[ see some corrections and observations at the bottom ]
During the course of World War II many people gained fame in one way or another. One man was Butch O’Hare, a fighter pilot assigned to an aircraft carrier in the Pacific.
One time Butch and his entire squadron were assigned to fly a particular mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. Because of this, he would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship. His flight leader told him to leave formation and return to the carrier.
As he was returning to the mother ship, he could see a squadron of Japanese bombers[*] heading toward the fleet to attack. And with all the fighter planes gone, the fleet was almost defenseless. His was the only opportunity to distract and divert them. Single-handedly, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes and attacked them. The American fighter planes were rigged with cameras, so that as they flew and fought, pictures were taken so that the pilots could learn more about the terrain, enemy maneuvers, etc.
Butch dove at them and shot until all his ammunition was gone, then he would dive and try to clip off a wing or tail or anything that would make the enemy planes unfit to fly. He did anything he could to keep them from reaching the American ships. Finally, the Japanese squadron took off in another direction, and Butch O’Hare and his fighter, both badly shot up, limped back to the carrier.
He told his story, but not until the film from the camera on his plane was developed, did they realize the extent he really went to, to protect his fleet. He was recognized as a hero and given one of the nation’s highest military honors. And, as you may know, O’Hare Airport in Chicago was named after him.
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Prior to this time, in Chicago, there was a man called Easy Eddie. He was working for a man you’ve all heard about, Al Capone. Al Capone wasn’t famous for anything heroic, but he was notorious for the murders he’d committed and the illegal things he’d done.
Easy Eddie was Al Capone’s lawyer and he was very good. In fact, because of his skill, he was able to keep Al Capone out of jail. To show his appreciation, Al Capone paid him very well. He not only earned big money, he would get extra things, like a residence that filled an entire Chicago city block. The house was fenced, he had live-in help, and all of the conveniences of the day.
Easy Eddie had a son. He loved his son and gave him all the best things while he was growing up: clothes, cars, and a good education. And, because he loved his son he tried to teach him right from wrong. But one thing he couldn’t give his son was a good name, and a good example. Easy Eddie decided that this was much more important than all the riches he had given him. So, he went to the authorities in order to rectify the wrong he had done.
In order to tell the truth, it meant he must testify against Al Capone, and he knew that Al Capone would do his best to have him killed. But he wanted most of all to try to be an example, and to do the best he could to give back to his son a good name. So, Eddie, working with the IRS, testified. As a result Al Capone was sentenced to eleven years in Alcatraz in San Francisco for tax evasion.
Within the year, Easy Eddie was shot and killed on a lonely street in Chicago.
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These sound like two unrelated stories, but Easy Eddie’s son was Butch O’Hare. It is not by words alone that we teach – but by example!
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[*] The original says “Zeroes” but they were twin-engine bombers and Zeroes had a single engine.
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Another by Steven D. Mathewson of Helena, Montana, in LEADERSHIP, Winter 1991, page 48, though it does have some factual problems [see note at end]:
Paul Harvey tells a story about Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry “Butch” O’Hare, a Navy ace [**] in the Second World War and the first naval aviator ever to win the Congressional Medal Of Honor. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is named for him.
What Butch O’Hare became, however, was made possible because someone else paid a great price. That someone else was Butch’s father, Edward J. O’Hare, a slick lawyer for the gangster Al Capone. “Artful Eddie,” as he was known, had money and power, but one day he squealed on Capone. The reason for this sudden change of heart? He wanted to give his son a break, he said. Before long, the mob silenced Artful Eddie with two shotgun blasts.
But because of Eddie’s courageous change of heart, his son Butch was accepted at Annapolis: Eddie’s confession and subsequent death satisfied admissions people that the family’s mob connections were severed. Artful Eddie paid with his own life for his son’s chance to make good, something that Jesus Christ did for each of us on the Cross.
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[**] The original illustration said he was the Navy’s highest ace but this wasn’t true. O’Hare had 7 kills, while David McCampbell had 34.
A bigger problem with the illustration is the timing. According to a well-researched website, O’Hare graduated from Annapolis BEFORE his father was murdered, so his father’s change of heart would not have influenced his son’s admission there < http://www.acepilots.com/usn_ohare.html >. And the father’s motivation in turning evidence against Capone was more likely to save his own skin rather than providing a lesson in integrity to his son < https://www.snopes.com/glurge/ohare.asp >.