A World War II hero who survived torture at the hands of the Japanese military will be buried with full military honors on Saturday in upstate Ithaca.
Florence Ebersole Smith Finch died in December at 101.
The Philippines-born great-grandmother served as a stenographer with the Office of Army Intelligence at the outbreak of World War II.
As American forces withdrew from the Philippines, Finch remained behind and worked for the Japanese-controlled Philippine Liquid Fuel Distribution Union.
From her position, she was able to assist the resistance and aid prisoners of war.
When her actions were discovered, Finch was held prisoner for five months and tortured.
She was freed by American troops in 1945 and soon after moved to Buffalo, where she joined the Coast Guard.
Finch was the first woman awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon. She also received the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S.
