Pearl Harbor Headquarters News

Posted August 7, 2008 2:50 pm

American Hero: John Finn

In the Pearl Harbor Headquarters Blog we will salute a WWII Veteran that has touched our lives and made us proud to be an American! Our first American Hero we pay tribute to is a living treasure that personifies the Greatest Generation: John Finn.

John Finn is the oldest LIVING Medal of Honor recipient and the LAST living Medal of Honor recipient from the Day of Infamy. He was stationed at Kaneohe Bay as Chief Aviation Ordnance man of VP-14 on December 7, 1941. Kaneohe NAS was attacked five minutes before Pearl Harbor and some might argue that John Finn's actions that day earned him the FIRST Medal of Honor of World War II.

Official 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, Kaneohe Bay, on December 7, 1941, Lt. 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 John Finn, A Pearl Harbor American Hero 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 U.S. Naval Service.

Recently Carol & Fred Tomlinson visited John Finn at his Southern California ranch and enjoyed a fascinating meeting with this humble retired Navy Lieutenant. John has never seen himself as a hero. "I was just a Good ol Navy man doing my job,î he says.

The Tomlinson Corporation has created a new display at the Home of the Brave museum to honor John Finn, complete with a 50 cal machine gun to tell the story of this Brave American. John stressed that the real heroÍs that day were the young men killed along side of him during the attack and that we should never forget their sacrifices.

He is an inspiration to us all and a true American Hero!