Pilot William A. “Skeeter” Hudson and radar operator Carl S. Fraser scored the first air victory in the Korean War. They were initially crewed together in 1948 while flying the P-61B Black Widow with the 68th Fighter All-Weather Squadron (FAWS), but soon transitioned to the North American F-82G Twin Mustang. On 26 June 1950, one day after North Korean forces burst across the 38th Parallel and threatened the South Korean capitol of Seoul, the 68 FAWS was ordered into action from its home station at Itazuki Air Base, Japan.

As members of the first American flight to reach Korea, Lieutenants Hudson and Fraser were involved in the opening of the air war when a pair of Russian built fighters made an unsuccessful firing pass on their patrol formation. On the morning of 27 June, North Korean fighters again engaged the F-82s, and Hudson and Fraser quickly downed one of the attacking aircraft. During the next few months, they flew 53 more combat missions, including day and night bombing, strafing, bomber escort, and armed reconnaissance sorties.

Their targets proved as varied as their missions; for example, their confirmed “kills” included five camels used by the North Koreans to move supplies. In 1951, they were assigned as a crew to a test squadron in the United States. With this unit, they not only flew such American interceptors as the F-94 Starfire , but also traveled to Europe to test Allied aircraft. After flying with Fraser for 8 years, Hudson went on to complete a career in the Air Force and retired in 1964 as a lieutenant colonel.

Fraser, medically retired from the Air Force in 1961, has remained active in aviation by working for Hughes Aircraft on such fighter interceptor projects as the F-14 Tomcat.