It was December of 1950, and thousands of US marines desperately struggled to withdraw across
the North Korean mountains in a hectic attempt to reach the safety of the port of Hungnam.
They had fought fiercely for 17 days in freezing temperatures
after being abruptly surrounded by 120,000 Chinese troops.
At the same time, eight American F4U Corsairs soared the brutal zenith delivering support to
the retreating marines. Aboard one of the outdated propeller fighters was Ensign Jesse L. Brown,
a skilled pilot and the first black US Navy aviator in history.
The other Corsair pilots soon received a distress message from Brown; he was losing engine power.
The radio communication was followed by a much more disturbing indication (QUOTE)
"I think I may have been hit. I've lost my oil pressure and I'm going to have to go in."
His wingman, Thomas J. Hudner Jr., and the rest of the pilots watched in horror as
Brown's Corsair quickly lost altitude. The algid landscape offered no suitable landing terrain,
only mountain after mountain as far as the eye could see. He then crashed-landed.
When the snow cleared, Hudner could see Brown opening the canopy and waving at them.
But after a few flybys, he realized that Brown was not getting out of the cockpit,
and ominous black smoke was coming out from the aircraft's nose.
With no way to land and confident that Brown's Crossair was about to explode,
Hudner did the unthinkable and said over the radio: (QUOTE) "I'm going in"…
An Unlikely Friendship
Thomas J. Hudner Jr. and Jesse LeRoy Brown first met aboard USS Leyte in 1950
when both were tasked to form part of the VF-32. At the time, the squadron flew F8F-1 Bearcats.
Brown was soon recognized as the squadron's most talented pilot by his superiors.
During an abort-landing exercise, Brown showcased his bravery and wits. After adding throttle too
rapidly during the approach, he survived a torque roll 100 feet above Leyte's flight deck; he
masterfully recovered entirely and made a textbook landing to the amazement of everyone present.
Brown's skill earned him the respect of his peers, especially Hudner's. After getting to
know him better and learning all the struggles and racial discrimination he had to overcome to
get where he was, Hudner's admiration grew, and the two marines became close friends.
Hudner would later recall several instances where Brown was humiliated and put on the
spot by Navy officers who disliked the idea of a black man representing the US Navy pilots,
but Brown stoically persevered.
The two young men would often spend time together both on sorties and during free time
while serving at Leyte during its time in the Mediterranean.
After war ignited in Korea in June of 1950,
the carrier was ordered to return to the United States to be redeployed there;
the VF-32 squadron then switched their Bearcats for far more capable Crosshairs.
The two friends never thought they would be deployed to Korea,
but were now heading to a brutal conflict as their US comrades desperately awaited air support.
US soldiers had been abruptly overwhelmed by Chinese troops just as the Korean peninsula
had been hit by the worst Siberian blizzard in a century.
Mayday
As USS Leyte arrived at the Sea of Japan,
Navy pilots were deployed into the Korean Peninsula and were tasked with hunting down
Chinese forces in the mountainous region to allow US soldiers to withdraw in time.
The mountain range was covered in snow, and the pilots could often spot their comrades moving
towards the coast as they patrolled the area and made sure to cover the ground unit's exit.
That day, the squadron was made up of Lieutenant Cevoli and his wingman Lieutenant George Hudson;
beyond them, Lieutenant Bill Koenig and Ensign Ralph McQueen kept the station.
And to the rear were element leader Ensign Jesse Brown and his wingman, Lieutenant Tom Hudner.
Suddenly, Koenig dropped beneath Brown's Corsair and saw a thin spray of liquid coming out of his
aircraft; he immediately radioed the element leader: (QUOTE) "Jess, check your fuel status."
Jesse Brown then checked his instruments, and the fuel needle dropped distressingly.
As he flew over a mountain ridge, he felt the engine stutter: (QUOTE)
"This is Iroquois One-Three. Losing power. Mayday. Mayday."
Brown knew he was in significant trouble and told his comrades:
(QUOTE): "I think I may have been hit. I've lost my oil pressure and I'm going to have to go in."
The experienced Ensign then dropped his reserve belly tanks and armaments,
while wingman Hudner pulled alongside: (QUOTE): "Okay, Jesse. Lock your harness.
Open your canopy and lock it." The big bubble canopy slid back as the nose dropped.
Hudner watched with concern as the squadron leader descended into the side of a mountain.
The aviators then witnessed the plunge helplessly as the
Corsair dropped toward the mountainside clearing.
Brown braced for impact, and Hudner shuddered as the fighter hit the
ground amid a cloud of snow and dirt, leaving a rising trail of snow until
it came to an abrupt stop against a tree line bordering the clearing.
The squad pilots drew close and began to fly around the crash site,
desperately looking for any signs of life from their flight leader.
Still, the snow floating on air above the site obstructed the view,
and for a moment, the pilots were unsure of where exactly the plane had ended up.
Something’s Wrong
After the snow settled a few minutes later, the wreck was now clearly visible.
Hudner wasn't sure if Brown had survived the crash.
He then flew by time and time again until he finally saw his friend wave at them through
the opened canopy. Hudner let out a sigh of relief as he realized Brown was alive;
he would now have to exit the wreck and wait for a rescue helicopter to arrive.
But as the minutes passed, Brown would not leave the cockpit, still waving frantically
at Hudner and the other pilots. His wingman knew that he was either trapped or severely injured.
The situation suddenly became dire as Hudson
spotted black smoke coming out from the nose of the crashed Crosshair.
The engine could explode at any moment, and waiting for a rescue helicopter was not an option.
Hudner would later recall: (QUOTE) "Somebody was going to have to go down and help.
Since nobody was volunteering, I decided it would have to be me."
The wingman ditched his ordnance and fuel tanks and throttled back.
Then he dove in before anyone said anything.
Everything happened quickly: (QUOTE): "The ground seemed to rush at me as I hit,
and then I was out of control, snow plowing across
the field and hoping I was going to end up somewhere close to Jesse."
After a violent stammer, the Corsair skidded to a stop. As the snow cloud settled,
Hudner realized he was just 80 yards from Brown.
Rescue Attempt
Agitated and extremely worried, Hudner climbed out of his damaged aircraft: (QUOTE)
"The snow was waist-deep, it was colder than I have ever experienced anywhere else,
and at first I couldn't move. It took me over thirty minutes to get to Jesse's airplane,
and I was damn near frozen stiff."
The biting cold was overwhelming, and the deep snow made almost any motion attempt impossible.
Still, Hudner was finally able to reach his friend,
who was now obviously suffering from the onset symptoms of hypothermia.
Brown's legs had been crushed on impact, and they were pinned under the wreckage; he was pale and
increasingly confused, but he tried to remain calm and focused on cooperating with the rescue effort.
Hudner then attempted to pull his friend out of the wreckage, but the bent metal wouldn't help,
and Brown's conditions were worsening fast; soon, he began to drift in and out of consciousness.
The wingman radioed for help; he explained the situation and requested
a rescue helicopter and an ax to help free his friend. Meanwhile, he examined Brown;
his hands were already frozen and unresponsive, and Hudnet covered them with a scarf.
As dusk came and temperatures plummeted even more,
Brown struggled to stay awake despite Hudner's desperate efforts.
A helicopter from VMO-6 finally arrived and Hudner and Master Gunnery Sergeant
Herbert Valentine tried to break the aircraft open with a fire ax. The men tried for hours,
exhausting all their strength, but the ax just bounced off the hardened metal.
The cold soon became unbearable, and Hudner and the helicopter pilot were
beginning to suffer frostbite. Brown then stopped responding altogether.
The two men were forced to leave, but before doing so,
Hudner promised Brown they would come back with more men and equipment to release his legs. The
helicopter lifted off in a haze of snow, leaving Jesse Brown and his Corsair in frozen silence.
Hudner pleaded with his superiors for another rescue mission.
Still, the increasingly prominent enemy presence in the area made any further attempt impossible.
In the end, the US commanders decided to destroy the crash sites to prevent
Chinese soldiers from reaching the aircraft or Brown's body.
The next day, a napalm payload was dropped on the site,
destroying the two Crosshairs and the remains of Jesse Brown.
Hudner's call to crash his own aircraft to try to save his friend was initially
questioned by his commanders. But he stood by his actions,
and soon his decision was praised as an example of the unbreakable bond US troops share.
He was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor for his selfless attempt to save his brother in arms,
and Brown earned a Navy Cross for his remarkable service.
Hudner would remain close to Brown's family for the remainder of his life
and always considered Jesse his best friend.
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