History Lesson
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History- History is dull only in its presentation. Read the following two
stories together. You should find this piece of history very interesting.
World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lt.
Commander Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to an aircraft
carrier, Lexington, in the South Pacific.
One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he
looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his
fuel tank. He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to
his ship. His flight leader
told him to return to the carrier.
Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet. As he was
returning to the mothership, he saw something that turned his blood cold. A
squadron of Japanese bombers was speeding their way toward the American fleet.
The American fighters were gone on a sortie and the fleet was all but
defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save
the fleet. Nor, could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was
only one thing he could do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.
Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dived into the formation of
Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking
one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch, weaving in and out of the now
broken formation, fired at as many planes as possible until finally all his
ammunition was spent. Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the
planes, trying to at least clip off a wing or tail, in hopes of damaging as many
enemy planes as possible and rendering them unfit to fly. He was desperate
to do anything he could to keep them from reaching the American ships.
Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off to another direction. Deeply
relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the
carrier.
Upon arrival he reported in and related the event surrounding
his return. The film from the cameras mounted on his plane told the tale. It
showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had
destroyed five enemy bombers. That was on February 20, 1942, and for that action
he became the Navy's first Ace of WWII and the first Naval Aviator to win the
Congressional Medal of Honor. A year later he was killed in aerial combat at the
age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of that heroic action die.
And today O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to his courage of
this great man.
So the next time you are in O'Hare visit his memorial with
his statue and Medal of Honor. It is located between Terminal 1 and Terminal
2.
Story Number Two
Some years earlier there was a man in Chicago called Easy Eddie. At that time,
Al Capone virtually owned the city. Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic.
His exploits were anything but praiseworthy. He was, however, notorious for
enmeshing the city of Chicago in everything from bootlegged booze and
prostitution to murder.
Easy Eddie was Capone's lawyer and for a good reason. He was very good! In
fact, his skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time. To
show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big;
Eddie got special dividends. For instance, he and his family occupied a
fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The
estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago city block. Yes, Easy Eddie
lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to
the atrocity that went on around him. Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He
had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his son had the best of
everything; clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price
was no object. And despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even
tried to teach him right from wrong. Yes, Eddie tried to teach his son to rise
above his own sordid life. He wanted him to be a better man than he was. Yet,
with all his wealth and influence there were two things that Eddie couldn't give
his son. Two things that Eddie sacrificed to the Capone mob that he could not
pass on to his beloved son: a good name and a good example.
One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Offering his
son a good name was far more important than all the riches he could lavish on
him. He had to rectify all the wrong that he had done. He would go to the
authorities and tell them the truth about Scar-face Al Capone. He would try to
clean up his tarnished name and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do
this he must testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great.
But more than anything, he wanted to be a good example to his son. He wanted to
do his best to make restoration and hopefully have a good name to leave his son.
So, he testified. Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire
on a lonely Chicago street. He had given his son the greatest gift he had to
offer at the greatest price he would ever pay. I know what you're
thinking. What do these two stories have to do
with one another?
