Hi
Randy, please publish this story to the blog. It’s from Don S., one of our Friday morning volunteers:
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We all know ORD comes from the word ORCHARD an
Orchard Field was an aircraft manufacturing plant at the end of Orchard
road in Chicago - BUT do you know where the OHARE comes from?
Read on. It is interesting.
EASY EDDIE and AL CAPONE STORY NUMBER ONE…
Many years ago Al Capone virtually owned Chicago.
Capone wasn’t known for anything heroic. He was notorious for
involving the windy city in everything from bootlegging booze and
prostitution to murder.
Capone had a lawyer nicknamed “Easy Eddie”. He was
Capone’s lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good. In fact Eddie’s
skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time. To
show appreciation, Capone paid him very well.
Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends as well.
For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with
live-in help and all the conveniences of the day. The estate was so
large that it filled an entire Chicago city block. Eddie
lived the high life of the Chicago mob and paid little attention to the
atrocity that went on around him. Eddie did have one soft spot,
however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his
young son had clothes, cars and a good education. Nothing
was withheld and price was not an option. And despite his involvement
with organized crime, Eddie tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie
wanted his son to be a better man that he was.
Yet, with all his wealth and influence there were
two things he could not give his son; he could not pass on a good name
or a good example. One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. He
wanted to rectify the wrongs that he had done.
He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al
“Scarface Capone”, clean up his tarnished name and offer his some
semblance of integrity. To do this he would have to testify against “The
Mob” and he knew that the cost would be great.
So he testified.
Within the year, Easy Eddie’s life ended in a blaze
of gunfire on a lonely Chicago street. But in his eyes, he had given
his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he
could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets
a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a
magazine. The poem read:
“The clock of life is wound but once, and no man
has the power to tell when the hands will stop, at a late or earlier
hour. Now is the only time you own Live, love, toil with a will. Place
no faith in time. For the clock may soon be
still.”
STORY NUMBER TWO – OR AS PAUL HARVEY WOULD SAY: THE REST OF THE STORY
World War II produced many heroes. One such hero
was Lt. Commander Butch O’Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the
aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific. One day his entire
squadron was sent on a mission. (at this point there
is a difference in the telling of the story and I will relate it as
written by the unknown author of this article) After he was airborne, he
noted that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. He would not
have enough fuel to complete his mission and
get back to his shop. His Flight Leader told him to return to the
carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to his
shop.
As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw
something that turned his blood cold. A squadron of Japanese aircraft
was speeding toward the American fleet. The squadron was on a mission
and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn’t
reach his squadron and brick them back in time to save the fleet. Nor
could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one
thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet. Laying aside
all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into
formation of Japanese lanes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber’s blazed as he
charged in, attacking one plane and then another Butch wove in and out
of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible
until all his ammunition was finally spent. Undaunted,
he continued the assault. He dove at the planes trying to clip the
wings or tail in hopes of damaging them so they were unfit to fly.
Finally the exasperated Japanese planes took off in
another direction. Deeply relieved Butch O’Hare and his tattered
fighter limped back to the carrier.
Upon his arrival he reported in a related the
events surrounding his return and the gun cameras showed the extent of
Butch’s efforts to protect the fleet. He had in fact destroyed 5 enemy
aircraft. This took place on February 20, 1942 and
for the action, he became the Navy’s first Ace of WWII and the first
Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.
A year later, Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29.
SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?
BUTCH O’HARE WAS EASY EDDIE’S SON.
Special notes:
Orchard Depot was renamed O'Hare International in 1949
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