Florence (Ebersole) Smith Finch

Florence (Ebersole) Smith Finch, the daughter of an American soldier and a Filipino mother, was working for the US Army when the Japanese occupied Manila, the Philippines. Claiming Filipino citizenship, she avoided being imprisoned with other enemy nationals at Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila. Finch joined the underground resistance movement and smuggled food, medicine and other supplies to American captives. Eventually, she was arrested by the Japanese, tortured, and sentenced to three years imprisonment.

Finch was liberated by American forces after serving five months of her sentence. Returning to the United States aboard a Coast Guard transport, she headed for Buffalo, New York, her father's hometown.

She then enlisted in the Coast Guard to "avenge the death of her late husband," a Navy PT boat crewman killed at Corregidor. Seaman First Class Finch was the first Coast Guard SPAR to receive the Asian-Pacific Campaign ribbon in recognition of her service in the Philippines. At the end of the war, she was awarded the civilian US Medal of Freedom.

Source: Women In Military Service For America Memorial