Medal of Honor Recipient Thomas J. Hudner, Jr. Interview

On December 4, 1950, Lt. Thomas J. Hudner Jr. was flying a ground support mission in his F4U Corsair as the wingman to Ensign Jesse L. Brown, the Navy's first African-American aviator. These two aviators - one white, the other black - came from vastly different backgrounds and experiences, but both shared a common mission - supporting American Marines and Soldiers conducting a fighting retreat from the Chosin Reservoir. Suddenly, enemy fire struck Brown's Corsair, and his plane crashed into a mountain in the bitter cold of the North Korean winter.

Hudner reacted quickly. Seeing Brown was alive, but trapped in his damaged plane, Hudner crash-landed his own plane on the snow covered mountain in a brave effort to rescue Brown. Risking capture by enemy forces, Hudner aided Brown, packing snow into the fuselage of the burning aircraft with his bare hands.

In a time when racial segregation and tensions were high, Hudner selflessly risked his life to aid another and in so doing, earned our nation's highest award for valor - the Medal of Honor.

The Pritzker Military Museum & Library is proud to feature Hudner, who retired from the Navy as a Captain after completing a 24-year career, then served as Massachusetts Commissioner for Veterans Affairs. The Medal of Honor Series with Ed Tracy, continues on Thursday, February 22, 2007, at 5:00 p.m. with an associate members-only reception in the Gallery, which currently features "The Art of Arthur Ross Exhibition." The program and live web cast.

His Citation 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.