Ensign Jesse L. Brown
U.S. Navy pilot F4U-4 Corsair 97231 Missing In Action December 4, 1950

Background
Jesse LeRoy Brown was born October 13, 1926 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He attended Ohio State University. On April 15, 1947 he accepted an appointment as a midshipman in the U.S. Navy (USN) with serial number 9931876. Brown completed flight training pre-flight training at Ottumwa, Iowa then flight training at NAS Pensacola and NAS Jacksonville. On October 21, 1948 he earned his wings and became the Navy's first African-American pilot.


Brown served aboard USS Wright (CVL-49). On April 15, 1949 commissioned as an Ensign with serial number 504477. Later, asssigned to Fighter Squadron 32 (VF-32) "Swordsmen" and deployed on USS Leyte (CV-32).

Mission History
On December 4, 1950 took off from the USS Leyte CV-32 piloting F4U-4 Corsair 97231 as flight leader with wingman F4U Corsair 82050 piloted by Lt(jg) Thomas J. Hudner, Jr. on a ground attack mission over Kot'o-ri near the Chosin Reservoir.

While flying in formation over the target, Brown was presumably hit by ground fire or small arms fire and reported losing oil pressure and selected a snow covered flat open area to the west of the Chosin Reservoir to make a force landing. During the force landing, Brown sustained injuries and the lower half of his body was trapped inside the cockpit preventing him from extricating himself from the aircraft.

Meanwhile, wingman F4U Corsair 82050 piloted by Lt(jg) Thomas J. Hudner, Jr. witnessed his flight leader's crash landing and spontaneously decided to force land his aircraft beside Brown. Hudner waded through the snow, finding Brown trapped inside the cockpit and was unable to free him. Seeing smoke, Hudner used a fire extinguisher on the nose of his plane. Returning, Hudner spoke with Brown until he expired from his wounds and exposure.

Rescue
Simultaneously, a helicopter was dispatched to the site to rescue both pilots. When the helicopter arrived, Hudner used the helicopter's rescue ax in a futile attempt to cut into the aircraft's skin to free Brown's body, but was unsuccessful. The helicopter departed with Hudner, leaving Brown's body at the crash site.

Wreckage
Both crash landed Corsairs were reported at approximately Lat 40° 36' N Long 127°  6' E roughly ten miles north of Yudam-ni. On December 6, 1950 an F4U Corsair from VF-32 returned to the crash site and observed Brown's body still inside the cockpit of his aircraft. On December 7, 1950 F4U Corsairs from VF-32 returned to the site and dropped napalm onto both aircraft to destroy them.

Fate of the Pilot
Brown was officially declared dead the day of the mission. He remains listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Presumably, Brown's body was destroyed by the napalm bombs dropped on December 7, 1950. Possibly, Chinese soldiers reached the site prior to the napalm strike and recovered his body or personal effects.

Memorials
Brown was the first African-American pilot in the U.S. Navy (USN) and the first black naval officer to lose his life in combat in the Korean War. Posthumously, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Purple Heart, posthumously and Republic of Korean War Service Medal.

Brown is memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) on the courts of the missing, court 8. He is also memorialized on the Korean War Memorial Wall of Remembrance.

In 1972 the Knox-class frigate USS Jesse L. Brown (DE-1089 / FF-1089 / FFT-1089) was named in his honor. On March 25, 1998 sold to Egypt as Damiyat (F961).

Relatives
John Brown (Father)
Lulia A. Brown (Mother)
Daisy Pearl Brown Nix Thorne (wife)
Pamela E. Brown (daughter)

References
Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) - Jessie L. Brown
Pacific Wrecks - F4U-4 Corsair 97231
Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) - Jesse L. Brown
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) Jesse Leroy Brown
FindAGrave - Ens Jesse LeRoy Brown (photos)
LIFE Magazine May 26, 1952 page 131
The Flight of Jesse Leroy Brown (1998) by Theodore Taylor
Breaking the Color Barrier: The U.S. Naval Academy's First Black Midshipmen
Chosin: Heroic Ordeal of the Korean War page 519
The Naval Air War in Korea pages 84-85
Such Men As These: The Story of the Navy Pilots Who Flew the Deadly Skies Over Korea page 351-352
Valor: A Gathering of Eagles pages 158-159
The Tailhook Association page 37
Beyond Glory: Medal of Honor Heroes in Their Own Words page 117-118
F4U Corsair Units of the Korean War page 27-28
Breakout: The Chosin Reservoir Campaign, Korea 1950 page 343 - 344, 442, 436
Air Combat Annals, Chapter 6 Tom Hudner and Jesse Brown: Brother's Keeper
The Association of Naval Aviation page 35
Navy: An Illustrated History: The U.S. Navy from 1775 to the 21st Century page 118-119
The U.S. Navy in the Korean War page 220, 240-241, 418
Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events, Vol II page 74, 538
Harry Truman and Civil Rights: Moral Courage and Political Risks page 146 (MOH photo)
Jet Mar 8, 1973 page 33
U.S. Marines in the Korean War page 697
Valor Studios "Devotion Wingmen to the End - December 4, 1950" by Matt Hall
Corsair: The F4U in World War II and Korea (1979) page 165
Korean War POW MIA Korean War Servicemen - Ens Jesse L. Brown
Associated Press "Film helps renew search for 1st Black Navy pilot’s remains" by Thalia Beaty January 11, 2023
Thanks to Thomas J. Hudner for additional information

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