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Jesse Leroy Brown
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Rank
Ensign, U.S. Navy
Unit
32 FITRON
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Date of Death
December 4, 1950
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Ensign Brown was the first African-American aviator with the United States Navy. During the Korean war, he was the pilot of a F4U-4 Corsair fighter with Fighter Squadron 32 aboard the aircraft carrier USS LEYTE (CV-32). On December 4, 1950, he was a section leader of a flight supporting the withdrawal of the marines near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. His aircraft was shot down by enemy small arms fire. He managed a crash landing, but received mortal wounds during crash. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. |
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