John William Finn-Live Oak Springs, CA
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Don.Morfe
N 32° 39.012 W 116° 21.906
11S E 559543 N 3612687
World War II Medal of Honor Recipient for action during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. He is buried in Saint Carmel Cemetery, Live Oak Springs, CA.
Waymark Code: WM115PM
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 08/20/2019
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member NW_history_buff
Views: 4

He was born on July 23, 1909 in Los Angeles, CA and died on May 27, 2010 in Chula Vista, CA. His Medal of Honor information and citation is: JOHN WILLIAM FINN
Rank: Lieutenant
Organization: U.S. Navy
Company:
Division:
Born: 24 July 1909, Los Angeles, Calif.
Departed: Yes (05/27/2010)
Entered Service At: California
G.O. Number:
Date of Issue:
Accredited To:
Place / Date: Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, Territory of Hawaii, 7 December 1941

Citation
For extraordinary heroism distinguished service, and devotion above and beyond the call of duty. During the first attack by Japanese airplanes on the Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, on 7 December 1941, Lt. Finn promptly secured and manned a .50-caliber machine gun mounted on an instruction stand in a completely exposed section of the parking ramp, which was under heavy enemy machine gun strafing fire. Although painfully wounded many times, he continued to man this gun and to return the enemy's fire vigorously and with telling effect throughout the enemy strafing and bombing attacks and with complete disregard for his own personal safety. It was only by specific orders that he was persuaded to leave his post to seek medical attention. Following first aid treatment, although obviously suffering much pain and moving with great difficulty, he returned to the squadron area and actively supervised the rearming of returning planes. His extraordinary heroism and conduct in this action were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

The photos were taken Robert Flair and given to me.

*SPECIAL EXCEPTION WAYMARK* This category made the decision to approve this waymark based on the research and partnerships between the submitter, Don.Morfe, and individuals who gave permission for their photos of Medal of Honor resting places to be used in this community. Although the vision and philosophy of the Waymarking body is to promote in-person visits and photo documentation, special circumstances can be made on a case-by-case basis such as this submission. We appreciate the fact that Don.Morfe spent over 20 years visiting more than 2,900 Medal of Honor resting places and has documented them in this category with personal photos the past 18 months. He recently took it upon himself to document many more Medal of Honor resting places around the world that he could not visit in person. He reached out to individuals on FindaGrave.com and elsewhere and received permission to use their photos, created write-ups and submitted them here for approval. A compromise was made to allow his submissions here in order to gain a sense of appreciation to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. Thank you, Don, for your tireless efforts and contributions to this category and to the Waymarking community!

Armed Service: Navy

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