Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry “Butch” O'Hare was an
Irish-American naval aviator of the
United States Navy, who on February 20, 1942 became the Navy's first
flying ace when he single-handedly attacked a formation of 9 heavy bombers approaching his aircraft carrier. Even though he had a limited amount of ammunition, he managed to shoot down or damage several enemy bombers. On April 21, 1942, he became the first naval recipient of the
Medal of Honor in
World War II.
O’Hare’s final action took place on the night of November 26, 1943, while he was leading the U.S. Navy’s first-ever nighttime fighter attack launched from an aircraft carrier. During this encounter with a group of Japanese
torpedo bombers, O'Hare's
F6F Hellcat was shot down; his aircraft was never found. In 1945, the U.S. Navy destroyer
USS O'Hare (DD-889) was named in his honor.
