Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus will
host a ship naming ceremony in honor of the USS Thomas Hudner on Tuesday, May
22, 2012, at 11 a.m. EDT on board the USS Constitution at Charleston Navy Yard,
Charleston, Mass.
Thomas J. Hudner Jr., a naval aviator
who retired as a captain, received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S.
Truman for displaying uncommon valor during an attack on his wingman, the first
African American naval aviator to fly in combat, Ensign Jesse L. Brown. During the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the
Korean War, anti-aircraft fire hit Brown’s aircraft, damaging a fuel line and
causing him to crash. After it became
clear Brown was seriously injured and unable to free himself, Hudner proceeded
to purposefully crash his own aircraft to join Brown and provide aid. Hudner injured his own back during his crash
landing, but he stayed with Brown until a rescue helicopter arrived. Hudner and the rescue pilot worked in the
sub-zero, snow-laden area in an unsuccessful attempt to free Brown from the
smoking wreckage.
Hudner is the last living Navy recipient
of the Medal of Honor from the Korean War.
The Arleigh Burke class destroyer will
be able to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis
management to sea control and power projection.
It will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles
simultaneously and will contain a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons
designed to support maritime warfare in keeping with the Navy’s ability to
execute the Department of Defense’s defense strategy.
Media interested in attending the event
may call USS Constitution public affairs at 617-799-8198. Media may direct queries to the Navy Office
of Information at 703-697-5342. For more
news from secretary of the Navy public affairs, visit http://www.navy.mil/SECNAV
.
More information about the Arleigh Burke
class destroyers is available online at
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=900&ct=4 .
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