11. The US Navy’s first ace of World War II had an airport named for him
On February 20, 1942, Navy Lieutenant Edward O’Hare, flying from the aircraft carrier USS Lexington, singlehandedly attacked a flight of nine Japanese bombers. His wingman’s guns jammed, leaving O’Hare to face the Japanese alone while protecting the carrier. O’Hare flew an F4F Wildcat, armed with four 50-caliber machine guns, each with 450 rounds of ammunition. The Japanese aircraft were protected with rear gunners, and the planes flew in close formation, allowing a massing of machine-gun fire against attack. In a few minutes of frenzied action, O’Hare shot down three of the Japanese airplanes, damaging two others so badly they later crashed into the sea, and severely damaging a sixth airplane.
When he returned to Lexington, he was greeted with gunfire from jittery antiaircraft gunners before his plane was identified. O’Hare received credit for shooting down five bombers on the mission, becoming the Navy’s first ace of the war, and the first Naval Aviator awarded the Medal of Honor during World War II. O’Hare was killed in action in late November 1943, according to some a victim of friendly fire, though a recent investigation disputes the allegation. Among other honors, Chicago’s Orchard Depot Airport had its name changed to O’Hare International Airport in 1949. An F4F Wildcat altered to resemble O’Hare’s is on display there in Terminal 2.