Harold L. Finch lived an unequaled life filled with lasting achievements. But what made him great was what he was like in private.
Sincere. Humble. Childlike Heart.
Freedom:
“Dad was a veteran who was always the first in a room rise to salute the flag or to honor other veterans. He teared up a bit whenever the National Anthem was played. He was proud to be an American and believed that this country was created by God to be a light to the rest of the world.” - Susan (Finch) Ruiz
Finch served his country honorably not only as the Air Force intelligence officer described on our Homepage links, but also in civil service and private life. An important moment happened in Finch’s boyhood when, one day during World War II, he was playing in the backyard with his big brother Gordon. Suddenly, an American fighter plane roared low over their house headed in the direction of the local airport. They’d seen American aircraft in the black-and-white newsreels that local movie houses played before the main feature began. They even built homemade airplane models. But this was the first time either had ever seen a real P-51 with their own eyes. Wasting no time, the brothers hopped on their bikes and rode hard and fast toward the airport. Once they arrived, they encountered not one, but two, war planes (and their flight crews) up close and personal on the tarmac. It was a seminal, patriotic moment in Finch’s life that neither brother could ever forget.
After that, both brothers aspired to become military pilots. Unfortunately, Gordon was instead assigned to serve as an Army paymaster and Harold’s vision proved to not be good enough. Long after their respective honorable discharges, the brothers always hung the flag on the front of their homes on patriotic holidays. Both honored their fellow veterans in their own ways. For example, Harold was known to anonymously pay the tip for active-duty military personnel he saw in restaurants. Both brothers cherished freedom dearly and took advantage of every opportunity that the nation of their birth afforded them. They believed in the free enterprise system and were blessed to put it into practice. Both achieved financial security and were known for their servants’ hearts.
Believing that you can’t take it with you, Harold and wife Peggy spent the last years of their lives trying to give most of their money away to worthy faith-based causes so that others could be blessed. Finch’s training company adopted a hybrid of the Napoleon Hill quote, “What your mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve.” Finch was convinced that such a slogan could only become a reality in a place like the United States.
At both brothers’ respective funerals, a US flag was draped over their caskets while a military color guard fired off a 21-gun salute. One of the bullet casings from Harold’s salute is now displayed beside one that honored brother Gordon, who preceded him in death. Such a sendoff was a fitting way to say farewell to a pair of brothers who were true American patriots. Men who never apologized for what it means to be American.
