John Finn dies at 100; oldest surviving Medal of Honor recipient

John Finn dies at 100; oldest surviving Medal of Honor recipient



that plunged the United States into

World War II

, died Thursday at the Veterans Home of



Chula Vista


At 100, Finn was the oldest surviving recipient of the nation's highest medal for valor and the only recipient still alive among those who received the medal for actions during the attack of Dec. 7, 1941.


San Diego County



Medal of Honor recipients

— including at the

White House

, where he was greeted by President Obama — Finn routinely declined to accept the accolade of hero.



Rousted from bed by the explosions that chaotic morning in Hawaii, Finn immediately manned a machine gun and began firing at the Japanese attack planes that swooped low over the naval air station at Kaneohe Bay on their way to their primary target, the U.S. planes and ships at

Pearl Harbor


"I loved the Navy," he often told reporters, "and that day I was just furious because the Japanese caught us napping and made us pay for it."

Wounded numerous times by bullets and shrapnel, Finn refused to be evacuated. His leadership and courage gave heart to dazed sailors to begin fighting back against the new enemy.

Born July 23, 1909, in

Los Angeles

, John William Finn attended high school in


and enlisted in the Navy at age 17. Before being stationed at Kaneohe Bay, Finn had served in the Philippines, the Panama Canal Zone and China and aboard ships in the north Atlantic.

At Kaneohe Bay, he was a chief petty officer and an aviation ordnance chief assigned to maintain the weaponry on a PBY Catalina flying boat squadron.

When the attack began, Finn found a .50-caliber machine gun in the armory and mounted it on an instruction platform, which provided him with no protection. Despite his wounds, he kept firing and reloading for more than two hours.

"It was only by specific orders that he was persuaded to leave his post to seek medical attention," according to the


During the war, Finn served as an instructor and aboard several ships, including aircraft carriers. Promoted to the officer ranks, he left active duty in 1947 and joined the reserves. He retired in 1956 as a lieutenant.




U.S. Navy



Plans for a funeral are pending.