The Devotion Of Friends
“A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” — Job 6:14
The Korean War movie “Devotion” is based on the true story of the U.S. Navy’s first Black fighter pilot, Jesse Brown, and his white wingman Tom Hudner. Tom and Jesse’s friendship grew during the time they flew together.
On their last mission together, Jesse’s plane was shot down over North Korea. He was able to guide the plane onto a frozen lake, but then found himself trapped in the plane that had collapsed around him.
Devoted to his wingman, Tom risked his life to save Jesse whose aircraft was now on fire. Fully aware of the extreme danger in landing on the rough mountainous terrain, Tom put his plane down skillfully in a deliberate wheels-up landing in the presence of enemy troops. With his bare hands, he packed the fuselage with snow to keep the flames away from Jesse and struggled to pull him free.
Unsuccessful in this Tom returned to his crashed aircraft and radioed other airborne planes, requesting that a helicopter be dispatched with an ax and fire extinguisher. He then remained on the spot despite the continuing danger from enemy action and, with the assistance of the rescue pilot, renewed a desperate but unavailing battle against time, cold, and flames. Jesse died knowing that his friend was…
