Steve Ewing - Fateful Rendezvous: The Life of Butch OHara

Butch, 1943 (USN)

Steve Ewing
and
John B. Lundstrom

BLUEJACKET BOOKS

Naval Institute Press
Annapolis, Maryland

This book has been brought to publication by the generous assistance of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest.

Naval Institute Press

291 Wood Road

Annapolis, MD 21402

1997 by Steve Ewing, John B. Lundstrom, and the OHare Family Trust

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First Bluejacket Books printing, 2004

ISBN 978-1-61251-221-1

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows: Ewing, Steve.

Fateful rendezvous: the life of Butch OHare / Steve Ewing and John B. Lundstrom.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. OHare, Edward Henry, 1914-1943. 2. World War, 1939-1945-Aerial operations, American. 3. World War, 1939-1945-Campaigns-Pacific Area. 4. World War, 1939-1945-Naval operations, American. 5. United States. Navy-Biography. 6. Fighter pilots-United States-Biography. I. Lundstrom, John B. II. Title.

D790.E95 1997

940.5426092-dc21

[B]

96-49823

Dedicated to the memory of Marilyn OHare Platt,
19241996

Maps

Diagrams

Two aspects of American historyAl Capones downfall, and the training that has made U.S. naval aviators arguably the best pilots in the worldhave in recent years each been the subject of a popular Hollywood motion picture. In these movies the two subjects were not connected, and while The Untouchables and Top Gun were both very well produced, both were fictional accounts. Many Americans would be astonished, and probably disappointed, to learn that Eliot Ness had nothing to do with Capones actually going to prison. And Top Gun actor Tom Cruise is better known to contemporary Americans than any naval aviator past or present, with the exception of former president George Bush.

For those interested more in reality than fiction, the subjects of Al Capones fall from power and naval aviation were indeed connected in American history. In the following pages the true story is presentedfor the first time with OHare family participationof the father who played a critical role in helping bring Capone to justice and the naval aviator son who became the original Top Gun.

No matter how exciting a research project may be, the exhilaration is greatly magnified when shared with a close friend with similar interests. Accepting my invitation to join in this first in-depth study of the life of Lt. Comdr. Edward H. Butch OHare, John Lundstrom brought considerable research experience and expertise to the presentation of Butchs Medal of Honor battle and the development of the first carrier night interception. Throughout, Johnand his wife, Sandydemonstrated an intrinsic interest in the portions of the story that were my responsibility, thereby making the book an especially meaningful collaboration.

In this same spirit of sharing, several veterans who served with Butch offered their remembrances to help me come to know and understand Butch as a pilot and as a leader. Particularly helpful were Rear Adm. Edward L. Feightner, Rear Adm. James W. Condit, Capt. Allie W. Callan, Capt. Roy M. Voris, Comdr. Sy E. Mendenhall, Comdr. Alexander Vraciu, Comdr. Claude L. Dickerson, Comdr. Richard Best, the late Comdr. Wilhelm G. Esders, Adm. Noel A. M. Gayler, Wilton Decker, Joe D. Robbins, R. L. Loesch, Donald W. Steadman, John P. Stann, Robert S. Merritt, Baynard Webster, Herman Backlund (author of Setting the Record Straight about OHare the Hero), Clyde E. Baur, ACMM, and Mark A. Hardisty, Jr., AOM 1/C. For helping me better understand the period in which Butch lived I wish to acknowledge the contributions of Rear Adm. Robert E. Riera, Vice Adm. Charles S. Minter, Capt. James Cain, Capt. John Lacouture, Comdr. Donald Lovelace, Jr., Comdr. Larry Fulton, Lt. Comdr. James Sutherland, Robert E. St. Peters, Earl K. Dillie, David Lister, Laura Stewart, Arnold Olson, R. W. Gregory, Charles Jackson, and Mrs. G. C. Bullard.

While many already noted assisted with details helping me to understand Butchs personality, and personality development, primary acknowledgment must go to his sister, Mrs. Patricia OHare Palmer, and two of his Naval Academy classmates, Capt. Richard Philip Nicholson and Capt. Charles F. Putman. Throughout the project Butchs daughter, Mrs. Kathleen OHare Lytle Nye, provided heartfelt encouragement along with family papers. For help in researching the life and personality of Butchs father, Edgar J. (EJ) OHare, I am again indebted to Mrs. Palmer and especially to Butchs late sister, Mrs. Marilyn OHare Piatt, who provided all of EJ OHares surviving papers. Also, Mrs. Judy Foster served as an archival pathfinder for me both in St. Louis and in Chicago. Other contributions were rendered by Alban Weber and Tom Lowry.

Always helpful to students of naval aviation history are those friends and fellow historians who freely forward information when they learn that a special project is under way. Portions of the OHare story would not appear herein had it not been for the support and contributions of Dr. Clark G. Reynolds, Barrett Tillman, Robert J. Cressman, Capt. E. Earle Rogers II, Capt. Steve Millikin, and Capt. Rosario M. Zip Rausa. Hill Goodspeed was especially helpful with Butchs flight training records, final log book, and papers from the National Museum of Naval Aviations collection of papers from the family of Adm. John Jimmy Thach.

Special encouragement and assistance were needed throughout the latter stages of this project and were provided by Mark Gatlin, senior acquisitions editor of the Naval Institute Press, and by Edward F. Lowry, Jr. Dr. Mary V. Yates proved to be the perfect editor for this study, translating my Southern into English and offering clear perspectives on matters I could not see for being too close to the story.

Support was generously offered by the Patriots Point Museum family, including Lt. Comdr. Charles G. Waldrop, Rear Adm. James H. Flatley III, Comdr. James Blandford, Ms. Bonnie Collins, and Ms. Eleanor Wimett. All seemed to know exactly when to offer help and when to leave me alone with my thoughts. And finally, appreciation is conveyed to all members of the OHare family for making me feel as one of their own, for allowing unrestricted access to their papers, and for giving me the freedom to tell this story.

This book could not have been written without the generous assistance of two groups of individuals. The first consists of those privileged to have known Butch OHare personally and who have offered precious reminiscences of him. The second includes persons knowledgeable in naval aviation history who have provided key documentary sources that cast much new light on Butchs life.