His father, Edward “Easy Eddie” O’Hare, was a lawyer with ties to infamous American gangster Al Capone, and this association meant things were a little complex for the family, even more so after the elder O’Hare decided to cooperate with federal authorities. After serving aboard the USS New Mexico (BB-40), Edward O’Hare began flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola. In 1949, Orchard Field Airport in Chicago, Illinois, was renamed O’Hare International Airport in O’Hare’s honor.