Though Butch O’Hare did live to receive his Medal of Honor, he didn’t live to see the end of the war.
If you’ve ever lived in or traveled to the city of Chicago, Illinois, then you’re undoubtedly familiar with Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
But unless you’re a serious military aviation history buff, you may not be so familiar with that airport’s namesake. The airport had initially been known as Orchard Field Airport. But on September 19, 1949, it was renamed as a posthumous honor to Lieutenant Commander Edward “Butch” O’Hare, who was the U.S. Navy’s first air ace of World War II as well as the first naval aviator to receive the Medal of Honor. The National Interest now looks at Butch O’Hare’s all-too-brief but still remarkable military career.
Butch O’Hare Early Life and Initial Military Career
Edward Henry “Butch” O’Hare was born on March 13, 1914, in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Edward Joseph “Easy Eddie” O’Hare and Selma Anna (née Lauth). His parents divorced in 1927, whereupon “Easy Eddie” moved to Chicago while Buch remained in St. Louis with his mother and his two sisters (Patricia and Marilyn)…