Jesse L. Brown

This article is about the naval aviator. For the Veterans Affairs administrator, see Jesse Brown.

Jesse LeRoy Brown
Ensign Jesse L. Brown, September 1949
Born	October 13, 1926(1926-10-13) Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Died	December 4, 1950(1950-12-04) (aged 24) KIA near the Chosin Reservoir, aircraft hit by enemy fire and crashed.
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1946–1950
Rank	Ensign
Unit	Fighter Squadron 32 (VF-32) USS Leyte (CV-32)
Battles/wars	Korean War *Battle of Chosin Reservoir
Awards	Distinguished Flying Cross Purple Heart

Jesse LeRoy Brown (13 October 1926 – 4 December 1950) was the first African-American naval aviator in the United States Navy.

Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Brown enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1946 and was appointed a Midshipman, at the Ohio State University NROTC the following year. After attending Navy pre-flight school and flight training, he was designated a Naval Aviator in October 1948. Midshipman Brown was then assigned to Fighter Squadron 32. He received his commission as Ensign in April 1949.

During the Korean War, his squadron (VF-32) operated from USS Leyte (CV-32), flying F4U-4 Corsair fighters in support of United Nations forces. On 4 December 1950, while on a close air support mission in the Chosin Reservoir, Ensign Brown's plane was hit by enemy fire and crash-landed. His squadron mates from VF-32 thought Brown was dead, until they saw him slide back his canopy and wave. At this time, his wingman, LT(jg) Thomas J. Hudner, Jr., intentionally crash-landed his Corsair to attempt to save his friend, who was in shock and pinned in his aircraft. As daylight faded, Brown died. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his Korean War combat service and Lt. (jg) Hudner, Jr. was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day.

Namesake

USS Jesse L. Brown (DE-1089) was named in honor of Ensign Jesse LeRoy Brown. The launching ceremonies were held at Avondale Shipyards, Westwego, Louisiana on March 18, 1972. Attending the ceremonies were Brown’s remarried widow, Daisy Thorne and his last wingman, Captain Thomas J. Hudner, USN.

See also

• List of African-American firsts

United States Navy portal

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History & Heritage Command.

External links

• Online Library of Selected Images: Ensign Jesse LeRoy Brown, USN, (1926-1950)
• Online Library of Selected Images: USS Leyte (1946-1970). Includes a photo of Ensign Brown relaxing in the squadron's ready room.
• Declassified Korean Combat Action Reports for Leyte (CV 32). See page 2 of the December report for the official report..
• Acepilots.com Korean War Aces description of the incident
• Artist rendition of the Ens. Brown & Lt. Hudner incident, created with Thomas Hudner

Persondata
Name	Brown, Jesse L.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	13 October 1926
Place of birth	Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Date of death	4 December 1950
Place of death	KIA near the Chosin Reservoir, aircraft hit by enemy fire and crashed.