Leslie Hodges Finley

Leslie Hodges Finley was born on September 12, 1919 in Nelson, Nebraska to Leslie Crosby Finley and Viola (Dot) Hodges Finley. His parents divorced shortly after his birth, and his mother remarried Karl K. Barnard on July 4, 1926.  Finley spent several years living with his grandparents, but he joined his mother, stepfather, and half-brother in Spokane, Washington.  He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1937.

Finley attended Washington State College (WSC) during the 1937 to 1938 academic year as a Pharmacy major.  He also briefly attended Gonzaga University. After leaving college, Finley moved to Los Angeles and went into business with two other people. 

Finley enlisted in the United States Army Infantry on February 21, 1941 at Fort MacArthur, San Pedro, California. Assigned to the 31st Infatnry Regiment (Philippine Division) as a Private, he was sent to Manila in April 1941.  Finley survived the Japanese sieges of Bataan and Corregidor, and was taken prisoner in May 1942.  Sent to the prison camp at Cabanatuan, he contracted malaria and died on July 26, 1942. 

Finley is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines. He posthumously received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.