North Park Little League: My Site News

Hudner Story
FALL RIVER -- The day was cold and wet at Hudner Field on Saturday, much like it was more than 54 years ago, when Fall River native Lt. Thomas J. Hudner saw his wingman’s plane shot down by enemy fire over North Korea.

His actions that day in attempting to save that wingman’s life would give him one of only 131 Medals of Honor given during the Korean War. He is only one of 37 of those recipients who is still alive to tell about it.

In the early 1970s, desperately looking for a place to play baseball for the hundreds of city kids with no place to go, Dave Bishop and a legion of more than 100 volunteers, including electricians and construction workers, would remove five truckloads full of trash off a long-vacant acre and a half field that on June 25, 1972, would from then on carry the name of "A True Fall River Hero," Capt. Thomas J. Hudner Jr.

Although a plaque had been erected to commemorate the site in Hudner’s name, it has since disappeared.

When the missing plaque was brought to the attention of Fall River Veterans Representative Paul R. Solomon last year, he made a few calls.

After more than a year of discussions about restoring the field and plaque, the Fall River Veterans Association and the mayor’s office decided to go one step further.

"The city is grateful to the men and women that have ensured that we live in the best country on earth," Solomon said, who served as master of ceremonies for the rededication. "We want these veterans to be remembered long after they are gone."

A stone monument was unveiled in front of the field on Saturday, to forever honor the name Capt. Thomas J. Hudner Jr.

"This is as important as anything else in recognizing the heroes among us," said Mayor Edward M. Lambert Jr. "This city dedicated this field 33 years ago, and as it was back then and as it is now, it is a place where tomorrow’s heroes will play."

But how many people who have driven by or played on Hudner’s Field, a baseball field adjacent to the Stanley Street fire Station, know how that field got its name?

"I represent 320 teams that make up the American Little League, and I am ashamed to say that I never took the time to find out why this field was named Hudner field. To many of us, it was known as Stanley Street Field," said Dan Cuillio, president of the American Little League. "Now that I have taken the time to know the true meaning of Hudner Field, and the notion behind the spirit of teamwork that Hudner had, there is no better way to teach our own players then through the story of Thomas Hudner."

His story is a heroic one. There was a blanket of snow on the entire landscape as members of the Navy Fighter Squadron 32 flew a reconnaissance mission over North Korea on the afternoon of Dec. 4, 1950. Flying at a low altitude, Navy Flier Jesse Brown’s plane, one of six pilots on the mission and the Navy’s first black pilot, was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Brown lost his engine. Too low to bail out, Brown crashed his plane into the snow-covered mountain, buckling his fuselage. Brown’s wingman, Hudner, upon seeing Brown’s plane go down, was certain Brown would be killed on impact. Flying over the crash site, Hudner noticed Brown’s arm waving weakly from his canopy. With little hesitation, Hudner crashed his own plane into the mountain in hopes of rescuing Brown from enemy territory.

Hudner did not ask for permission to land the plane, because he knew that under these circumstances it would have been denied.

Unable to force the cockpit window open, Hudner radioed for assistance from his carrier, the USS Leyte, as he frantically tossed snow onto the smoking engine. He tried to talk to Brown as the pilot drifted in and out of consciousness.

Although a rescue helicopter arrived a half hour later, the men were unable to free Brown, who died inside the cockpit.

In February 1951, Hudner discovered that he was to be the first American serviceman in the Korean War to receive the Medal of Honor. President Harry S. Truman presented Hudner with the Medal of Honor on April 13, 1951, with Brown’s widow on hand.

"I assure you that every family that enjoys this field will know every chapter and verse of why this field is named the Thomas Hudner Field," added Cuillio.

Hudner is only one of 124 remaining Medal of Honor recipients alive today.

Following his combat tour, Hudner served a long and distinguished Naval career, which included duties as executive officer of the USS Kitty Hawk and the head of Aviation Technical Training on the staff of the chief of Naval Operations, finishing at the rank of captain.

"How do you define duty, honor, courage, integrity and loyalty? Try Thomas Hudner, a very special person in this great city of Fall River," said George Brenner, president of the Battleship Massachusetts board of directors.

After retiring from the Navy in 1973, Hudner served as Massachusetts commissioner of veterans affairs and as a member of Battleship Cove’s corporate board and board of directors.

"When they named this field after me in 1972, I felt very honored, and today I am absolutely delighted," said Hudner, who admitted his surprise at the unveiling of the permanent monument that held his name.

"Through the late ’20s and the ’30s, my first school was the Highland School and this area was the center of our after school, and having a field like this one did a lot for us growing up," Hudner said.

Hudner would go on to say how much the world had changed for his band of friends with the start of World War II, the Korean War and eventually Vietnam, adding that many of his friends would go to war and a few less of them would come home afterward.

"But we are embroiled in a war today like no other, but we will win this war because of the spirit of the American people," added Hudner. "I am proud of the 30 years I had spent as a member of the Navy and proud of the support we have had from the American people."

And that pride begins right here, in the Spindle City.

"Every time we drive by this field, we should remember the sacrifice of every single son and daughter that has answered the call for their country, because today, our young people are our VIPs," added Lambert.

E-mail Jay Pateakos at

jpateakos@heraldnews.com.



©The Herald News 2005


Volunteers Wanted
League officials will be present at Spencer Borden School on Saturday March 12 from 10:00 A.M. to 12 P.M. to take volunteer applications from league members that wish to donate their time in the 2005 season. The league welcomes anyone willing to contribute toward making the 2005 season a success.