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Biography · Military

Jesse L. Brown

1926–1950

United States

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Biography

Jesse LeRoy Brown (October 13, 1926 – December 4, 1950) was a United States Navy officer. He was the first African-American aviator to complete the United States Navy's basic flight training program (though not the first African-American Navy aviator), the first African-American naval officer killed in the Korean War, and a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross. Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to an impoverished family, Brown was avidly interested in aircraft from a young age.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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