Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Keith Simmons | U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Aviation Ordnanceman stationed at Naval Support Activity...... read more read more
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MANAMA, Bahrain - U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Aviation Ordnanceman stationed at Naval Support Activity Bahrain honored John Finn today, a Medal of Honor recipient who was awarded the medal for his extraordinary bravery during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Sailors raised an American flag in his honor, which the Navy will present to Finn on his 100th birthday, July 23.
Finn, an Aviation Ordnanceman Chief Petty Officer on Dec. 7, 1941, was the first service member awarded the MOH during WWII and is the oldest living MOH recipient. He is also the only aviation ordnanceman to be awarded the MOH.
"I recall some 21 years ago as a young Sailor on the deck plate hearing stories about the heroism of John Finn and heard his story a couple hundred times as a kid," said Lt. Marcus Creighton, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Force Weapons Officer, an aviation ordnanceman limited duty officer.
"We are a proud profession and Lt. Finn is a great source of that pride. Everybody needs their hero and Lt. Finn is the hero of the aviation ordnance community."
The flag was previously flown at sea aboard USS George Washington, USS John C. Stennis and will be transferred to USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which is operating in the U.S. 5th Fleet. It will then be sent to Naval Station Norfolk to be flown aboard all aircraft carriers in port.
Aviation Ordnance Chief Charles Mifsud referred to Finn as the unofficial grandfather of the aviation ordnance rate.
"He demonstrates the valor of what an aviation ordnanceman can do when faced with adversity," said Mifsud. "He's the inspiration that we have to continue our job and ensuring that we get our job done."
Master Gunnery Sgt. Michael Yarbrough, a Marine aviation ordnance chief and a Marine liaison officer assigned to NAVCENT, said it was an honor for him to participate in the ceremony.
"It's very special for me that I get to celebrate this day with the blue side," said Yarbrough. "Lt. Finn means just as much to Marines as to Sailors. He was an aviation ordnanceman."
Finn's official MOH citation states: "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, Dec. 7, 1941, 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."
Adm. Chester Nimitz awarded the MOH to Finn September 15, 1942, aboard USS Enterprise. Finn enlisted in the Navy in 1926 and retired in 1956 at the rank of Lieutenant.
| Date Taken: | 06.21.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 06.21.2009 10:43 |
| Story ID: | 35423 |
| Location: | MANAMA, BH |
| Web Views: | 584 |
| Downloads: | 256 |
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