , † November 27, 1943 ) was a naval officer in the United States Navy , who in 1942 became the first US Navy pilot to be awarded the title " Aviator -Ass ”and was awarded the highest US medal, the Medal of Honor , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt . O'Hare had successfully defended his aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2) against enemy Mitsubishi G4M Betty bombers ( Imperial Japanese Navy ) in the Pacific War on February 20, 1942 as the pilot of a Grumman F4F carrier fighter aircraft .
"Butch" O'Hare received other medals after receiving the Medal of Honor. In 1943 he received the Distinguished Flying Cross and a "Gold Star" instead of a second DFC. After his death, he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart .
Lt. Cmdr. O'Hare fell shortly after the Battle of the Gilbert Islands on November 27, 1943 as a pilot of a Grumman F6F near Tarawa during the first night fighter mission of the carrier aircraft of the USS Enterprise (CV-6) . The circumstances of his death have never been fully clarified. It is possible that he was killed by the fire of an on-board machine gun of a Japanese bomber, but " friendly fire " by the Browning M2 machine gun of a Grumman TBF torpedo bomber cannot be ruled out.
The US Navy named a destroyer USS O'Hare (DD-889) in honor of O'Hare, and O'Hare International Airport in Chicago was named after O'Hare.
His father, Eddie O'Hare senior (Easy Eddie), was a lawyer and business associate with gang boss Al Capone . He played a pivotal role in the tax evasion affair that eventually led to Capone's undoing and put him behind bars. Eddie O'Hare was shot dead in his car for his duplicity with the authorities.
swell
1.) "Fateful Rendezvous: The Life of Butch O'Hare" Cover-Photo by Steve Ewing, John B. Lundstrom, 1997, ISBN 1557502471
2.) "Legends of Airpower, DVD, Episode # 309:" Edward "Butch" O'Hare " Cover-Photo: (This DVD contains some errors: Instead of a Grumman F4F" Wildcat "announced by the commentator, a Grumman F6F" Hellcat "becomes Instead of a photo of O'Hare's wife Rita, a photo of his sister Marilyn is falsely displayed. A photo from the Medal of Honor parade in 1942 is incorrectly presented as a photo from his father's funeral in 1939. Also, as mentioned at the end of this DVD, O'Hare did not leave behind two children - he only had one daughter, Kathleen .)
Web links
- Acepilots.com: Lt. Cdr. Edward "Butch" O'Hare
- Medalofhonor.com: Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare
- Rgj.com: Reno Gazette: "O'Hare airport named after WWII hero"
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | O'Hare, Edward |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | O'Hare, Butch (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American pilot |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 13, 1914 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | St. Louis |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 27, 1943 |