O'Hare International Airport is named for Lt. Cmdr. Edward "Butch" O'Hare, a World War II fighter pilot from Chicago known as one of the greatest heroes in naval history. O'Hare's incredible courage and effective leadership inspired Col. Robert H. McCormick, publisher of the Chicago Tribune, to lead the charge to rename the Chicago-area airport (formerly named Orchard Field) in O'Hare's honor in 1949.

O'Hare's Story of Bravery
On February 20, 1942, the U.S.S. Lexington was approximately 400 miles from its destination of Rabaul Harbor in the Solomon Islands when the aircraft carrier was spotted by enemy patrols. Lt. O'Hare and another pilot picked up the formation of enemy fighters closing in on the Lexington and immediately ordered an attack. Within moments, his wingman's guns jammed, and without assistance, O'Hare carried out a swift and decisive strike on the enemy fighters, saving the U.S.S. Lexington and his fellow pilots.

For his inspiring leadership and gallant fighting spirit, O'Hare received the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor. President Franklin D. Roosevelt called the mission that saved the Lexington, "one of the most daring, if not the most daring, single action in the history of combat aviation."

For his heroic actions in battles near Marcus Island on August 31, 1943
and near Wake Island on October 5, 1943, O'Hare was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Gold Star, some of the Navy's highest honors.

Just one month later, in November 1943, O'Hare volunteered to lead his squadron on a daring mission to conduct the first-ever Navy nighttime fighter attack from an aircraft carrier. After receiving the go-ahead from his Admiral, O'Hare led the first fighter section to intercept a large force of enemy torpedo bombers, but his plane was lost in enemy action and never found. He was just 29 years old. On November 27, 1944, Butch O'Hare was declared dead. The U.S. Navy recognized his unparalleled bravery with the Navy Cross award. He is also listed in the Navy Memorial Foundation.

The Butch O'Hare Airplane
In his Congressional Medal of Honor winning flight to save the U.S.S. Lexington, Butch O'Hare flew an F4F-3 Wildcat. The Wildcat was an extremely basic flying machine - it had hand-cranked landing gear made primarily of bicycle chains and sprockets, manually-charged guns, vacuum-powered wing flaps, a simple electrical system, and no hydraulics. Despite its simple design, it was a tough plane with a high degree of pilot survivability in crashes. The Wildcat earned for the Grumman Aircraft Factory, where it was built, the nickname "The Iron Works."

An original F4F-3 Wildcat was recovered from Lake Michigan by the United States Navy and donated to the Air Classics Museum. The plane was restored to replicate the one flown by Butch O'Hare. Sponsored by the City of Chicago and McDonald's Corporation, the recovered F4F-3 Wildcat is exhibited in Terminal Two at the West end of the ticketing lobby to honor the extraordinarily heroic feats of O'Hare International Airport's namesake.