Captain Thomas J. Hudner, Jr.

By mid-October, 1950, the Korean War looked all but over. Victory was in sight as American-led forces had advanced through almost all of North Korea. However, on October 25th, China entered the war, ending hopes of a quick end to the hostilities.

The Battle of Chosin Reservoir is a familiar story: the Marines slogging it out against the Chinese in bitter, sub-zero temperatures. During the fighting and the withdrawal of the Marines, U.S. forces enjoyed full supremacy in the air. Fighter-bombers from the Navy, Air Force and Marines flew armed attacks all day while evacuating the wounded and bringing in replacements. This valiant air support contributed greatly to the success of ground efforts.

One of the men flying these support sorties was then-Lt. (Junior Grade) Thomas Hudner of Fall River, Massachusetts. Hudner was born in 1924 and graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1946; he went on to receive his Naval Aviator Wings in 1949. At Chosin, he was flying alongside his friend Jesse Brown, the Navy’s first black pilot, while providing air support for the Marines doing battle.

On December 4th, 1950, late in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Brown’s plane went down on a mountainside after being fired upon. Upon first glance, the other pilots flying in that mission assumed Brown to be dead. However, while circling the wreckage, the pilots could see Brown, alive, and waving up at them from inside his downed aircraft. After his friend failed to appear from the smoldering wreckage of his plane, Hudner concluded that Brown was probably too injured to free himself. Hudner took action and decided to crash his own plane on the side of the mountain in an attempt to rescue Brown from his downed plane and the icy, sub-zero temperatures.

Upon arriving at the scene of the crash, Hudner tried to lift Brown from the wreckage but was unable to get him clear. He called for a rescue helicopter, a fire extinguisher and an ax. As they waited for help, Hudner offered comfort to his friend by wrapping an extra scarf around Brown’s frozen, exposed hands and even attempted to squelch the brewing fire by placing handfuls of snow on the smoldering coils.

Eventually, the rescue helicopter arrived with the requested ax and fire extinguisher. Unfortunately the fire extinguisher was small and quickly depleted and the axe was useless against the metal of the plane trapping Jesse Brown within the wreckage. Night was approaching and the rescue helicopter was unequipped to fly in the dark. Brown, gravely injured and now fading in and out of consciousness, spoke a few final words to his fellow aviator and friend: “Tell my wife that I love her.”

Jesse Brown was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for service in Korea. For his actions and bravery in the face of immediate danger from the extreme temperature and enemy troops, Thomas Hudner was awarded the Medal of Honor on April 13, 1951 – the first Navy Medal of Honor to be awarded for service in Korea. Daisy Brown was in attendance to pay homage to the man who so valiantly tried to save her husband’s life. Since his service with the Navy during the Korean War, Thomas Hudner has served in a variety of positions including the Executive Officer of the USS Kitty Hawk and Head of Aviation Technical Training in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He retired in February 1973 with the rank of Captain.

In recognition of his courageous service and his dedication and devotion to the men he served with, the American Veterans Center is proud to present Captain Thomas J. Hudner the 2007 Raymond G. Davis Award.