FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Col Bud Mahurin ~ May 24, 2010

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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! 

[HiJinx]

It sure did. That’s probably one of the reasons it is no longer used.

Those were wonderful days and nights, watching their little chests heave as they tried to breathe, too out of breath to move much, then being unable to stay still after taking that drug.

[TASMANIANRED]

The new treatments have made a lot of difference.

[TASMANIANRED]

No we are 1 person down.

[oldteen]

I haven’t been to an IHOP in many years. We used to go there around 1AM after work and have breakfast. I can’t even keep my eyes open until 1AM these days...lol. No to everything...not sneeze free and no walk. The wind was too much today and yesterday was wet. Frustrating!

[BIGLOOK]

Just reading through the past conversations.....People are getting really weird, they panic over the littlest things....and then they call you! But how can you tell over the phone if the caller has OCD? Do they hit a key constantly during the phone conversation?

If they do, they may have a wonderful career opportunity as a gov't social services automated telephone communications programmer *** ** ***

[TASMANIANRED]

Theophylline has a narrow therapeutic window and it is dangerous as $#$# in overdose.

Many safer things to use now.

[oldteen]

I know what you mean. Neither my daughter nor my son had asthma however, all my grandchildren had it when they were young. Started around a year with all 4 of them. Now the g-granddaughter is as well. She has been on an inhaler since she was 11 months old. She’s now 15 mos. Thank goodness no more Theophylline.

[TASMANIANRED]

With repeat callers you get to recognize their voices.

Plus we have to get zip codes on all callers..Has to do with proving we provide service to every county.

To a certain extent we are adjacent to the mental health field. When someone calls 30 times about innocuous things they are for sure obsessing..

[TASMANIANRED]

It’s time for me to bug out.

Night Teeny.

Night all.

[oldteen]

G’night TAZ. Safe trip home. *hugs*

[HiJinx]

Sweet dreams, Taz.

[Kathy in Alaska]

A leg workout is good for you.....

And how often are you and your umbrella in the same place at the needed time? d:o)

[Kathy in Alaska]

We just had a lady mistake gunpowder for black powder and seasoned her pot of beans with it.

How does one make such a mistake?? My goodness!

[oldteen]

How does one make such a mistake

Really makes you wonder, doesn't it?

[HiJinx]

Nana asked the same question, about storing black powder in the spice cabinet.

I guess charcoal, sulphur, and salt-peter are not necessarily bad for you on their own...

[oldteen]

LOL HJ!!

[HiJinx]

Okay, looks like it’s time to say goodnight.

Goodnight!

See y’all tomorrow some time.

[Kathy in Alaska]

We spent the last 2 weeks short the Payroll Manager. So my cubbie mate had to do her stuff....the past week found that anything that could go wrong, did. So many units had problems, but we finally made it to the end of the week and got everything done.

Being short is not fun! It must be doubly hard for you in the care department. So many questions, the need for so many answers on the spot, and then the “regulars”, like Lint Lady and Butt Lady. You work so hard.

[oldteen]

G’night HJ. Have a great Monday!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Some things folks do amaze me. Gunpowder in the kitchen cupboard is beyond the pale. A kid could get a hold of it!