FLORENCE EBERSOLE SMITH FINCH (1915-2016)
US Coast Guard Women’s Reserve
Seaman Second Class
Place of Birth: Santiago, Isabela, Philippines
Military Honors: Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon; Medal of Freedom
Service: Florence was the daughter of a Filipina mother and an American father. When she was working with the Philippine Underground, the Japanese captured and tortured her. Before Japan surrendered, she enlisted in the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve. She was the first woman to receive the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon.
Post-War: Florence married an Army veteran and raised a family in Ithaca, New York. In 1995, the Coast Guard honored her by naming an administration building on Sand Island, Hawaiʻi, after her.