Seaman Second Class Florence Ebersole Finch, A Coast Guardsman's Story
Seaman Second Class Florence Ebersole Finch, A Coast Guardsman's Story
Seaman Second Class Florence Ebersole Finch was born on October 11, 1915, in Santiago, Philippines, to an American father and a Filipino mother. Before World War II, she worked in G-2 military intelligence, a position that gave her insight into regional operations and would later inform her resistance work.
She married a U.S. Navy sailor, Charles Smith, who was killed during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. After his death and during the subsequent occupation, Finch deliberately concealed her mixed heritage, a dangerous necessity under Japanese rule, and secured employment with the Philippine Liquid Fuel Company, an enterprise controlled by occupying forces.
Beginning in June 1942, Finch used her position to support the Philippine resistance. Over more than two years, she covertly obtained supplies, passed information, assisted in sabotage efforts, and smuggled food and medicine to Allied prisoners of war, often at enormous personal risk.
In October 1944, she was discovered and arrested by Japanese authorities. During her imprisonment, Finch was subjected to severe torture, starvation, and confinement, often held in a small box for extended periods. When the Philippines were liberated in February 1945, she weighed only 80 pounds, but she had survived.
Following the war, Finch relocated to Buffalo, New York, where she formally enlisted in the United States Coast Guard and served until 1946. For her extraordinary wartime service, she was awarded the Medal of Freedom and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon, becoming the first woman to receive that honor.
Seaman Second Class Florence Ebersole Finch died on December 8, 2016. She is laid to rest at Pleasant Grove Cemetery. Her life stands as a testament to resilience, resistance, and the quiet strength required to endure and survive war.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
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