Surviving Hell

A POW’S Journey

Biography & Memoir, Historical
Cover of the book Surviving Hell by Leo Thorsness, Encounter Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Leo Thorsness ISBN: 9781594035470
Publisher: Encounter Books Publication: April 19, 2011
Imprint: Encounter Books Language: English
Author: Leo Thorsness
ISBN: 9781594035470
Publisher: Encounter Books
Publication: April 19, 2011
Imprint: Encounter Books
Language: English
On April 19, 1967, Air Force Colonel Leo Thorsness was on a mission over North Vietnam when his wingman was shot down by an enemy MiG, which then lined up for a gunnery pass on the two American pilots who had bailed out. Although his F 105 was not designed for aerial combat, Thorsness engaged the MiG and destroyed it. Spotting four more MiGs, he fought his way through a barrage of North Vietnamese SAMs to engage them too, shooting down one and driving off the others. For this action, Thorsness was awarded the Medal of Honor. But he didn’t learn about it until years later-by a “tap code” coming through prison walls-because on April 30, Thorsness was shot down, captured, and transported to the Hanoi Hilton. Surviving Hell recounts a six-year captivity marked by hours of brutal torture and days of agonizing boredom. With a novelist’s eye for character and detail, Thorsness describes how he and other American POWs strove to keep their humanity. Thrown into solitary confinement for refusing to bow down to his captors, for instance, he disciplined his mind by memorizing long passages of poetry that other prisoners sent him by tap code. Filled with hope and humor, Surviving Hell is an eloquent story of resistance and survival. No other book about American POWs has described so well the strategies these remarkable men used in their daily effort to maintain their dignity. With resilience and resourcefulness, they waged war by other means in the darkest days of a long captivity.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
On April 19, 1967, Air Force Colonel Leo Thorsness was on a mission over North Vietnam when his wingman was shot down by an enemy MiG, which then lined up for a gunnery pass on the two American pilots who had bailed out. Although his F 105 was not designed for aerial combat, Thorsness engaged the MiG and destroyed it. Spotting four more MiGs, he fought his way through a barrage of North Vietnamese SAMs to engage them too, shooting down one and driving off the others. For this action, Thorsness was awarded the Medal of Honor. But he didn’t learn about it until years later-by a “tap code” coming through prison walls-because on April 30, Thorsness was shot down, captured, and transported to the Hanoi Hilton. Surviving Hell recounts a six-year captivity marked by hours of brutal torture and days of agonizing boredom. With a novelist’s eye for character and detail, Thorsness describes how he and other American POWs strove to keep their humanity. Thrown into solitary confinement for refusing to bow down to his captors, for instance, he disciplined his mind by memorizing long passages of poetry that other prisoners sent him by tap code. Filled with hope and humor, Surviving Hell is an eloquent story of resistance and survival. No other book about American POWs has described so well the strategies these remarkable men used in their daily effort to maintain their dignity. With resilience and resourcefulness, they waged war by other means in the darkest days of a long captivity.

More books from Encounter Books

Cover of the book A Time for Governing by Leo Thorsness
Cover of the book Liberal Oasis by Leo Thorsness
Cover of the book The Closing of the Liberal Mind by Leo Thorsness
Cover of the book Unmasking the Administrative State by Leo Thorsness
Cover of the book Blood of Tyrants by Leo Thorsness
Cover of the book The Reformer by Leo Thorsness
Cover of the book The Rise and Fall of Violent Crime in America by Leo Thorsness
Cover of the book Indoctrination U by Leo Thorsness
Cover of the book The Bad Science and Bad Policy of Obama?s Global Warming Agenda by Leo Thorsness
Cover of the book Fighting the Mafia & Renewing Sicilian Culture by Leo Thorsness
Cover of the book Making David into Goliath by Leo Thorsness
Cover of the book A Republic No More by Leo Thorsness
Cover of the book The Lives of the Constitution by Leo Thorsness
Cover of the book The Truth About Gun Control by Leo Thorsness
Cover of the book The Faithful Departed by Leo Thorsness
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy