The aviator whose name graces a gateway to the Midwest

Countries & Cities · Published 14 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Before he became a household name for a major Chicago airport, Edward O'Hare was a naval aviator who redefined aerial combat. He became the U.S. Navy's first flying ace of World War II by taking on a formation of bombers alone, earning a legacy of valor that outlived his final flight.

Edward O'Hare's path to heroism was marked by complex family ties to the underworld. His father, an attorney, was initially involved with the notorious gangster Al Capone through the greyhound-racing business. However, the elder O'Hare eventually turned against Capone, providing crucial testimony for his tax evasion trial. While some historians suggest this move was a calculated effort to secure a spot for Edward at the United States Naval Academy, the elder O'Hare was ultimately shot and killed in November 1939, likely by Capone's gunmen.

O'Hare's military career was far from a linear ascent to glory. He graduated 255th in a class of 323 at the Naval Academy in 1937, an undistinguished ranking for a future hero. He spent two years on the battleship USS New Mexico before beginning flight training in 1939. It wasn't until 1942, while flying a Grumman F4F Wildcat on the USS Lexington, that he achieved national fame. Facing eight Japanese bombers alone after his wingman's guns jammed, he shot down five and damaged a sixth, becoming the first U.S. air ace of the war.

His final contribution to naval aviation occurred on November 26, 1943. O'Hare vanished whilst commanding the initial nocturnal carrier-based fighter strike of the Navy against Japanese torpedo bombers. He was officially declared dead in 1944. In 1949, the Orchard Field Airport near Chicago was renamed O'Hare International Airport in his honor, cementing his status as a symbol of American courage.

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O'Hare was the first U.S. Navy flying ace of World War II. He shot down five aircraft and damaged a sixth on February 20, 1942, while facing eight bombers alone.

His father provided incriminating evidence that helped convict Al Capone of tax evasion. O'Hare disappeared during the Navy's first nighttime fighter plane launch from an aircraft carrier on November 26, 1943. The airport in Chicago was renamed in his honor in 1949.

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