Happy birthday, Captain Hudner!
CONCORD (CBS) — A 92-year-old Korean War hero and Medal of Honor recipient got a birthday surprise from the U.S. Navy Wednesday.
Fifty Navy Chief Petty Officers arrived in Concord around noon Wednesday after travelling from the USS Constitution in Charlestown. to honor Captain Thomas Hudner.
The officers marched down Allen Farm Lane in Concord, where Captain Hudner lives, and met the veteran outside of his home.
There, they sang the Navy Hymn and Happy Birthday as members of his family looked on.
“He’s a national treasure, one that should be recognized,” one of the officers told WBZ-TV.
During the Korean War, in 1950, Captain Hudner’s wingman, Jesse Brown–the Navy’s first black carrier pilot–was shot down during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. Hudner intentionally crashed his own plane to try to save his friend, an action that led to his being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
