Destroyer’s Name Honors Aviator Who Tried to Save Comrade

BATH, Maine (AP) — A naval aviator who crash-landed his airplane 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, planned to be on hand Saturday as the future USS Hudner was christened 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. The lieutenant 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.