Born to a father rumored to have had ties to Al Capone and the mob, “Butch” O’Hare was a Navy pilot whose name marks one of the world’s busiest airports. He graduated the Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1937 and had amassed much experience as a fighter pilot when he got involved in World War II. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1942 for single-handedly breaking up a Japanese attack on the Lexington. He continued his combat career and in the midst of the first successful carrier-based night interception, in 1943, O’Hare lost his life.
