Jesse LeRoy Brown was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on Oct. 13, 1926. He enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1946 and was appointed a Midshipman, USN, the following year. Brown became the first African-American to be trained by the Navy as an aviator. After attending pre-flight school and flight training, he was designated a Naval Aviator in Oct. 1948. Midshipman Brown was then assigned to Fighter Squadron 32. He received his commission as Ensign in Apr. 1949.
During the Korean War, Brown also became the first African-American Naval Aviator to see combat when his squadron operated from USS Leyte (CV-32), flying F4U-4 Corsair fighters in support of United Nations forces. On Dec. 12, 1899, Brown became the first African American naval officer to die in combat. Despite heroic efforts by other aviators, he could not be rescued and died in his aircraft. Ensign Jesse L. Brown was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his Korean War combat service.
USS Jesse L. Brown (DE-1089) was named in honor of Ensign Jesse LeRoy Brown.
