Easy Eddie was a lawyer. He became the mob lawyer in Chicago, particular the lawyer of AL Capone, because Capone selected him, and he wasn't in a position to say know. With being the lawyer for the mob came family consequences. Eddie would lose his family and his kids, except in the case of his son, the younger Eddie, he decided he could make a difference. The younger Eddie had started mixing with the wrong crowd, missing school, and show signs he was headed for trouble. Fast die intervened by sending his son to military school. It actually worked.
Easy Eddie was eventually approached by the government, and he knew they had him. However they wanted Capone, so made a deal. Part of the deal was they would get his son an appointment to Naval Academy. Easy Eddie wasn't sure they could do this, but he knew they could keep him out. Fast Eddie turned, and was a major witness against Capone when he went to prison. With that action, he was also a man marked for death.
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| Easy Eddie |
Task Force 11 was on its way to attack Rabaul in the Pacific and were deep in enemy waters when they were discovered by the Japanese. All the fighters scrambled, and chased the incoming planes, keeping them at bay. Eddie Jr. and his buddy were the last planes launched. They were headed skyward when the noticed a group of Japanese bombers, who were approaching the convoy untouched with no one to stop them. The other fighters had all chased the earlier bombing raids. Perhaps this was the plan all along. Eddie's buddy's guns wouldn't fire. This left only Eddie. He was a good pilot, and a good shot. He had to fire in short bursts, but he took the Japanese by surprise his first run, and subsequent runs his aim was very good. When his guns finally ran out of ammunition, he was prepared to ram the few planes still remaining. However he didn't have to as other fighters joined the fight, and the planes skedaddled leaving their bombs well short. Edward Butch saved many lives and important naval vessels that day.
Easy Eddie met his end, a victim of murder as a result of his life of crime and testifying against Capone. His son however was proclaimed a hero. He received the first medal of honor awarded to a Navy man in WWII. He could have gone on a hero's tour and stayed out of the fighting, but he insisted on returning to his men. He was shot down a few months later.
Some years later, the Chicago airport was named in his honor, and so also named for his father. O'Hare Airport carries the name of Easy Eddie.
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| Edward Butch O'Hare |
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