FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Col Walker Melville "Bud" Mahurin ~ 31 August 2015

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

Col. Bud Mahurin

(Info found here.)

           

Thank you to alfa6 for his suggestion of this hero!  What an incredible story this man had!  He is home now, guarding the streets of heaven.  God rest his soul.

Colonel Walker Melville "Bud" Mahurin (December 5, 1918 – May 11, 2010) was a retired officer of the United States Air Force (USAF). During World War II, while serving in the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), he was a notable flying ace.

Bud Mahurin was the first American pilot to become a double ace in the European Theater and the only ace to shoot down enemy planes in both the European and Pacific Theaters and the Korean War. During World War II he was credited with 20.75 aerial victories, making him the sixth-highest American P-47 ace. He was credited with shooting down 3.5 MiG-15s in Korea, giving him a total of 24.25 aircraft destroyed in aerial combat.

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Born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, Mahurin joined the U.S. Army Air Forces as an aviation cadet on September 29, 1941 after several years as an engineering student at Purdue University. Graduating from pilot training on April 29, 1942, he was subsequently assigned to the 63d Fighter Squadron, 56th Fighter Group and deployed to England with the group in January 1943. Based at Halesworth, England, Captain Mahurin became a flight leader in the 63rd FS and began flying missions in May.

On August 17, 1943, he scored his first two aerial victories by shooting down a pair of German Focke-Wulf Fw 190s while escorting B-17 bombers as part of the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission. One of these fighters was flown by Major Wilhelm "Wutz" Galland, Gruppenkommandeur of II/JG 26, and an ace with some 55 claims to his credit. He became an ace on October 4 after shooting down three Messerschmitt Bf110s. On November 26, Mahurin shot down three more Bf-110s to become the first American pilot in the European Theater of Operations to score 10 aerial victories. His primary aircraft, P-47D-5-RE 42-8487, bore the squadron codes UN:M and was nicknamed The Spirit of Atlantic City, N.J.

Mahurin was promoted to major on March 21, 1944, and on March 27, Major Mahurin's P-47 was heavily damaged by a German Dornier Do-217 bomber he helped shoot down, forcing him to bail out. He was picked up by French Resistance forces and, two months later, returned to England. Due to his knowledge of the French Resistance, he was grounded and sent home.

In October, he again went overseas as commander of the 3rd Fighter Squadron, the combat element of the composite 3rd Air Commando Group in the Philippines. While based at Mangaldan, Luzon, in January 1945 he was credited with a kill of a Japanese bomber. Mahurin was promoted to lieutenant colonel on May 28, 1945 and became commander of the 3rd Air Commando Group in September 1945.

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In 1950, at the start of the Korean War, Mahurin was serving in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. In July 1951 he became commander of the 1st Fighter Group, training in the North American F-86 Sabre. In December he began a 90-day tour of temporary duty with the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, serving as special assistant to the wing commander, Col. Francis S. Gabreski. Mahurin transferred to the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing on March 18, 1952, to command its 4th Fighter-Interceptor Group. On May 13, 1952, while strafing ground targets, his F-86 was shot down by North Korean ground fire; after crash-landing, breaking his arm in the process, he was captured by enemy forces.

Mahurin spent 16 months in a North Korean prisoner of war (POW) camp. He endured torture that included intense questioning, solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, threats of execution, and brainwashing. While being questioned about false claims of the United States' use of biological warfare, he falsely admitted to dropping canisters of insects over North Korea. He was later released in September 1953, well after the war's end, and promoted to full Colonel. His experience in brainwashing techniques provided the U.S. with invaluable material to develop survival training courses. Nevertheless, he and other returning POWs were condemned by Senator Richard Russell, Jr. and others because of their false confessions.

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In 1956, Mahurin retired from the U.S. Air Force to accept a senior position in the aviation industry. While the Air Force attributes this to his own choice, stating that he was low on the promotion list to permanent colonel and unlikely to make general, a pilot under his command in Korea, Robert Smith, asserts that the Air Force dishonored itself by pressuring Mahurin to resign from the service as a result of political infighting over the confessions, just four years short of becoming eligible for retirement benefits.

Link to an interview with Col. Mahurin here.

More here.

Thank you, sir, for your service and sacrifice!

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission! 

[mylife]

ZZzzzz..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zz-yDeA9vQ

[Kathy in Alaska]

Welcome to the Canteen, immadashell....you make a serious point.

[SandRat]

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Sand...((HUGS))...any grands still visiting?

How is Charlie with the little ones? He is too cute. What has he learned best at puppy school?

[immadashell]

Easy padner, He was in Vietsnam you know

yeah, for about 3 months. If he had stayed any longer he would have been fragged and we wouldn't have to worry about what the treasonous bastard is doing to us today.

[luvie]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Say it isn't soooooooo! :'(

[luvie]

Great thread, Galz! What a wonderful airbourn hero he was!

Off we gooooooo.........

[Kathy in Alaska]

I hate the way those “attacks” sneak up on you. Glad you made it home ok. Hope you are feeling better this evening.

[mylife]

Yessir. How has this asshat risen to his present position?

[Kathy in Alaska]

As well you should be....

Do I understand he can get all his classes from home base?

[Kathy in Alaska]

I usually find mine on top of my head....and lately on a table or counter in another room or downstairs or in the garage. *sigh*

Multiple pairs are a necessity. LOL!

[The Mayor]

Rested all day. Thank you

[mylife]

I always find them right where I left them..

It’s the mystery between that makes me skritch my head

[Kathy in Alaska]

Have a wonderful week ahead.

[PROCON]

His first two years from home base, not sure after that.

We'll see where it leads.

Hitting the sack, night Ma!

[luvie]

LOL! That’s mean!

[mylife]

Tis

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good night, my. Thanks for helping honor our military, and thank you for your service to our country.

[mylife]

73 Dear Kath

[Kathy in Alaska]

Nooooooooooo....I’m not ready, altho I’ve made good progress this weekend. Still some stuff to finish up this evening.