Nov 09, 2015 06:10 AM EST
Korean War Book 'Devotion' Speaks of Friendship, Heroism

Adam Makos, author of the book "Devotion", retells the story of friendship between two U.S. Navy pilots during the tumultuous years of the Korean War.

Thomas Hudner, now 91, came from a white affluent family from Fall River, Massachusetts, while Jesse Brown was the son of a black sharecropper from Lux, Mississippi. The two came together as wingmen in Fighter Squadron 32 at the outbreak of the Korean War, and in the process formed a strong bond.

Brown, who was the first African-American Navy pilot, died in the icy landscape of North Korea in 1950 after being shot down by enemy forces in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. Hudner was unable to save Brown despite crash-landing his own aircraft into the cold terrain in an effort to lift him out of the plane wreck.

Trapped and wounded, Hudner and his colleagues were unable to rescue Brown even after a helicopter team arrived. The team was later forced to evacuate, leaving Brown and his downed aircraft behind.

It is believed that Brown died shortly after due to his injuries and the extreme weather. Hudner pleaded to return to the crash site to recover Brown's body, but was rejected by his superiors, fearing more casualties.

In order to prevent the enemies from getting a hold of the downed aircraft, the crash site was bombed with napalm two days later, and Brown's body was consumed by the fire.

Hudner received the Medal of Honor in 1951 for the brave attempt at saving his friend.

"It's an inspirational story," said Makos, speaking to the Associated Press. "Jesse Brown didn't get a fair shake from history." Makos is also the author of another wartime chronicle entitled "A Higher Call."

Even if it has been 65 years since the war, the memories of their friendship is something Hudner still keeps with him, even if theirs was an unlikely one due to differences in race and class.

In 2013, Hudson went back to North Korea with the intention of bringing Brown's remains back home. According to an interview with the New York Times in 2013, he took the trip to bring closure to himself and to Brown's wife Daisy Brown Thorne, whom Brown wrote to everyday. However, bad weather conditions prevented him from doing accomplishing this task. That year also marked the end of the Korean War.

According to the same interview with the Associated Press, not a day passes when Hudner doesn't think of Brown. He states, "The friendship with Jesse took me out of that bubble and taught me that not everyone grew up like me."

The book was released on Oct. 27, just in time for Veteran's Day on Nov. 11.

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