SOCNET | Special Operations Community - Oldest Living Medal Of Honor reciepient passes away

[url]http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/may/27/john-finn-hero-at-pearl-harbor-dies-at-100/[/url]

[b]John Finn, hero at Pearl Harbor, dies at 100
Ex-sailor was oldest living Medal of Honor recipient

John Finn, the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient, whose modest demeanor and lifestyle belied his legendary status as an American hero, died Thursday at age 100 at a Chula Vista veterans home.

He was assigned to Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay on Dec. 7, 1941, when he found himself firing at Japanese planes from an exposed position for more than two hours despite being hit 21 times by bomb and bullet fragments.

The longtime East County resident was credited by some with single-handedly shooting down a Japanese aircraft, but he would later say, “I can’t honestly say (for sure) I hit any, but I shot at every damn plane I could see.”

He was believed to be one of the first Americans to take up arms against the Japanese when they bombed the naval base and nearby Pearl Harbor, an attack that brought the United States into World War II.

Friends and fellow veterans said that in military circles, Finn was comparable to a rock star. People clamored for a handshake or to have a picture taken with him wherever he went. Fellow Medal of Honor recipient Tom Kelley said Finn was a big hit at a Veterans Day event in Massachusetts last year.

“He’s kind of a legend,” Kelley said. “He was a very warm person and had a phenomenal memory. He could remember everything and tell stories and not repeat himself. He made everyone who met him feel like they were the most important person in the world.”

Finn often downplayed his heroic efforts during World War II and said he was just doing his job. “I read about other guys with the medal who lost their lives or really suffered in wars, and I think about myself. I was just an uneducated man who got mad as hell one day,” he said in a 1984 interview with The San Diego Union.

Military buildings in San Diego and Hawaii have been named after Finn, but those who knew him said he was a humble man who enjoyed joking and recounting war stories.

“He was an American treasure, an American hero,” said a friend, Navy Capt. David Lepard. Finn commanded respect and awe wherever he went, Lepard said, adding, “He always, always attracted a crowd.”

Friend and fellow Pearl Harbor survivor Gordon Jones said Finn was intelligent, able to understand intricate machinery and had a great memory. “He could rattle off the names of all his squadron buddies. He liked meeting new people and talking to all the old folks,” Jones said.

Dennis McAllister, one of Finn’s nephews, said his uncle was healthy and energetic until about a week ago, when he was moved from his longtime home in Live Oak Springs, east of Campo, to the Veterans Home of California in Chula Vista.

Although Finn had met every U.S. president since Franklin D. Roosevelt, he had never been inside the White House until last year, when President Barack Obama invited him for a private tour after a Medal of Honor Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Obama lauded Finn’s heroism in a statement issued Thursday. “Like many of those who served our nation with such distinction, Lt. Finn often said he never intended to be a hero. Instead, he felt that he was simply doing his duty. His modesty does not diminish his extraordinary conduct — or the incredible example he has set for our men and women in uniform and for all Americans.

“I had the privilege of meeting Lt. Finn last year, and I was struck by his warmth and humility. As we mark Memorial Day, and pay tribute to all who have fallen in defense of this nation, the passing of Lt. Finn is a reminder of the sacrifices that generations have made to preserve the freedoms we hold dear.”

Finn was the oldest of 91 living recipients of the nation’s highest award for bravery in combat. The number of living Medal of Honor recipients from World War II is now 19; the oldest of those is Barney Hajiro, 93, of Hawaii.

Finn grew up near Los Angeles and had been in the Navy for 15 years before he was stationed in Hawaii, where he was a chief petty officer and chief of ordnance. His Medal of Honor citation credited him with “extraordinary heroism” and “devotion above and beyond the call of duty.”

During the attack, Finn secured a .50-caliber machine gun mounted on a training stand in an exposed section of the parking ramp, which was under heavy machine-gun fire from Japanese planes, the citation says.

It continues, “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.”

Finn didn’t leave his post until getting a direct order to seek medical attention. He later said that when he got to the sick bay, he saw many men worse off than he was, so he returned to the armory and spent the rest of the day and night supervising the repair of damaged weapons in preparation for whatever came next.

“I know this sounds corny, but on December 7, I was just doing my duty and what I had been trained and paid to do since I was 17 years old,” he said in his 1984 San Diego Union interview.

Finn left the Navy as a lieutenant in 1947 after 21 years of active duty, and in 1956 he and his wife, Alice, settled in Live Oak Springs on a 90-acre ranch. He had a salvage business and spent a few years raising cattle, but in his later years he spent much of his time traveling to Medal of Honor conventions and other military events.

John William Finn was born July 27, 1909, in Los Angeles and enlisted in the Navy in 1926. Finn and his wife, who died in 1998, raised a son and several nephews and took in several children from the Campo Indian Reservation during their years in East County.

“He helped our people survive when our world was in turmoil and going through a changing process,” said Monique LaChappa, Campo tribal chairwoman. One of her uncles was among those helped by the Finns. “Some of the older elders would tell about how (the Finns) would feed our people. He was part of our survival. He understood us — not that he felt sorry for us, but he understood us.”

Finn is survived by a son, Joseph, of Lakeside; and several nieces and nephews.

A public viewing will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at El Cajon-Lakeside-Santee Mortuary and Cremation Service in El Cajon. A public service will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the mortuary, 684 Mollison Ave. Private burial will follow, conducted by the Campo Indian Tribal Council and with full military honors. Per Finn’s wishes, it will be at the Campo Reservation cemetery, where his wife is buried.

The family suggests donations in memory of John Finn to the Association of Aviation Ordnancemen.[/b]

Photograph collection: [url]http://www.signonsandiego.com/photos/galleries/2010/may/27/john-finn/[/url]

[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Finn[/url]

[b]Medal of Honor 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, Kanoehe Bay, on 7 December 1941, Lieutenant Finn promptly secured and manned a 50-caliber machine gun mounted on an instruction stand in a completely exposed section of the parking ramp, which was under heavy enemy machine-gun 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 United States Naval Service."[/b]

"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."

This is the AAA crew that attack pilot hates. A true compliment in this case. ;)

And an interesting quote: When called a hero during a 2009 interview Finn responded:

"That damned hero stuff is a bunch crap, I guess. [...] You gotta understand that there's all kinds of heroes, but they never get a chance to be in a hero's position."

R.I.P. Lt. Finn.

Respectfully,