Thomas Hudner, Jr., learned early in life that the value of the individual is based neither on wealth nor status, skin color nor family background, but rather on the quality of his character and the beliefs by which he lives. This was a family value that reached back several generations to an Irish immigrant who came to Massachusetts in the 1800s; it was a value that Hudner lived by his entire life.

Lieutenant (junior grade) Thomas Hudner, Jr., American Hero and Loyal Companion

Written by Kris Cotariu Harper, EdD.

Thomas Hudner, the oldest of five children, was born in Fall River, Massachusetts in 1924. Following in his father’s footsteps, he arrived at the United States Naval Academy (USNA) in June 1943, after accepting the dramatic decision to accept this appointment. He was offered this appointment through a telegram from Congressman Joseph Martin. Hudner also served on the student council and was an officer in his class. In addition, he was a member of the lacrosse and football teams, as well as the captain of the track team at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, where he attended high school.

In June 1946, the whole group completed their studies, and Hudner, who was a part of the Class of 1947, joined USNA less than a month after receiving the telegram, which was expedited because of the ongoing war.

The Carters invited the Hudners to their hotel suite when President and Mrs. Carter were in Boston, and the Hudners and the Carters visited occasionally over the years. Hudner and Stockdale remained more than just classmates but formed strong friendships that lasted throughout their lives and often exchanged visits between families. Thomas Hudner, Jr., Was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Korean War, and James Stockdale was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. The Class of 1947 influenced many military and government leaders in the subsequent decades, including the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, and two recipients of the Medal of Honor.

For more than seventy years, these two families formed a strong bond of friendship that originated from this act. However, when he initially encountered Hudner, Tom Hudner confidently walked towards him and extended his hand for a handshake. Brown, who was the son of a sharecropper from Mississippi, had experienced significant discrimination throughout his life, including in the Navy. During his early training, he crossed paths with Ensign Jesse Brown, who became the first African American to serve as a U.S. Naval aviator. It was during this period that Brown developed a keen interest in aviation, leading to his assignment to flight training in Quonset Point, Rhode Island in 1948. After graduating from the USNA, Hudner was assigned to the surface fleet and served on the USS Helena before being stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Hudner imagines one to return and bank the two airplanes back to base. Jesse had diverted course to fly home; as he decided what to do, he dipped his wing to signal his wife Daisy, who was standing in their front yard waving at the two airplanes. Hudner and Brown realized they were off course. This incident related to Hudner’s son during his father’s training period in December 1949, while Brown was leading.

After the outbreak of the Korean War, Corsairs F4U flying both Brown and Hudner were assigned to the USS Leyte, which was shortly ordered to the Pacific.

On December 20th, 1950, during a combat mission in Korea, both men, Brown and Hudner, were part of a six-plane squadron providing support to the Marines at Chosin Reservoir. When their airplane crash-landed, with its wheels-up, on the icy and snowy ground, Brown found himself pinned inside, unconscious. Despite their little hope, Hudner radioed to others that he was going to try and remove Brown from the airplane. However, there was no way out as Brown was struggling to exit the plane, even after opening the canopy. Surprisingly, their crash site was circled by the remaining five pilots, who were shot at by enemy lines, approximately fifteen miles behind them.

Hudner III, in an inverted structure, expressed his final words as “tell Daisy I love her,” and after the ceremony, he managed to find a few moments to inform Daisy that he was with Jesse when he passed away. Four months later, Hudner was honored with the first Medal of Honor for his courageous endeavor to rescue his wingman’s life, in the presence of Brown’s widow. (Source: Hudner III, 2021)

Thomas Jerome Hudner III, their sole offspring, was born in 1972. In 1968, Georgea Smith, a Navy pilot’s widow, married Hudner, who was a small child at the time, along with two other children.

Thomas Hudner served a total of 27 years in the Navy, completing 27 combat missions in Korea. During the Vietnam War, he served as an executive officer on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk. After retiring from the Navy as a captain, he relocated to Concord, Massachusetts, where he worked as a management consultant for some time before becoming the Commissioner for Veterans Affairs for the State of Massachusetts.

She used the money to pay for her college tuition; widow Brown endorsed it immediately and gratefully accepted the check as a gift to recognize Hudner’s heroism, raising several thousand dollars in his hometown of Fall River, Massachusetts. Jesse Brown often said that he would not have done anything for him and that no one else would have done anything for him either. While being recognized as a hero, Hudner remained humble and gracious in his actions and appreciated the attention from everyone.

The young friend exclaimed, “Your dad is incredibly clever!” Hudner III took the disassembled airplane model and skillfully glued it back together, achieving perfect proportions. He never missed an opportunity to support his children in their various activities and sports. He explained how he rigged a bottle above the suspended crib, allowing his baby son to stretch his neck and feed like a gerbil. This story showcases the creative parenting skills of Tom Young Hudner III during his childhood.

The ship was commissioned in 2017, and once again for the revealing of Hudner’s portrait that would eventually be displayed on the USS Thomas Hudner. The Brown family also came to Massachusetts in 2015 for the portrait’s unveiling. Throughout the years, Hudner remained a faithful friend to Brown’s widow and her family, frequently traveling to Mississippi to visit. Unfortunately, similar to his previous attempt to rescue Jesse, he was not able to succeed. In 2013, Thomas Hudner went back to North Korea in an effort to recover Brown’s remains.

The movie adaptation of Adam Makos’ official biography, “Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Sacrifice, and Brotherhood,” is currently in post-production and should soon be released. Jesse Brown’s family had the opportunity to show their respect. Thomas Hudner passed away in November 2017 and was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.