John William Finn

Infobox Military Person
name= John William Finn
born= Birth date|1909|7|23
died=
placeofbirth= Los Angeles, California
placeofdeath=
placeofburial=


caption= John William Finn wearing his Medal of Honor
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Navy
serviceyears= 1926-1956
rank= Lieutenant
commands=
unit=
battles= World War II *Pearl Harbor
awards= Medal of Honor Purple Heart
laterwork=

Lieutenant John William Finn (born July 23, 1909) is a retired officer of the United States Navy who received the Medal of Honor in recognition of heroism and distinguished service during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

As of July 2008, at age 99, Finn is the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient and is also the only living Pearl-Harbor-Day Medal of Honor recipient.Wimberley, "Lieutenant John William Finn, USN".]

Biography

Born in Los Angeles, California, Finn enlisted in the Navy in July 1926, and was stationed as a Chief Petty Officer at the Naval Air Station at Kāne'ohe Bay in Oʻahu, one of the Hawaiian Islands. During the first attack by the Japanese aircraft, Finn took control of a machine gun post and continued to fire on the attacking planes despite being hit five times by enemy strafing fire. Following that incident, he was presented the Medal of Honor for his heroism.

During World War II, Finn served as a Chief Petty Officer, an Ensign and eventually a Lieutenant with the Bombing Squadron VB-102 on board the USS "Hancock" (CV-19). He retired from the Navy in September 1956.

In addition to the Medal of Honor, Finn's decorations include the Purple Heart Medal; American Defense Service Medal; Good Conduct Medal with two bronze stars; American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; World War II Victory Medal; and the Navy Occupation Service Medal."John Finn, Medal of Honor Recipient".]

Today he lives in California by himself (his wife Alice died in 1998). He is the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the attack on Pearl Harbor, as well as being the oldest living recipient.Wimberley, "Lieutenant John William Finn, USN".]

Medal of Honor citation

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II

Notes

References

:NHC
*cite web|accessdaate=
url=http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-f/j-finn.htm
title="Lieutenant John William Finn, USN, (1909-____)"
publisher=Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy

*cite web|accessdate=2007-10-26
url=http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_living/ii_n_finn.html
title=MOH Citation for John Finn
publisher=HomeofHeroes.com

*cite web|accessdate=
url=http://www.geocities.com/ntchistory/finn/finn.html
title=John Finn, Medal of Honor Recipient

External links

*cite web|accessdate=2007-10-26
url=http://www.pearlharborstories.org/node/537
title=John William Finn
author=Wimberly, Tom
publisher=Pearl Harbor Survivors Project

*cite web|accessdate=2007-10-26
url=http://www.worldwariihistory.info/Medal-of-Honor/Pearl-Harbor.html
title=Congressional Medal of Honor Heroes of Pearl Harbor
publisher=World War II History Info

Further reading

*cite book
author=Smith, Larry
title=Beyond Glory: Medal of Honor Heroes in Their own Words
year=2003
publisher=W. W. Norton & Company
id=ISBN 0393325628 See Chapter 4 — [http://books.google.com/books?id=S7STBPQkiuwC&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53&dq=john+william+finn&source=web&ots=sh5Xzv7FAH&sig=6kyzFkm_LKN650gErXkO4plNkqs|"John William Finn"] (Retrieved on 2007-10-26)

Persondata
NAME= Finn, John William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Navy Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=