John William Finn John William Finn ( 23 July 1909 – 27 May 2010 ) was a sailor in the United States Navy who , as a chief petty officer , received the United States military ' s highest decoration , the Medal of Honor , for his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II . As a chief aviation ordnanceman stationed at Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay , he earned the medal by manning a machine gun from an exposed position throughout the attack , despite being repeatedly wounded . He continued to serve in the Navy and in 1942 was commissioned an ensign . In 1947 he was reverted to chief petty officer , eventually rising to lieutenant before his 1956 retirement . In his later years he made many appearances at events celebrating veterans . At the time of his death , Finn was the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient and the last living recipient from the attack on Pearl Harbor . Early life . Born on 23 July 1909 , in Compton , California , Finn dropped out of school after the seventh grade . He enlisted in the Navy in July 1926 , shortly before his seventeenth birthday , and completed recruit training in San Diego . After a brief stint with a ceremonial guard company , he attended General Aviation Utilities Training at Naval Station Great Lakes , graduating in December . By April 1927 he was back in the San Diego area , having been assigned to Naval Air Station North Island . He initially worked in aircraft repair before becoming an aviation ordnanceman and working on anti - aircraft guns . He then served on a series of ships : the , the , the , the , and the . After being promoted to chief petty officer around 1936 , he served with patrol squadron s in San Diego , Washington , and Panama . Attack on Pearl Harbor . By December 1941 , Finn was stationed at Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu in Hawaii . As a chief aviation ordnanceman , he was in charge of twenty men whose primary task was to maintain the weapons of a PBY Catalina flying boat squadron . On the morning of 7 December 1941 , Finn was at his home , about a mile from the aircraft hangars , when he heard the sound of gunfire . Finn recalled how a neighbor was the first to alert him , when she knocked on his door saying , " They want you down at the squadron right away ! " He drove to the hangars , catching sight of Japanese planes in the sky on the way , and found that the airbase was being attacked , with most of the PBYs already on fire . Finn ' s men were trying to fight back by using the machine guns mounted in the PBYs , either by firing from inside the flaming planes or by detaching the guns and mounting them on improvised stands . Finn later explained that one of the first things he did was take control of a machine gun from his squadron ' s painter . " I said , ' Alex , let me take that gun ' . . . knew that I had more experience firing a machine gun than a painter . " Finding a movable tripod platform used for gunnery training , Finn attached the . 50 caliber machine gun and pushed the platform into an open area , from which he had a clear view of the attacking aircraft . He fired on the Japanese planes for the next two hours , even after being seriously wounded , until the attack had ended . In total , he received 21 distinct wounds , including a bullet through his right foot and an injury to his left shoulder , which caused him to lose feeling in his left arm . " I got that gun and I started shooting at Jap planes , " Finn said in a 2009 interview . " I was out there shooting the Jap planes and just every so often I was a target for some , " he said , " In some cases , I could see their [ the Japanese pilots ' ] faces . " Despite his wounds , Finn returned to the hangars later that day . After receiving medical treatment , he helped arm the surviving American planes . His actions earned him the first Medal of Honor to be awarded in World War II . He was formally presented with the decoration on 14 September 1942 , by Admiral Chester Nimitz , for courage and valor beyond the call of duty . The ceremony took place in Pearl Harbor on board the . In 1942 Finn was commissioned , and served as a Limited Duty Officer with the rank of ensign . In 1947 he was reverted to his enlisted rank of chief petty officer , eventually becoming a lieutenant with Bombing Squadron VB - 102 and aboard the . He retired from the Navy as a lieutenant in September 1956 . Later life and legacy . From 1956 until shortly before his death , Finn resided on a ranch in Live Oak Springs , near Pine Valley , California . He and his wife became foster parents to five Native American children , causing him to be embraced by the Campo Band of Diegueño Mission Indians , a tribe of Kumeyaay people in San Diego . His wife , Alice Finn , died in 1998 . John Finn was a member of the John Birch Society . In his retirement he made many appearances at events honoring veterans . On 25 March 2009 , he attended National Medal of Honor Day ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery . With the aid of walking sticks , he stood beside U . S . President Barack Obama during a wreath - laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier . Later that day , Finn was a guest at the White House . It was his first visit to the White House , and his first time meeting a sitting President . In celebration of Finn ' s 100th birthday , The Association of Aviation Ordnancemen presented him with an American flag which had flown on each of the 11 aircraft carriers then in active service . When called a hero during a 2009 interview Finn responded : Finn died at age 100 on the morning of 27 May 2010 , at the Chula Vista Veterans Home . He was buried besides his wife at the Campo Indian Reservation ' s cemetery , after a memorial service in El Cajon . He was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the attack on Pearl Harbor , the oldest living recipient , and the only aviation ordnanceman to have ever received the medal . Upon his death , fellow World War II veteran Barney F . Hajiro became the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient . The headquarters building for Commander , Patrol and Reconnaissance Force , United States Pacific Fleet at Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe was named in Finn ' s honor , and in 2009 a boat used to bring visitors to the USS " Arizona " Memorial was also named after him . Three buildings in the former Naval Training Center San Diego were named the John and Alice Finn Office Plaza . On 15 February 2012 , the U . S . Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced that an would be named the in his honor . Awards and decorations . Finn received the following awards and decorations :