Word Celebrity Blog

John William Finn



























This newsprint photo of John Finn was taken in Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 2008.

John William Finn died at age 100 on the morning of May 27, 2010, at the Chula Vista Veterans Home in California. He was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the attack on Pearl Harbor, the oldest living recipient, and the only aviation ordnance man to have ever received the  Medal of Honor. Upon John's death, fellow World War II veteran Barney F. Hajiro became the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient.

John William Finn, a plumber's son, was born on July 23, 1909, in Los Angeles, California. He attended high school in Compton. He dropped out of school and enlisted in the Navy in 1926,at age 17. After Boot Camp in San Diego, he spent a time as a ceremonial guard.


























John Finn then received aviation training. Eventually rising to Chief Aviation Ordinanceman around 1936, He had seen duty aboard a number of ships, including the USS Lexington, the USS Houston, and the USS Cincinnati, and was assigned to Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii,


























Before being stationed at Kaneohe Bay, Finn had served in the Philippines, the Panama Canal Zone and China and aboard ships in the north Atlantic.

On December 7, 1941, John Finn was stationed at Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. As a chief aviation ordnance officer, he was in charge of twenty men whose primary task it was to maintain the weapons of a PBY Catalina flying boat squadron.


























That morning, John Finn was at his home, in bed with his wife, Alice.  He lived about a mile from the aircraft hangars. John Finn recalled how a neighbor was the first to alert him, when she knocked on his door saying, "They want you down at the squadron right away!"

Amid the confusion, he  started driving as calmly as possible to the nearby hangar, maintaining the base's 20-mph speed limit. He heard the rumble of low-flying aircraft and sporadic machine gun fire coming from the hangar a mile away.

"I got around, and I heard a plane come roaring in from astern of me. As I glanced up, the guy made a wing-over and I saw that big old red meatball, the rising sun insignia, on the underside of the wing, Well, I threw it into second, and it was a wonder I didn't run over every sailor in the air station." He found that the airbase was being attacked, and most of the PBYs were already on fire.





















His men were trying to fight back by using the machine guns mounted in the PBYs, either by firing from inside the flaming planes or by detaching the guns and mounting them on improvised stands. Finn explained one of the first things he did was take control of a machine gun from his squadron's painter. "I said, 'Alex, let me take that gun'... I knew that I had more experience firing a machine gun than a painter."





















Finn then found a movable platform used for gunnery training, attached the .50 caliber machine gun, and pushed the platform into an open area, from which he had a clear view of the attacking aircraft. He fired on the Japanese planes for the next two hours, even after being seriously wounded, until the attack had ended. In total, he received 21 distinct wounds, including a bullet through the foot and an injury which caused him to lose feeling in his left arm.





















"I got that gun and I started shooting at Jap planes," Finn said. "I was out there shooting the Jap planes and just every so often I was a target for some," he said, "in some cases, I could see the Japanese pilots' faces."

He fired at wave after wave of strafing Japanese Zeroes for more than 2 1/2 hours, because, as he later said, "I didn't have enough sense to come in out of the rain."

John Finn was credited with bringing down one plane on his own, but he played down his achievement. "I can't honestly say I hit any," he told the San Diego Union-Tribune in 2001. "But I shot at every damn plane I could see."


























It was only by specific orders that he was persuaded to leave his post to seek medical attention," according to the Medal of Honor citation. "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 American planes.  He spent the next three weeks recovering from his wounds.

Twenty people died at Kaneohe Bay that bright Sunday morning that suddenly turned deadly. Two of the dead were civilians; the remainder was young American sailors who never dreamed their Naval service would so quickly turn deadly. They were buried on the air station where they had thought they would find their tour of duty in Paradise.





















Admiral Nimitz presented the Medal of Honor to John Finn.


For his actions, John Finn was formally presented with the Medal of Honor on board the USS Enterprise on September 14, 1942, by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.

He was one of 15 sailors honored for heroism during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Of the 15 Medal of Honor recipients from Pearl Harbor, 14 were for rescue attempts. His award was the only one awarded for combat. Ten of the Medals of Honor awarded for December 7th were posthumous; Chief Finn was one of four winners to survive the war.


























Alice Finn admires the Medal of Honor awarded to her husband for his counterattack during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor.


Medal of Honor Citation














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.



















Newly acquired ferry boat "John W. Finn" enters the channel to Naval Station Pearl Harbor. The boat is named after Medal of Honor recipient John W. Finn and is the first of five bio-diesel fueled boats that will be used to shuttle visitors to the Arizona Memorial

In addition to the Medal of Honor, John Finn's decorations include - 
the Purple Heart;
Navy Good Conduct Medal with two bronze stars;
American Defense Service Medal;
American Campaign Medal;
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal;
World War II Victory Medal;
and the Navy Occupation Service Medal.


























During the war, John Finn served as an instructor and aboard several ships, including with Bombing Squadron VB-102 and aboard the USS Hancock (CV-19). Promoted to the officer ranks, he left active duty in 1947 and joined the reserves. He retired in 1956 as a lieutenant.


























John Finn  on his ranch.


John Finn moved onto a 93-acre ranch in the desert near Pine Valley, California, where he raised cattle, horses and chickens, and ran a scrap yard with his wife. 

Lt. Finn said he found his occupation peaceful, and above all was pleased to have "a place to ride my motorcycle, shoot my guns on my own property and collect my junk."

He lived there until declining health forced him into a nursing facility. His wife died in 1998. They are Survived iby their son, Joseph Finn.

He was the recipient of countless invitations over the years, he was uncomfortable in the role of "hero", but after attending the premiere of the film "Pearl Harbor" in 1999, John said: "I liked it especially because I got to kiss all the pretty little movie actresses".




















On March 25, 2009, John Finn attended National Medal of Honor Day ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery. President Obama's unannounced visit surprised about 30 of the 98 living Medal of Honor recipients attending a wreath-laying ceremony.


















With the aid of walking sticks, John Finn stood beside U.S. President Barack Obama during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The President remarked:: "Since it was first awarded during the Civil War to the current battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, Medal of Honor recipients have displayed tremendous courage, an unfailing determination to succeed, and a humbling willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice," he said. "It is telling that so many Medal of Honor recipients received the award  posthumously. These soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsman embody the best of American values and ideals."

"Medal of Honor recipients are the foremost example of greatness in service and sacrifice," Obama continued. "Their bravery and humble strength continues to reassure our nation of the strength of its character and ideals even in these difficult times. We owe these heroes a debt of gratitude that our nation can never fully repay."

"So, it is on this day that we salute that fact and celebrate their lives and heroic actions that have placed them amongst the "bravest of the brave," he said. "We must never forget their sacrifice and will always keep the Fallen and their families in our thoughts and prayers."

Later that day, Lieutenant Finn was a guest of the Obama family at the White House. It was his first visit to the White House, and his first time to meet a sitting President.


Happy 100th Birthday


























John Finn’s heroic accomplishments certainly transcend the world of politics. He was a guest of honor at numerous gatherings of veterans and Medal of Honor recipients — including at the White House, where he was greeted by President Obama — John Finn routinely declined to accept the accolade of hero.



















 John Flynn's Happy 100th Birthday Cake.

























"I can't believe this, All I ever was was an old swab jockey.... What I did, I was being paid for." John Finn told the more than 500 people who had gathered last year at a local diner to celebrate his 100th birthday.



























In celebration of Finn's 100th birthday, The Association of Aviation Ordnancemen presented him with an American flag which had flown on each of the 11 aircraft carriers then in active service.



















 As his health declined, Lieutenant Finn moved recently to the veterans facility from his longtime home in Live Oak Springs in rural eastern San Diego County.

From 1956 until shortly before his death, John Finn resided on a 90-acre (0.36 km2) ranch in Live Oak Springs, near Pine Valley, California. He and his wife became foster parents to five Native American children, causing him to be embraced by the Campo Band of Diegueño Mission Indians, a tribe of Kumeyaay people in San Diego.



















Flag decoration in front of Lt. John Finn and his wifw Alice's grave.

After his death he was buried at the Campo Indian Reservation cemetery, California.









































President Obama Bestowed Fitting Praise























"Michelle and I were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Retired Navy Lt. John William Finn, the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones at this time.  Lt. Finn received the Medal for the heroism he displayed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Under a torrent of gunfire, Lt. Finn defended his fellow Sailors, holding his position for two hours until the skies went quiet, despite suffering serious wounds.  Like many of those who have served our nation with such distinction, Lt. Finn often said that he never intended to be a hero.  Instead, he felt that he was simply doing his duty. But 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 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."


























When Lieutenant Finn was called a hero during an interview following his 100th birthday,  he 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."


























John Finn on March 13, 2010, as grand marshal of the 30th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in San Diego, Calfornia.

*****

Arthur R. Thompson, the Chief Executive Officer of The John Birch Society, also had fond memories of John Finn, inspired, he said, by the fact that “Finn was more than a war hero — he remained a patriot throughout his life.”





































 "A firm believer in the Christian concept of an afterlife", Mr. Thompson reminds us "that the sense of loss we feel on learning of John Finn’s death is only temporary, because we will all meet him again."