I originally posted the following on December 31, 2006 here: https://www.blogster.com/whereabouts/great-chicago-stories
 
STORY NUMBER ONE

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned
Chicago. Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for
enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and
prostitution to murder. Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "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 show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was
the money big, but also Eddie got special dividends. For instance, he
and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of
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 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 saw to it that his young son had the best of
everything: clothes, cars 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 couldn't give his son; he couldn't
pass on a good name and a good example. One day,

Easy Eddie
reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs 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
son 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 would
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 just when the hands will stop
At late or early 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

World
War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant 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. 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,
he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet. As he was
returning to the mother ship he saw something that turned his blood
cold, a squadron of Japanese aircraft were speeding their way toward the
American fleet. The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the
fleet was 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. He must somehow
divert them from the fleet. Laying aside all thoughts of personal
safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50
caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy 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 a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy
planes as possible and rendering them unfit to fly. Finally, the
exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.
Deeply
relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the
carrier. Upon arrival he reported in 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 Butch's daring attempt to protect his
fleet. He had in fact destroyed five enemy aircraft..

This took
place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy's
first Ace of W.W.II, 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.

His home town would not allow the memory
of this WW II hero to fade, and 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 visiting
Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's
located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?


Butch O'Hare was Easy Eddie's son.
*****************
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_O%27Hare