WW2 Pearl Harbor Fallen - Medal of Honor hero Francis Flaherty, USS Oklahoma

Medal of Honor hero Francis Flaherty served on the USS Oklahoma during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5783769/francis-charles-flaherty
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/324259241910804300/ 

Francis Charles Flaherty never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on March 15, 1919 in Charlotte, Michigan. His parents Francis and Gertrude were born in New York and Michigan, respectively. His paternal grandparents were from Ireland. His maternal grandfather was from Germany. His father worked as a grain dealer. Francis had an older brother, older sister and a younger sister. 

The 1930's census records show that Francis's father was a patient at the Kalamazoo State Hospital Michigan Asylum for the Insane. His wife took over his job and supported the family as a grain elevator manager. In June of 1932, Gertrude was also sent to a sanatorium. One month later her husband Francis committed suicide by hanging at the Kalamazoo asylum. Tragically, Gerturde was released from the sanatorium and then committed suicide by drowning three months after her husband.

Despite the difficult circumstances of losing both his parents at age 13, Francis completed high school and enrolled in the University of Michigan, graduating in 1940. He joined the Navy Reserve which led to him becoming an ensign assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma. Meanwhile his older brother John, who was already in the Navy, was in charge of the recruiting department for the Manhattan Project.

Oklahoma steamed from San Fransisco to Hawaii in October 1941. On the morning of December 7, 1941 Oklahoma was one of the first ship attacked by the Japanese bombers when three torpedoes struck the ship between 0756 and 0800. An inspection was scheduled for the next day so many of the watertight doors were opened to allow easy access for the crew getting ready for the inspection. It made the ship take on water much quicker than otherwise. 

As the ship began to rollover, instead of diving off and swimming clear, Ensign Flaherty headed for his duty station in one of the turrets. With electric power knocked out, the interior of the ship was totally dark. Ensign Flaherty found a flashlight and pointed it at the corridor exit and guided his men off the ship. Over a ten minute period the ship completely rolled over. While Ensign Flaherty's efforts saved the lives of many others, he stayed behind to shine his flashlight as long as possible to allow others to escape. For his actions he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

After the ship capsized, rescue efforts were able to save 32 men. Ensign Flaherty was not one of them. His remains were never identified. He was one of 415 men from Oklahoma killed in the Pearl Harbor attack.

Ensign Flaherty's Medal of Honor citation reads as follows:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Ensign Francis Charles Flaherty (NSN: 0-95690), United States Naval Reserve, for conspicuous devotion to duty and extraordinary courage and complete disregard of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. 

When it was seen that the U.S.S. OKLAHOMA (BB-37) was going to capsize and the order was given to abandon ship, Ensign Flaherty remained in a turret, holding a flashlight so the remainder of the turret crew could see to escape, thereby sacrificing his own life.

The destroyer escort USS Flaherty was commissioned in 1943 and named in his honor.

His cenotaph grave is at Maple Hill Cemetery in Charlotte, Michigan.

Thank you Ensign Flaherty for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Francis.

Last year on this date I profiled B-24 waist gunner Edward Yurka who became a prisoner of war who died in the Black March. You can read about Edward here.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

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WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

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