Wingmen to the End – Korea 1950
Originally released by Valor Studios, the legend on the bottom of the print reads… “During the battle of the Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War . . . hit by anti-aircraft fire while supporting the Marines, Ens. Jesse Brown, the Navy’s first African-American aviator, crashed behind enemy lines. His squadron mates from VF-32 thought Brown was dead—until they saw him slide back his canopy and wave. But, Brown did not climb free—he was pinned in his Corsair’s burning wreckage. While his comrades called for a rescue helicopter and circled to ward off any enemy troops, Brown’s wingman, Lt. Thomas Hudner, intentionally crash-landed in that treacherous terrain to try to save his friend.
Wading through snow and subzero temperatures, Hudner reached Brown’s plane and tried to pull him free, but the snow denied him any footing. Brown remained calm, inspiring Hudner. Hudner gave Brown his hat and gloves then used snow, shoveled with his bare hands, to snuff out the fire. When the rescue helicopter arrived, its pilot joined Hudner. Even working together, they could not free Brown, whose leg was pinned and who was in shock. As daylight faded, with Hudner at his side, Jesse Brown passed away. The rescue helo lifted Hudner, exhausted, from the scene.
Four months later, President Truman summoned Hudner and Jesse Brown’s widow, Daisy, to the White House where he awarded Hudner the Medal of Honor. That day, they all remembered Jesse Brown, a hero who did not die alone.”
The Story
Born in 1926 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Jesse LeRoy Brown overcame poverty and racism to become the first African-American aviator in the US Navy. Following his personal hero, Jesse Owens, Brown enrolled in Ohio State University where, while working several jobs to pay for his education, he earned a degree in architectural engineering. He enrolled in the Navy’s Reserve Officer Training Program in 1946 and after graduation, he reported for flight training at Glenview Naval Air Station, where he was the only African-American in the program. By 1949 Brown had completed his training, having been awarded the Naval Aviator Badge, and was assigned to Fighter Squadron 32 flying F4U-4 Corsairs aboard the USS Leyte (CV-32). The carrier deployed to Korea in 1950. It was on the USS Leyte that Brown met a fellow pilot by the name of Thomas J. Hudner, a 1946 graduate of the Naval Academy, who went by the nickname “Lou.”
The two men were flying together on December 4, 1950 in support of US Marines who had been surrounded by Chinese troops at the Chosin Reservoir. The flight of six Corsairs, on a three-hour search and destroy mission, descended to 700 feet when Brown, going by the call-sign Iroquois 13, began losing fuel from a ruptured fuel line. Dropping his external fuel tanks and rockets, Brown attempted to land his F4U-4 Corsair in a snow-covered field five miles behind enemy lines. He survived the crash but was unable to get out of the plane due to being pinned in the wreckage. Seeing his plight, Brown’s wingman, Hudner, crash landed his plane successfully and made his way to his comrade. Fighting through waist-deep snow which impeded his progress, it took him thirty minutes to reach Brown despite being just eighty yards away. Hudner worked desperately to free Brown with an axe for 45 minutes but was unable to free his friend who died of his wounds and exposure. Two days later the US Navy bombed the crash site to ensure Brown’s body was not recovered by either Chinese or North Korean troops. His remains have never been recovered.
In 2013, sixty years after these events, the eighty-eight year-old Hudner returned to North Korea in an attempt to recover the remains of Jesse Brown at the crash site. The weather turned foul and flooding ruined roads and a helicopter landing pad preventing access to the area. North Korea has offered to help Hudner should he decide to return and try again.
Thomas Hudner was the only Naval aviator to be awarded the Medal of Honor in the Korean War. The citation to his Medal of Honor reads: “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a pilot in Fighter Squadron 32, while attempting to rescue a squadron mate whose plane struck by antiaircraft fire and trailing smoke, was forced down behind enemy lines. Quickly maneuvering to circle the downed pilot and protect him from enemy troops infesting the area, Lt. (J.G.) Hudner risked his life to save the injured flier who was trapped alive in the burning wreckage. Fully aware of the extreme danger in landing on the rough mountainous terrain and the scant hope of escape or survival in subzero temperature, he put his plane down skillfully in a deliberate wheels-up landing in the presence of enemy troops. With his bare hands, he packed the fuselage with snow to keep the flames away from the pilot and struggled to pull him free. Unsuccessful in this, he returned to his crashed aircraft and radioed other airborne planes, requesting that a helicopter be dispatched with an ax and fire extinguisher. He then remained on the spot despite the continuing danger from enemy action and, with the assistance of the rescue pilot, renewed a desperate but unavailing battle against time, cold, and flames. Lt. (J.G.) Hudner’s exceptionally valiant action and selfless devotion to a shipmate sustain and enhance the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.”
Behind the Art
Jesse L. Brown
In 1973, the United States Navy honored Ensign Brown by naming a frigate after him. “He died in the wreckage of his airplane with courage and unfathomable dignity. He willingly gave his life to tear down barriers to freedom of others.” Thomas Hudner, speaking of Brown at the commissioning of the USS Jesse L. Brown.
VF-32
The large “K” on the vertical stabilizers of these Corsairs identifies them as belonging to Air Group 3, these code letters made it easier for the squadrons to identify each other and regroup during operations.VF-32 deployed to the Korean war with 4FU Corsairs aboard the USS Leyte from October 1950 to January 1951. After the war, in 1956, the squadron became the first to transition to the F8U-1 Crusader, becoming the US Navy’s first supersonic squadron.
F4U-4 Corsair
The F4U-4 variant of the Corsair was the last model to see action in WWII, but was retained by the Navy and later used in Korea. Modified with a four-blade prop, which along with the 2,100 horsepower engine, increased the rate of climb and airspeed of the F4U-4. Pilots flying Navy and Marine Corsairs were credited with destroying twelve enemy aircraft during the Korean war.
Project Details
Faithfully reproduced from the original artwork, Devotion by Matt Hall, depicts the Air Group 3 in Korea. In addition to the description, the bottom margin of the print includes the insignia of the Strike Fighter Squadron Thirty-Two (VF-32).
Editions
- Originally printed by Valor Studios:
- 650 Victory Editions
- 180 Artist Proofs
- 160 Publisher Proofs
- Each print is hand-signed by the artist
- Each print includes a Certificate of Authenticity
Lithograph
- This limited edition lithograph is printed on acid-free, archival quality, 100 lb. stock
- Print size: 31″ x 19″
- All prints are sold unframed
- Print color may vary from screen color