LTJG, U.S. Navy — Korean War
Thomas Jerome Hudner Jr. was born on August 31, 1924, in Fall River, Massachusetts, the son of a grocer. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946. At first uninterested in flying, he went on to train as a naval aviator and joined Fighter Squadron 32, flying the F4U Corsair from the carrier USS Leyte when the Korean War began.
On December 4, 1950, Hudner was flying support for Marines trapped at the Chosin Reservoir when his wingman, Ensign Jesse L. Brown — the first African American to complete the Navy’s basic flight training — was hit by ground fire and crash-landed on a snowy mountainside some fifteen miles behind enemy lines. Circling overhead, Hudner saw Brown alive but pinned in his burning aircraft.
Hudner radioed that he was going in, deliberately crash-landed his own Corsair wheels-up in the snow, and ran to Brown’s side. He packed snow into the smoking engine with his bare hands and, when a rescue helicopter arrived, worked with its pilot for nearly an hour to free Brown — but Brown’s injuries were fatal, and darkness forced the rescuers to leave without him. President Harry S. Truman presented Hudner the Medal of Honor on April 13, 1951, the first awarded for the Korean War; Brown’s widow Daisy was present, and Hudner told her Jesse’s last words were of love for her.
Hudner stayed in the Navy until 1973, retiring as a captain, and afterward worked with veterans’ organizations around Boston. He remained close to Brown’s family for the rest of his life and long hoped Brown’s remains might one day come home. He died on November 13, 2017, in Concord, Massachusetts, at age 93. The destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) carries his name.
Sources: Wikipedia · Congressional Medal of Honor Society