November 25, 2024 • 7 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, the unlikely story of redemption and bravery behind two Chicago legends: Al Capone's lawyer "Easy" Eddie and O'Hare Airport's namesake, WWII Ace pilot-hero, Butch O'Hare.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib and this is our American stories.
In today's story, it comes to us from a great
friend of the show, Bob Crother, bringing us an illustrious
American tale that begins with the Chicago Mob in the
nineteen twenties and ends with a heroic feet by a
man who was born in nineteen fourteen.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Take it away, Bob, Let me tell you two stories
about two men who come from my town. Chicago. Story
number one. Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago.
Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for
(00:49):
enmeshing the Windy City and everything from bootleg booze and
prostitution to murder. Capone had a lawyer named Easy Eddie.
He was his 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
(01:10):
show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only
was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends. For instance,
he and his family occupied a fenced in mansion with
living help and all the conveniences of the day. The
estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago
(01:30):
City Block. Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago
Mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went
on around him. Eddie did have one soft spot, however,
he had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie sought
to it that his young son had the best of everything, clothes, cars,
(01:52):
and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object,
and despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried
to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son
to be a better man than he was. Yet with
all his wealth and influence, there were two things he
(02:12):
couldn't give his son that he couldn't pass on, a
good name and a good example. One day, Easy Eddie
reached a difficult decision. He decided he'd go to the
authorities and tell the truth about Al Scarface Capone. Some
say he did it to save himself. Others believe it
was to clean up his turnished name and offer his
(02:35):
son some semblance of integrity. Maybe it was both. He
testified against the mob, and he knew that the cost
could be great. Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended
in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street.
But he may have given his son the greatest gift
(02:55):
he could offer, at the greatest price he would ever pay.
Story number two. World War II produced many heroes. One
such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Haire. He was a
fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the
(03:18):
South Pacific. One day, his entire squadron was sent on
a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his
fuel gauge and realized 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 ship.
His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly,
(03:41):
he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.
He was returning to the mothership when he saw something
that turned his blood cold. A squadron of Japanese aircraft
was speeding their way toward the American fleet. The American
fighters were gone on as he and the fleet was
(04:01):
all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring
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. We must somehow divert them
from the fleet. Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety,
he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing mounted
(04:25):
fifty calibers blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprise
enemy plane and then another. Bush wrote in and out
of the now broken formation and fired at as many
planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent. Ungaunted,
he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying
to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging
(04:48):
as many enemy planes as possible and rendering them unfit
to fly. Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in
another direction. He relieved Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter
limped back to the carrier. Upon arrival, he reported in
(05:11):
and related the event surrounding his return. The film from
the gun camera mounted on his plane told the tale.
It showed the extent of Butcher's daring attempt to protect
his fleet. He had, in fact destroyed five enemy aircraft.
This took place on February twentieth, nineteen forty two, and
(05:35):
for that action, Butch became the Navy's first ace of
World War Two and the first naval aviator to win
the Congressional Medal of.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Honor for heroism and extraordinary achievement in area light or
distinguished service as pilot of an airplane of a bombing squad.
His courageous actions were in keeping with o Higher's tradition.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
A year later, Butch was killed in aerial combat at
the age of twenty nine. His hometown would not allow
the memory of this World War II hero to fade.
Today O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to
the courage of this great man. So the next time
you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to
(06:25):
visiting Butcher's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor.
It's located between terminals one and two. So what the
hell do these two stories have to do with each other?
Butch O'Hare was easy Eddie's.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Son, And a special thanks to Bob brother for giving
us that story in sharing it. And if you've got
stories like that, send them our way. And by the way,
what is a reputation worth? And to have all that
wealth and have all that privilege and to have nothing
to show for it, and if anything, really awful things
(07:04):
to show for it, and what a sacrifice the dad made.
Did he do it for honor, did he do it
for other reasons? Who knows, But let's just err on
the side of possibly the honor and doing the right
thing for his family. Put Sho'har's story here on Our
American Stories. This is Lee Habib, host of Our American Stories,
(07:31):
the show where America is the star and the American people,
and we do it all from the heart of the
South Oxford, Mississippi. But we truly can't do this show
without you. Our shows will always be free to listen to,
but they're not free to make. If you love what
you hear, consider making a tax deductible donation to Our
American Stories. Go to our American Stories dot com. Give
(07:53):
a little, give a lot. That's our American Stories dot com.
This is Lee Habib and this is our American stories.
In today's story, it comes to us from a great
friend of the show, Bob Crother, bringing us an illustrious
American tale that begins with the Chicago Mob in the
nineteen twenties and ends with a heroic feet by a
man who was born in nineteen fourteen.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Take it away, Bob, Let me tell you two stories
about two men who come from my town. Chicago. Story
number one. Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago.
Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for
(00:49):
enmeshing the Windy City and everything from bootleg booze and
prostitution to murder. Capone had a lawyer named Easy Eddie.
He was his 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
(01:10):
show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only
was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends. For instance,
he and his family occupied a fenced in mansion with
living help and all the conveniences of the day. The
estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago
(01:30):
City Block. Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago
Mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went
on around him. Eddie did have one soft spot, however,
he had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie sought
to it that his young son had the best of everything, clothes, cars,
(01:52):
and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object,
and despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried
to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son
to be a better man than he was. Yet with
all his wealth and influence, there were two things he
(02:12):
couldn't give his son that he couldn't pass on, a
good name and a good example. One day, Easy Eddie
reached a difficult decision. He decided he'd go to the
authorities and tell the truth about Al Scarface Capone. Some
say he did it to save himself. Others believe it
was to clean up his turnished name and offer his
(02:35):
son some semblance of integrity. Maybe it was both. He
testified against the mob, and he knew that the cost
could be great. Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended
in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street.
But he may have given his son the greatest gift
(02:55):
he could offer, at the greatest price he would ever pay.
Story number two. World War II produced many heroes. One
such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Haire. He was a
fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the
(03:18):
South Pacific. One day, his entire squadron was sent on
a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his
fuel gauge and realized 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 ship.
His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly,
(03:41):
he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.
He was returning to the mothership when he saw something
that turned his blood cold. A squadron of Japanese aircraft
was speeding their way toward the American fleet. The American
fighters were gone on as he and the fleet was
(04:01):
all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring
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. We must somehow divert them
from the fleet. Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety,
he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing mounted
(04:25):
fifty calibers blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprise
enemy plane and then another. Bush wrote in and out
of the now broken formation and fired at as many
planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent. Ungaunted,
he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying
to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging
(04:48):
as many enemy planes as possible and rendering them unfit
to fly. Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in
another direction. He relieved Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter
limped back to the carrier. Upon arrival, he reported in
(05:11):
and related the event surrounding his return. The film from
the gun camera mounted on his plane told the tale.
It showed the extent of Butcher's daring attempt to protect
his fleet. He had, in fact destroyed five enemy aircraft.
This took place on February twentieth, nineteen forty two, and
(05:35):
for that action, Butch became the Navy's first ace of
World War Two and the first naval aviator to win
the Congressional Medal of.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Honor for heroism and extraordinary achievement in area light or
distinguished service as pilot of an airplane of a bombing squad.
His courageous actions were in keeping with o Higher's tradition.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
A year later, Butch was killed in aerial combat at
the age of twenty nine. His hometown would not allow
the memory of this World War II hero to fade.
Today O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to
the courage of this great man. So the next time
you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to
(06:25):
visiting Butcher's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor.
It's located between terminals one and two. So what the
hell do these two stories have to do with each other?
Butch O'Hare was easy Eddie's.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Son, And a special thanks to Bob brother for giving
us that story in sharing it. And if you've got
stories like that, send them our way. And by the way,
what is a reputation worth? And to have all that
wealth and have all that privilege and to have nothing
to show for it, and if anything, really awful things
(07:04):
to show for it, and what a sacrifice the dad made.
Did he do it for honor, did he do it
for other reasons? Who knows, But let's just err on
the side of possibly the honor and doing the right
thing for his family. Put Sho'har's story here on Our
American Stories. This is Lee Habib, host of Our American Stories,
(07:31):
the show where America is the star and the American people,
and we do it all from the heart of the
South Oxford, Mississippi. But we truly can't do this show
without you. Our shows will always be free to listen to,
but they're not free to make. If you love what
you hear, consider making a tax deductible donation to Our
American Stories. Go to our American Stories dot com. Give
(07:53):
a little, give a lot. That's our American Stories dot com.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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