brown, jesse leroy

Traces the inspirational story of famous Navy aviator duo Tom Hudner and Jesse Brown, recounting how they defied convention to serve their country, overcame racial barriers, and protected one another on a daring Korean War mission.

"Lieutenant Tom Hudner and Ensign Jesse Brown, both Navy pilots during the Korean War in 1950, come from different backgrounds: Hudner is a white New Englander, a son of privilege; Brown is an African American son of a sharecropper from Mississippi. When the two men join forces in Fighter Squadron 32, they forge a deep friendship at a time when racial inequality was prevalent in America. An unwavering commitment binds Tom and Jesse to each other as well as to their comrades. The two fly to save a division of US Marines cornered during the battle at Chosin Reservoir, but catastrophe strikes when one of them is shot down behind enemy lines and trapped in the wreckage of his plane. The other will face an unthinkable choice: watch their friend die, or attempt one of history's most audacious one-man rescue missions. What transpires is harrowing and heartbreaking, an inspirational story for all time"--From the publisher's web site.

Traces the inspirational story of famous Navy aviator duo Tom Hudner and Jesse Brown, recounting how they defied convention to serve their country, overcame racial barriers, and protected one another on a daring Korean War mission.

The story of the U.S. Navy's most famous aviator duo, Lieutenant Tom Hudner and Ensign Jesse Brown. Tom Hudner was a White New Englander from the country-club scene. Jesse Brown was African American and a sharecropper's son from Mississippi. Tom and Jesse became a team when they joined forces as wingmen in Fighter Squadron 32. Their job was to land their planes on the deck of an aircraft carrier--considered the world's most dangerous job. When the Korean War becomes a reality, Tom and Jesse come to the aid of the Marines cornered in the Chosin Reservoir Battle. When one of them is shot down behind enemy lines, and pinned in his burning plane, the other faces an unthinkable choice: watch his friend die or attempt history's most audacious one-man rescue mission.

Chronicles the life of the first African-American naval aviator and discusses how he overcame racism and hatred in the Navy reserve.