Hattiesburg, MS – United States

Memorial Site

The African American Military History Museum pays tribute to African Americans who distinguished themselves in every war since the Revolutionary War. On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order to integrate the military, which led to 600,000 African Americans fighting in the Korean War between 1950-1953.

The Museum is located in the hometown of Ensign Jesse LeRoy Brown—the first Black aviator in the US Navy and a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart Medal, and the Air Medal. He died when his aircraft crashed on a remote mountaintop on Dec 4, 1950 while supporting ground soldiers at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.

Mr. Brown’s wingman, Thomas J. Hudner, Jr., intentionally crashed his own aircraft in a rescue attempt, but was unable to save him. In July 2013, Mr. Hudner visited Pyongyang in an attempt to recover Mr. Brown’s remains from the crash site.