REMEMBERING AMERICA'S 1ST WWII FIGHTER ACE THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF BUTCH O'HARE:

1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries Podcast

Jon Hagadorn

Society & Culture, History

4.4 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 25 May 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I first heard this story on Paul Harvey years ago., and I've retold it in part but never in full. This is the story of Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry O'Hare (March 13, 1914 – November 26, 1943) who was an American naval aviator of the United States Navy, who on February 20, 1942, became the Navy's first fighter ace of the war when he single-handedly attacked a formation of nine Japanese 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.

Butch's father had been the attorney for gangster Al Capone for years and at some point had agreed to go undercover for the US Treasury Service in order to expose Capone for tax evasion- the spoken legend being that Eddie (EJ), Butch;'s father, knew that by testifying to Capone's dirty dealings he would be putting a target on his own back, and agreed to give up Capone in exchange for the promise that Butch could attend the US Naval Academy. EJ testified, Capone went to prison, and in revenge, as the legend (most likely true) goes, EJ was shot and killed while driving to work.

On September 19, 1949, the Chicago-area Orchard Field Airport was renamed O'Hare International Airport, sin honor of Butch o'Hare.. An F4F Wildcat, in a livery identical to the aircraft ("White F-15") flown by O'Hare, is on display in Terminal 2. The display was formally opened on the seventy-fifth anniversary of his Medal of Honor flight

See picture of Butch and his wife while being awarded the Medal of Honor. at our web page at 1001 heroes here: www.bestof1001stories.com.

Transcript

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1:02.4	Indeed.com slash show. Terms and conditions apply. The Welcome back, everyone to 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories, and Mysteries, Podcast.
1:44.4	This is your host, John Haggardorn.
1:47.4	Today, the incredible true story of Butch O'Hare, World War II's first American ace flyer.
1:54.7	For those of you who enjoy action movies, you might remember this quote.
1:59.6	Gentlemen, you are the top 1% of all naval aviators.
2:03.7	The elite.
2:04.8	The best of the best.
2:06.4	Every encounter is going to be much more difficult.
2:09.3	We're going to teach you to fly the F-14 right to the edge of the envelope,
2:13.3	faster than you've ever flown before, and more dangerously.
2:18.8	Those of you listeners who are movie buffs should recognize this iconic opening line from the one and only Top Gunn, starring the great Tom Cruise,
2:27.5	giving you chills and setting the tone for the action-packed and heart-eaking hero's story to follow.
2:33.6	And while a famous movie is not
	...

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