Memorial Day 2026: The Story of Joe Finch

On this Memorial Day, I want to share the story of a young Naval officer, Joseph ‘Joe’ Finch, Lt JG,  who saved a child from drowning in 1941 — only eighteen months before giving his own life at the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II.

That child survived, grew up to become a physician, and never forgot the man who had pulled him from the water.

More than eighty years later, as memory itself began to fade, I found myself drawn into helping preserve this remarkable story before it was lost to time.

The story began when I met retired neurologist Harvey Blumenthal shortly after he moved into my senior living community in San Jose. One morning at breakfast, he handed me a printed copy of an essay he had written years earlier called Finding Joe Finch.

I could not put it down.

It was far more than a story of wartime bravery. It was a testament to the invisible threads that connect one life to another — to gratitude that refuses to fade, and to the extraordinary ways a single act of courage can echo across generations.

As Harvey’s memory began to fade with dementia more than eighty years after these events took place, I sometimes found myself helping bridge the gaps — reconstructing moments from interviews, family recollections, and historical context so the heart of his story could still be told.

Together, we began shaping his memories and research into a larger narrative — one that honors not only Joe Finch’s sacrifice, but the enduring impact of kindness, courage, and remembrance.

Finding Joe Finch is more than a title It is an act of remembrance — for the man who once saved a child, for the child who never forgot him, and for the friend who now hopes to help share his untold story with the world.

Some names fade with time. Others echo across generations. Joseph W. Finch deserves to be remembered.

If this story speaks to you, I hope you’ll share it so Joseph W. Finch’s name — and sacrifice — will continue to be remembered.

We hope to share the completed book with readers by the end of 2026.

Stay tuned…Stay tuned…

Remembering Joseph W. Finch Jr. (1920–1942)Remembering Joseph W. Finch Jr. (1920–1942)