BATH, Maine — A naval aviator who crash-landed his plane to try to save a downed pilot in the Korean War is being honored with a ship bearing his name.
Medal of Honor recipient Tom Hudner, who’s 92, watched Saturday as the future USS Thomas Hudner was christened during a snowstorm at Bath Iron Works in Maine.
Hudner did the only thing he could think of to help after he saw a fellow fighter pilot trapped in a burning plane behind enemy lines in the Korean War. He crash-landed his own plane, climbed out and tried to save his comrade, Ensign Jesse Brown.
Brown, who was the first African-American naval aviator, died despite Hudner’s efforts. A U.S. Navy frigate was named for Brown in 1973.