John Finn Passes.

[kittyhawk]

Fair winds and following seas.
Oldest recipient of CHM.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/us/28finn.html

[SeriousStudent]

Exactly. Fair winds and following seas, Chief Finn. We have the watch now.

I will be sure and include his name when I raise a glass on Memorial Day.

[Oscar 319]

When Chief Finn arrived at the hangars, many of the planes had already been hit. He recalled that he grabbed a .30-caliber machine gun on a makeshift tripod, carried it to an exposed area near a runway and began firing. For the next two and a half hours, he blazed away, although peppered by shrapnel as the Japanese planes strafed the runways with cannon fire.

As he remembered it: “I got shot in the left arm and shot in the left foot, broke the bone. I had shrapnel blows in my chest and belly and right elbow and right thumb. Some were just scratches. My scalp got cut, and everybody thought I was dying: Oh, Christ, the old chief had the top of his head knocked off! I had 28, 29 holes in me that were bleeding. I was walking around on one heel. I was barefooted on that coral dust. My left arm didn’t work. It was just a big ball hanging down.”



....all of them. Heroes. RIP Chief.

[arizonaranchman]

John lives about 2 or 3 miles from my California home. I've spent many hours visiting with him at his home. He was always a great host and very interesting to talk to. I'd stop by for a visit and hours would pass in the blink of an eye. He could talk your leg off and was always happy to see you for a visit. He lived there for about 50 years.

My prayers go out to him and his family.

[Zhurdan]

God rest his soul. Just in time for him to be remembered this weekend. Rest well.