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ML_ohare_shields.htm
Lt. Cmdr. Butch O'Hare
Lone Pilot fought off wave of Japanese Bombers
By Mark Shields
Military.com Columnist
Wheeling their Wildcats through Pacific skies, Lt. Cmdr. Butch O'Hare and the rest of Fighter Squadron 3 had fought off a wave of Japanese bombers seeking the aircraft carrier Lexington. But now only two Wildcats were left in the air to face a second wave-- and then O'Hare's wingman's guns jammed.
The tide of war had not yet turned in the Pacific as Lexington steamed toward the Japanese shipping base at Rabaul, New Guinea, on Feb. 20, 1942.
The 27-year-old son of a wealthy businessman who had been murdered by Al Capone's gang, O'Hare was less than two years out of flight training when he found himself the lone airborne defender of an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific. Worse, he had only 300 rounds left in his guns.
All alone, O'Hare put himself between the enemy and the Lexington. He worked his way through the V-shaped enemy formation, firing at one bomber, then another. He knocked down five enemy aircraft, then withdrew as other pilots from his squadron attacked the surviving bombers.
For his exploits, O'Hare got the Medal of Honor and a trip back to the States to sell War Bonds. Back in the Pacific for a tour with Fighter Squadron 6, he died Nov. 27,1943 in nighttime combat with Betty torpedo bombers in the Gilbert Islands. His name remains familiar to travelers who pass through Chicago's O'Hare airport, the busiest in the world. |
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