Medal of Honor: Thomas J. Hudner Jr. – Korean War – December 4, 1950

Name: Thomas Jerome Hudner Jr.
Rank: Lieutenant (Junior Grade)
Organization: U.S. Navy
Unit: Fighter Squadron 32, attached to USS Leyte
Place and Date: Chosin Reservoir, Korea – 4 December 1950
Entered Service At: Fall River, Massachusetts
Born: August 31, 1924 – Fall River, Massachusetts
Departed: November 13, 2017
Accredited To: Massachusetts

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Summary of Action

On December 4, 1950, during close-air support missions over the Chosin Reservoir, Ensign Jesse L. Brown’s F4U Corsair was struck by enemy fire and crash-landed deep behind Chinese lines. Observing smoke rising from the wreckage and his wingman alive but trapped, Lieutenant (J.G.) Thomas J. Hudner Jr. made an impossible decision: he would not abandon him.

Circling low to protect Brown from enemy troops moving through the area, Hudner assessed the situation and chose to attempt a landing on the rugged, snow-covered mountainside — fully aware that crashing intentionally meant near-certain entrapment or death. Executing a deliberate wheels-up landing, he brought his Corsair down beside the smoking wreck.

Battling freezing winds and flames, Hudner packed snow around the burning fuselage with his bare hands and tried to pull Brown free, but the crushed cockpit held him fast. He returned to his downed aircraft, radioed for help, and called in a helicopter with tools. Together with the rescue pilot, Hudner renewed the fight against fire, metal, cold, and time.

The rescue failed — but Hudner never left his wingman’s side until survival became impossible.

His selfless decision to crash-land and attempt rescue under direct threat and lethal conditions remains one of naval aviation’s most extraordinary acts of devotion.

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Medal of Honor Citation

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.