Jesse L. Brown Photographs

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Jesse L. Brown (1926-1950) was the first African-American US Navy pilot. This collection consists of twenty-two snapshots taken by Phillip Jones, many of which include images of his friend Jesse L. Brown, as well as friends John Brannon, Sam Clauzel, and Rex Vannoy, during their US Navy flight training at Pensacola, Florida.

Jesse L. Brown (1926-1950) was the first African-American US Navy pilot. Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to sharecroppers, Brown attended The Ohio State University and enlisted in the US Naval Reserve on July 8,1946. The following spring, he accepted an appointment as a midshipman in the US Navy. Brown attended the Navy preflight school in Ottumwa, Iowa, followed by flight training at Pensacola, Florida, where he was one of only six (out of 100) to complete the training. In 1948, Brown began a tour of duty with VF-32 at Quonset Point, RI, and was commissioned an ensign on April 15th of that year. In June 1950, VF-32 was operating from USS Leyte in the Mediterranean on a routine cruise when it was diverted to the Korean War. By October 1950, Brown was flying Vought F4U-4 Corsair missions from the USS Leyte. Brown became a section leader and received the Air Medal for daring attacks against the enemy before getting shot down by enemy fire and perishing in the wreckage of his aircraft. Brown was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and on March 18, 1972, the Navy christened the USS Jesse L. Brown (DE-1098), the first time that a US Naval vessel had been named for an African-American.

Identifier

NASM.2003.0049

Creator

Jones, Phillip

Date

1947

Provenance

Joan B. Jones, Gift, 2003, NASM.2003.0049

Extent

0.05 Cubic feet (1 folder)

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of twenty-two snapshots taken by Phillip Jones, many of which include images of his friend Jesse L. Brown, as well as friends John Brannon, Sam Clauzel, and Rex Vannoy, during their US Navy flight training at Pensacola, Florida. In several of the photographs, they are shown posing in front of a North American SNJ Texan and in others they are posing in front of a Stearman N2S Kaydet. There are also a few images of Pensacola training facilities as well as Sikorsky HNS-1 and various other training aircraft.

Arrangement note

Collection is in original order.

Rights

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Citation

Jesse L. Brown Photographs, NASM.2003.0049, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

African American air pilots
Aeronautics
Korean War, 1950-1953
Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Aerial operations
Medals -- United States

Type

Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Snapshots

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