John Finn, Medal of Honor Winner, Dies at 100

[MrBern]

John W. Finn, the last survivor of the 15 Navy men who received the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, died Thursday at a nursing home in Chula Vista, Calif. He was 100 and had been the oldest living recipient of the medal, the nation’s highest award for valor.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/us/28finn.html

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.”

 

[WW2WaltUSMC]

IYAOYAS, LT!

Lieutenant Finn was a true hero. He holds a special place in my heart, along with every other Marine and Navy Ordnanceman as the only AO to be awarded the Medal of Honor. He was a fixture at Ordnance Parties and Conferences along the West Coast until his death. God rest his soul. If You Aint Ordnance, You Aint Shit!