Posted on 10/01/2010 6:27:39 AM PDT by yoe
One of the highlights of my experience writing for Power Line was meeting Leo Thorsness in the summer of 2008 when he came to town speaking on behalf of the McCain presidential campaign. Colonel Thorness had been "tied up" in the Hanoi Hilton with John McCain for six or seven years and was touring the country to support McCain. Colonel Thorsness is a recipient of the Medal of Honor for a mission he flew shortly before he was shot down and captured. Yet the bravery he displayed in captivity is on par with the heroics that earned him the Medal of Honor.
I wrote about my experience meeting Colonel Thorsness and subsequently wrote about his powerful and moving memoir (Surviving Hell: A POW's Journey). The book was a success in hardcover and is now scheduled to be published in paperback next March. But you don't have to wait until then to read it. The book remains in print.
[snip]Rereading the book and revisiting the subject of POW memoirs, I realized I had forgotten the story of Jeremiah Denton, mentioned in passing by Colonel Thorsness in the book. Like the story of Colonel Thorsness, Denton's is a story that should be known by all Americans. Here is (a short refresher.)
(Excerpt) Read more at powerlineblog.com ...
I read When Hell Was In Session around 1980. It was formative to my conservatism.
My mother retired as a Coast Guard civilian. At one time she was the asst manager of the commissary and whenever Adm Denton and his wife would come in, he’d always ask for my mother to assist them. She absolutely loved him. He’s our hometown hero here in Mobile and he’s certainly one of America’s heroes. A friend of mine was one of the pilots that flew the POWs out of Hanoi and he said that was an experience he will never forget. I’ve been very lucky over the years to have met and become friends with several POWs and they will always have my love and respect.
My father’s class at the Naval Academy (1947)is the same as ADM Denton, ADM Stockdale and Tom Pownall (CEO, Martin Marrietta), etc. We have always been so pleased and proud to know he was with these great guys...
But the class also had Jimmy Carter, Stan Turner and ADM Wm Crowe (Clinton lover) and those guys haven’t been our faves...
Yep. Amazing book, amazing man. Another one of my heroes.
I will never forget his amazing will to resist, blinking his eyes, bowing at the waist, putting his life on the line to resist his captors.
Him and Stockdale. Two of my heroes. REAL heroes.
Hey buddy...:)
I wore two of those as a kid...Denton and Stockdale. I wore the things till they rotted and fell off my wrist.
Crud. I keep forgetting and getting it mixed up...it was Dick Stratton who bowed at the waist...must be my age, I ALWAYS get that mixed up.
As I recall, wrists turned green.
Exactly...that is what mine did, turned green and corroded. Of course, I lived in the PI and it was ALWAYS hot, humid and sweaty there! They both simply crumbled over time and fell off my wrist.
Interestingly, McCain was my Commanding Officer for a short period of time in 1975-1976...(rolls eyes)
That was my favorite uniform I liked to see officers in...my dad looked great in it...:)
coulda been space aliens perfecting their aim from 150k feet.
That sure would explain a lot of things...
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