Today, December 4th, 2025, marks the 75th anniversary of Captain Thomas J. Hudner Jr's valiant attempt to rescue Ensign Jesse L. Brown in the Chosin Reservoir.![]()
![]()
On December 4, 1950, Hudner, a native of Fall River, Massachusetts, and Brown, one of the first African-American U.S. naval aviators, were part of a flight of F4U Corsair fighter planes tasked with supporting U.S. Marine ground forces in Korea. During their mission, Ensign Brown's aircraft was struck by small arms fire, forcing him to crash-land in the Chosin Reservoir.![]()
![]()
Shortly after, Captain Hudner intentionally crash landed his own airplane in the reservoir and rushed to Brown's crash site to try and rescue him. Upon arriving at the now burning wreck, he found that Brown's legs were pinned in the cockpit. A rescue helicopter arrived shortly after and Hudner, accompanied by the pilot, tried for 45 minutes to free Brown to no avail. ![]()
![]()
Ensign Brown passed away shortly after from blood loss and exposure to extreme cold, and Hudner was forced to leave his body and evacuate by helicopter.![]()
![]()
Captain Hudner was awarded the Medal of Honor on April 13th, 1951, for his actions and met Brown's widow, Daisy, during the ceremony. The two would stay in contact for the next 50 years.![]()
![]()
The book "Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Brotherhood and Sacrifice " by Adam Makos details the entire ordeal, with a film adaptation which premiered in 2022.![]()
![]()
Today, we remember and honor Captain Hudner and Ensign Brown for their valiant service and sacrifices made in the pursuit of freedom.
The answer to the “What is it? Wednesday” question from November 26th is the hood ornament on our 1942 Buick! This car was one of the last produced at Buick's plant in Flint, Michigan in 1942. Buick was one of many companies who, after the United States entered WWII, stopped producing civilian goods and began the production of war goods.![]()
![]()
Stay tuned for the next “What is it? Wednesday” question tomorrow, December 3rd at 10:00 am EST!![]()
![]()
#americanheritagemuseum #whatisitwednesday
Their gift to us was freedom. On this Giving Tuesday, your gift ensures their stories are never forgotten.![]()
Give today: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/annualfund2025/![]()
![]()
At the American Heritage Museum, every field trip, veteran visit, and living-history weekend helps a new generation understand that freedom has a real weight—and a real cost. Your Giving Tuesday donation to our 2025–2026 Annual Fund keeps the doors open, the engines running, and the stories of service and sacrifice alive.![]()
![]()
Their gift to us was freedom. Your gift TODAY preserves their history.![]()
![]()
Make your Giving Tuesday gift now: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/annualfund2025/![]()
![]()
#GivingTuesday #AmericanHeritageMuseum #SupportHistory #NeverForget #veterans #historymuseum
Meet the German Sd.Kfz 251!![]()
![]()
#AmericanHeritageMuseum #visitma #militaryhistory #historymuseum #WWII #ww2 #tworldwarii #worldwar2 #army #tanks #worldoftanks #tanknerd #germanarmor #sdkfz #halftrack
Need the right size gift for someone tough to buy for? Try a Size M4! Give the gift of Tanks this season with a World War II Tank Experience Gift Certificate at the American Heritage Museum! Give someone a ride aboard history or let them take the controls and learn how to drive our M4 Sherman or M24 Chaffee! Get 10% off when you book with the promo code GIVETANKS25 until December 8th! ![]()
WWII Tank Experience Gift Certificates at the American Heritage Museum
www.americanheritagemuseum.org
Give the gift of history that is sure to be 50 tons of fun! World War II Tank Ride & Driving Program Gift Certificates are the perfect gift for the history lover in your life!
- This event has passed.
Speaker Series: Korea – The Now Remembered War
March 16, 2024 @ 1:30 pm, ending 2:30 pm
Free with standard museum admission
Join us at the American Heritage Museum for a special presentation by Major Michael Manougain on the Korean War and how modern military professionals are now studying and learning from the Korean War.
The Korean War serves an important war in American military history where the U.S. led a broad coalition of United Nations forces in combat for the first time. Additionally, the intensity of combat and scope of the war has also drawn the attention of military professionals as it may be the best war to learn from for future conflicts. This presentation will focus on the origins of the war, initial failures, sources of Chinese Communist Forces intervention, the changes made within the U.S. military that enabled successful United Nations’ counterattacks, and how military professionals are learning from and applying lessons from the war.
This presentation is part of standard museum admission for the day and does not require purchase of a separate ticket for the talk. Purchase museum admission online at this link. AHM members are admitted for free as part of their membership benefits.
