Hero Tours Oldest Combat Ship
Boatswain’s mate Petty Officer 1st Class Aaron Haney gives a tour of USS Constitution to Medal of Honor recipient retired Navy Lt. John Finn. At 98 years old, Finn is the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, Finn manned a machine gun turret and returned fire on Japanese planes at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941.
Photographer: Petty Officer 1st Class Eric Brown, Navy Visual News Service
Here’s the MoH citation for Lt. John William Finn:
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy.
Place and date: Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, Territory of Hawaii, 7 December 1941.
Entered service at: California.
Born: 23 July 1909, Los Angeles, Calif.
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 machinegun mounted on an instruction stand in a completely exposed section of the parking ramp, which was under heavy enemy machinegun 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.
And, the U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest warship afloat and in service.
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