[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 28, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF ENSIGN JESSE L. BROWN, USN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GENE TAYLOR

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 27, 2007

  Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I rise today in tribute to the life and 
service of ENS Jesse LeRoy Brown, United States Navy. Ensign Brown was 
born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on 13 October 1926. He enlisted in 
the Naval Reserve in 1946 and was appointed a Midshipman, USN, the 
following year. After attending Navy pre-flight school and flight 
training, he was designated a Naval Aviator in October 1948, the first 
African-American to achieve this status. Midshipman Brown was then 
assigned to Fighter Squadron 32. He received his commission as an 
Ensign in April 1949.
  During the Korean War, he operated from USS Leyte, flying F4U-4 
Corsair fighter aircraft in support of United Nations forces. On 
December 4, 1950, while on a close air support mission near the Chosin 
Reservoir, Ensign Brown's plane was hit by enemy fire and crashed. 
Despite heroic efforts by other aviators, he could not be rescued and 
died in his aircraft. ENS Jesse L. Brown was awarded the Distinguished 
Flying Cross for his Korean War combat service.
  In honor of his service, the Secretary of the Navy named the 38th 
ship in the Knox-class of frigates the USS Jesse L. Brown.
  Madam Speaker, I know my colleagues will join me in honoring Jesse's 
memory, and celebrating the addition of a plaque in his memory to the 
Naval Aviation Monument Park in Virginia Beach, to be presented May 5, 
2007. Ensign Brown was both a pioneer and a model of service to 
country, who gave his life that we might enjoy our freedom.

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