By Doug Morrison
March 11, 2025
On my travel I through O’Hare International Airport, I saw LCDR Edward “Butch” O’Hare’s aircraft on his “Medal of Honor” flight in February 1942 when he was a Lieutenant. It is a F4F in the livery or paint scheme of his aircraft.
He became the Navy’s first fighter ace of the war when he single-handedly attacked a formation of nine medium bombers approaching his aircraft carrier. Even though he had a limited amount of ammunition, he was credited with shooting down five enemy bombers and became the first naval aviator recipient of the Medal of Honor in World War II.
O’Hare went down while he was leading the U.S. Navy’s first-ever nighttime fighter attack launched from an aircraft carrier. A nighttime combat mission against Japanese torpedo bombers in November 1943. He was never found.
He was of Irish descent.
