That graceful gull-wing design, made famous by the "Black Sheep Squadron"...
Posted on 12/10/2010 1:25:02 PM PST by Kid Shelleen
When retired Navy aviator Thomas J. Hudner Jr. walks toward midfield at Lincoln Financial Field Saturday afternoon for the coin toss to start the 111th Army-Navy game, the 2010 Navy cocaptains accompanying him will both be African Americans.
-snip-
on a snowy and bloody afternoon in 1950, despite fierce enemy fire and 30-below temperatures, Hudner somehow landed his plane on a tiny patch of Korean mountainside in an effort to save a downed pilot, Jesse Brown of Hattiesburg, Miss., the Navy's first black aviator.
"I wasn't going to leave him there," said Hudner of that day. "What I had to do was clear."
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
From the story:
He spent 30 years in the Navy, serving as, among other things, the chief executive officer on the USS Kitty Hawk.
CEO?? I guess the Kitty Hawk was a Ferengi carrier.
Seriously, this guy crash-landed a Corsair to try and save his wingman. They don’t make ‘em like that anymore. He was a hero from a time when we didn’t use the term so cheaply.
God, I love FreeRepublic. Thank you Kid Shelleen, I have never read that story. Such heroic men, how fitting a tribute to them at the Army-Navy game. The tears won’t stop here for awhile. Godspeed to them both.
I also meant to add...the F4U Corsair is one of my favorite aircraft. I’ve never seen one at the (few) airshows I’ve been to, I would love to ride in one sometime.
Not for their race. Hopefully for their values.
BEAT NAVY.
Scheisskopf headline editor
A few years ago I got to see one at a local air show. It is my absolute favorite fighter of WWII. (And I’m not dissing the other great planes, P51, P47, P38.)
A few years back, they managed to assemble about five or seven of the only remaining flyable Corsairs. Great show. I think one of them had an incident a few shows later.
But, the P-51 will always rule in my heart.
What a great story and a great man!
Can these journalists not spell "recipient"?
That graceful gull-wing design, made famous by the "Black Sheep Squadron"...
Neat-o! :-)
Just another racist article from the LSM.
Ironically, my Grandaddy's name was Jesse Brown, but he was a white man. I never knew him, though. He, and my paternal grandmother both died before I was born.
Great story. I’d salute any of ‘em.
However, I still reserve only my middle finger for the Dung-Beetle-in-Chief.
PING.
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