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Honest John
HONEST JOHN is the dramatic unvarnished autobiography of Walker “Bud” Mahurin, an American fighter ace who performed extraordinary feats of skill and bravery in shooting down more than twenty enemy planes in two wars, only to be called a traitor by many after he was forced to sign a germ-warfare confession by the Chinese Communists.
In his own words, Col. Mahurin recalls the youth from Fort Wayne, Indiana, who was the leading American ace in Europe until his Thunderbolt was shot down over France, who escaped to fight again in the Pacific and returned in 1945 a much decorated war hero. When hostilities broke out in Korea in 1950, Col. Mahurin wangled his way out of his Pentagon desk job and soon, under the code name of “Honest John,” was flying against the MIGs over Communist skies. Then one fateful day in May, 1952, while perfecting the F-86 dive-bombing technique he himself had pioneered, his Sabre jet was hit by ground fire and crashed in a North Korean rice paddy.
Thus began Col. Mahurin’s ordeal, an experience which few Americans have encountered and fewer still have survived. For over a year he was kept in solitary confinement by his captors, interrogated almost constantly and subjected to a veritable arsenal of mental pressures and “invisible tortures” as the Communists sought their elusive confession. In harrowing detail he relates his attempt at suicide and his devices for resisting while still maintaining sanity…
In his own words, Col. Mahurin recalls the youth from Fort Wayne, Indiana, who was the leading American ace in Europe until his Thunderbolt was shot down over France, who escaped to fight again in the Pacific and returned in 1945 a much decorated war hero. When hostilities broke out in Korea in 1950, Col. Mahurin wangled his way out of his Pentagon desk job and soon, under the code name of “Honest John,” was flying against the MIGs over Communist skies. Then one fateful day in May, 1952, while perfecting the F-86 dive-bombing technique he himself had pioneered, his Sabre jet was hit by ground fire and crashed in a North Korean rice paddy.
Thus began Col. Mahurin’s ordeal, an experience which few Americans have encountered and fewer still have survived. For over a year he was kept in solitary confinement by his captors, interrogated almost constantly and subjected to a veritable arsenal of mental pressures and “invisible tortures” as the Communists sought their elusive confession. In harrowing detail he relates his attempt at suicide and his devices for resisting while still maintaining sanity…
355 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 28, 2021
A very good book from a man who went through Hell. Shot down in Korea and taken prisoner by the Chinese, he was forced to sign a confession about using germ-warfare tactics. For this he, and many other prisoners, were tarred with Traitor. I'd like to see how many of these same armchair-John Wayne-level 'war heroes' would stand up under similar conditions!
January 18, 2011
My brother & I found this in the school library when I was in 4th grade & he was in 6th. We had to do reports on a biography. My brother chose this one because we shared the same last name with the author. Come to find out we are related and wow! after reading this, quite proud to be related to a famous Flying Ace. Snoopy could only dream of becoming what Bud Mahurin became!
March 17, 2019
Honest John
This was a very captivating,pun intended read. A couple of years ago I saw Colonel Mahurin on some t.v. program and I wanted to learn more of his story,it seems he was badly treated by his own government after his return the war.
This was a very captivating,pun intended read. A couple of years ago I saw Colonel Mahurin on some t.v. program and I wanted to learn more of his story,it seems he was badly treated by his own government after his return the war.
November 13, 2015
Outstanding book, I have read and reread it many times.
Colonel Manurin describes his experiences in WWII and Korea. This is a must read for anyone interested in military aviation history.
Colonel Manurin describes his experiences in WWII and Korea. This is a must read for anyone interested in military aviation history.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews