On December 4, 1950, Jesse Brown, U.S. Navy Ensign and the Navy’s first African American aviator, was flying 1,000 feet above the icy Korean mountains in his Corsair when its engine cut out. Brown was strafing Chinese troops near the Chosin Reservoir when his plane was brought down by enemy small arms fire that hit the aircraft in a vulnerable spot. The Vought F4U Corsair went down heavily and crashed into the rough terrain, folding up at the cockpit and streaming smoke from the wreckage. The rugged, propeller-driven, big-nosed design could normally sustain a lot of damage, but on that day, Brown had been tragically unlucky.
Lieutenant Junior Grade Thomas Hudner and the other Strike Fighter Squadron VF-32 pilots flying from the carrier USS Leyte viewed the situation on the ground as they circled above. Chinese Communist soldiers were bound to discover the wreckage given that the crash occurred so close to the Chosin Reservoir. The other Navy pilots initially thought Brown was dead, but they soon saw him waving his hand. However, the 24-year-old pilot’s legs had become entangled in the damaged instrument panel. Flight leader Richard Creole radioed “Mayday” and called for a helicopter. A Sikorsky H-5 helicopter was dispatched but it would be at least 15 minutes before it arrived on station.
Hudner looked down at his friend and flying mate and quickly decided to go down and attempt to pull Brown from the smoldering aircraft. If all went well, both pilots could escape in the helicopter. Hudner made a treetop pass and dumped his remaining fuel and ordnance before preparing to land alongside Brown’s stricken plane. He landed his Corsair, hitting the ground a lot harder than expected. When on the ground Hudner began to wonder if this had been such a good idea. He quickly shook off the thought and surveyed the situation.
