A naval aviator’s attack on Japanese bombers that gave Chicago’s O’Hare Airport its name took place 75 years ago.
On February 20th, 1942, Japanese bombers attacked the U-S-S Lexington, an aircraft carrier headed towards New Guinea.
Several hours into the raid, the Lexington was down to one airworthy plane with working firepower. That plane’s pilot, Lieutenant Commander Edward "Butch" O’Hare, single-handedly fought off nine Japanese bombers.
O’Hare’s accomplishment earned him the Medal of Honor. He was killed the following year in another combat mission.
In 1949, O’Hare was remembered when the Chicago City Council voted to change the name of its Orchard Field Airport to O’Hare Airport.
Last Friday, several members of O’Hare’s family attended a ceremony at the airport in the St. Louis native’s memory.
