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{OT} John Finn marching in Bristol, RI today (Who's John Finn?)

John Finn is the oldest living Congressional Medal of Honor winner. He's 96 years old.

How did John Finn get his medal?

I am a Pearl Harbor buff. I read PH, I watch PH, I listen PH. Now, it would appear that most people in this group have forgiven the Japanese for Pearl Harbor.

If you've ever seen the specials on the History channel, or Pearl Harbor movies or specials, you've probably seen John Finn.

When the attack began, John, a Navy Lieutenant, jumped in his car and drove to the airbase on Ford Island. There wasn't much to do; Ford was hit early in the first wave to keep the planes on the ground.

John grabbed a machine gun and set it up, and began shooting. And shooting. And shooting. He didn't stop until the last Japanese plane cleared Pearl Harbor. 'He' can be seen, I believe, in the movie Tora, Tora, Tora, firing the gun and yelling at enlisted men for more ammo.

John was hit 21 times, mostly ricochets and schrapnel, in the stomach, the chest, both legs and the left arm. And still, he kept firing.

He didn't even feel his wounds until after the melee was finished.

At 96, he is the oldest living Congressional Medal of Honor winner. After the war, he returned to Pearl Harbor, where he has spent his retirement as a volunteer to the US Parks Service, doing light maintenance and giving tours at the USS Arizona Memorial.

Bristol is about 125 miles from me; I would love to go shake his hand.

Reply to
Hachiroku
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I haven't forgotten Pearl Harbor. That's why I rarely give consideration to the Three Diamonds car company, the same people that brought you the A6M (Zero). . . .

I still don't buy Shell gas. 1. They helped fund that damned Austrian paperhanger. 2. Every time I've tried Shell gas, my motor knocks badly. . . .Maybe it's a Jewish motor?

We almost didn't buy our first Toyota because of Pearl Harbor. But in 1974, when we had to replace our Corvair, we were given 2 choices from the dealer that we could afford. 1. A 72 Dodge Dart Slant 6 that had been rear-ended.(You could tell in the trunk, but the dealer never admitted to it.) 2. An 72 Toyota Carina. So Dad swallowed his pride and bought the Toyota and the rest is history.

Charles of Schaumburg

Reply to
n5hsr

Side-track but possibly interesting: AFAIK, the logo represents three water chestnuts. (No, I have no idea why, either. May be one of those obscure cultural things.)

Reply to
Andrew Stephenson

If you go, shake his hand for me, too....

Reply to
Scott in Florida

Well, you did us a great service anyway, I had not heard of him before (mind you it may have deleted itself from my tired old mind!)...I can just see him now!...great story!...

Reply to
Gord Beaman

Great story, a proper hero (and/or a nutter running on adrenalin!). Not like those of modern wars who can't return home without demanding compensation for having seen unpleasant things during war.

Reply to
Coyoteboy

LOL! On one special, he even said it must have been the adrenalin that kept him from feeling he was hit!

Reply to
Hachiroku

Supposedly, the 'Three Diamonds' are a replication of the prop on the Zero. Guess they haven't forgotten, either. (Whether this is true or not, I don't know, but it was what I was told.)

We gave it no thought at all. We had a '64 Nova that was still running well, but it was just time for a new car. The new Novas were bigger and more expensive, and my Mom didn't like it. Whe I came home from whatever I was doing (I was 15 or so) there was a brand new 1972 Corona sitting in the driveway. That did it. We always had at least one Toyota in the family ever since. Usually two or four!

Reply to
Hachiroku

I don't know about the water chestnuts, but "Mitsubishi" means "three diamonds" in Japanese.

"Mitsuboshi" means '"three stars."

Reply to
Ray O

There is a good Toyota dealer in Bristol! The guy who used to be the service manager there (he was of Portuguese descent and may still be there for all I know) had a better teriyaki recipe than mine!

Reply to
Ray O

Actually the three diamonds were incorrectly attributed to a shipping propellor after they did some work in the sector in their early days. This was incorrect and it was actually the merging of two family business logos that created it. Apparently.

J
Reply to
Coyoteboy

Whoever had the water chestnut explanation was pretty close. Here is the explanation of the logo from Mitsubishi's web site:

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Reply to
Ray O

I didn't make it...

ANd, uh, how's about posting that Teriyaki recipe?!?!?

Reply to
Hachiroku

There are 2 reasons why I can't.

1) The service manager swore me to secrecy and said that his ex-wife would come after me if it became known that I leaked the secret; 2) My wife lost the recipe card so we haven't been able to enjoy it either!
Reply to
Ray O

That sounds like reason enough to have a Road Trip....

Reply to
Scott in Florida

Yup, next time we go to Maine, we'll have to do a little side trip, after I find out where that service manager ended up. In my experience, they tend to go from one Toyota dealer to another. My wife is not very patient when I wander into the shop and start poking my head under the hoods and start telling war stories about crazy customers, but at least I can say "honey, if you didn't lose that recipe, we wouldn't be making this stop... (after I make sure I've disabled whatever it is we're driving so she doesn't drive off without me)."

Reply to
Ray O

A check of your life insurance might be in order, too....

Reply to
Scott in Florida

yeah, that too!

Reply to
Ray O

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