 December 7th, 1941, 75 years ago, the residents of Oahu, Hawaii began in their morning like they would any other day, surrounded by the Hawaiian beauty of the mountains, the beaches, the sea. Among them was Chief Aviation Ordinanceman John Finn, a sailor stationed at Naval Air Station Kanoe Bay. Still in his nearby apartment with his wife that Sunday morning, Chief Finn heard the sound of machine gun fire outside his window, followed by the sound of an aircraft flying past. A neighbor was the first to let him know he was wanted at the hangar, so he went, unaware of the war being waged outside his door. The Japanese had coordinated attack on U.S. forces throughout the island, and they were targeting the hangars and planes on Kanoe Bay, the first strike of the raid. Many of the planes had already been hit when Chief Finn arrived to the hangar, smoke billowing out of their burning cockpits as they sat neatly lined up along the hangar. Brushing through the smoke and the barrage of bullets, Chief Finn entered the armory and began passing out machine guns to those available in an attempt to ward off the Japanese forces overhead. He too joined the fight, manning a .50 caliber machine gun situated on a makeshift tripod, which he carried to an exposed area of the runway and began firing. Despite being peppered by shrapnel, there he remained for almost two hours. Suffering more than 20 wounds, Chief Finn refused to report to medical for his injuries. Barely able to walk, he continued to organize his men to lead them, to not back down. Chief Finn was one of the 15 individuals to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. He personified the Navy's core values of honor, courage, and commitment. The story of Chief Finn teaches me to trust myself, to trust that I can make a difference, that I make a difference. And when the call to action sounds, I will be ready, because my shipmates and my country need me to. My name is Seaman Bryan Speckarelli, an aviation ordnanceman, and I am proud to carry on the history and determination of Chief Aviation Ordnanceman John Finn.