
John Finn,
less than a month from his 100th birthday,
attends a party in his honor at the La Posta Diner in Pine Valley
By
Tony Perry
Reporting from Pine
Valley, Calif. In a clear, strong voice, John Finn told the group
that gathered to honor him Saturday that he did not understand all the
fuss being made about him.
"I can't believe this,"
Finn told the 1500-plus people outside the La Posta Diner. "All I ever
was was an old swab jockey. What I did I was being paid for."
What Finn did was take
control of a .50-caliber machine gun at the Navy base at Kaneohe Bay,
Hawaii, and fire at the Japanese attack planes that violent morning that
changed the world, Dec. 7, 1941.
Wounded five times, he
refused to be evacuated and kept firing at the planes that were strafing
the base and its sailors. Watching Finn's courage, other sailors rallied
to his side, manning other guns.
For his actions, Finn
was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Now he is less than a
month from his 100th birthday, making him the nation's oldest Medal of
Honor recipient and the only living recipient from the attack on Pearl
Harbor.
Several veterans groups
and others assembled at the diner Saturday to honor Finn in advance of
his July 23 birthday. It was a morning full of commendations, including
a proclamation from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors marking
Saturday as John Finn Day.
"He looks great,
doesn't he?" said Supervisor Dianne Jacob.
Bud Wharton, the La
Posta Diner’s owner, organized the event. Finn's son, Joe, worked at the
La Posta for several years. Located on Old Highway 80, 50 miles east of
San Diego, the diner is a favorite haunt of motorcyclists tooling along
Interstate 8.
At Wharton's request, dozens of
motorcyclists revved their engines in appreciation of Finn. A plaque
honoring Finn from the John P. Squibob Chapter 1853 of the Ancient and
Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, a Western state historical group,
was placed at the diner.
Finn, a Los Angeles
native, was a chief petty officer and aviation ordnance man on the
morning of the attack. He retired as a lieutenant in 1956 and has lived
in eastern San Diego County.
He has had a series of
honors recently. He stood beside President Obama on March 25 as the
president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington
National Cemetery.
A ceremony in Finn's
honor was held last week at the Navy facility in Bahrain, and a flag is
making its way to Finn after flying above several aircraft carriers.
"He represents all that
is good and right with this country," said Navy Capt. Russ Thompson,
commanding officer of the El Centro Naval Air Facility, who emceed
Saturday's event.
Please take a moment to read,
review, memorize and implement the following Official ECV®
Grand Council Rules. The John P. Squibob Chapter of ECV®
is most serious about the adherence to Grand Council Rules
regarding the treatment of PBCs during their initiation weekend.