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Surviving Hell: A POWs Journey
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.
145 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
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230 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 27, 2011
Finished this exciting brief book in almost one sitting. I'm completely blown away by the character of POWs like Lt. Col Thorsness, Col Bud Day and even Sen. McCain. I mean leave the patriotic feelings and military duty out of this, the resilience and endurance of these people is really interesting and amazing. It's a life story, a guide to be stronger & a wonderful insight into the lives of these heroes. This book must be read by every young man and woman in America (or even Canada or other western countries for that matter as the meaning of courage and bravery is fading away from our midst). Having read some of Hanoi Hilton's graduates' memoirs/books and it is accurate to say that by far this book has been the greatest one. It's witty, funny and sometimes very sad and horrifying. It will make you laugh hard at times and the next sentence it will make you feel upset, enraged and horrified. All the time I was reading this book, I kept asking myself what I would do if it were me instead of Leo Thorsness in the infamous Hanoi Hilton? I constantly compared myself with these POWs and found out how small I am (emotionally and morally) compared to them when it comes to hardships and difficult times, even though I have had a pretty $hitty life experience myself but it is pale compared to theirs. Probably, I really don't know what a bad day means/is like. Thank you LTC Leo Thorsness for your service and thank you for sharing your story with the rest of us.
June 26, 2016
On April 19, 1967, Leo Thorsness was on a mission over North Vietnam when his wingman was shot down by an enemy MIG. Although his F-105 was not designed for aerial combat, Thorsness immediately engaged the enemy aircraft and destroyed it. When Thorsness spotted four more MIGs, he fought his way through a barrage of North Vietnamese SAMs to engage them too, shooting down one more and driving the others off. For his actions, Thorsness was awarded the Medal of Honor, but he didn’t learn about it until years later because on April 30 he was shot down, captured, and transported to the Hanoi Hilton. This is his account of surviving six years of brutal torture until he was finally released in 1973. How easily we forget the plight of John McCain and the other POWs who were captured during the Vietnam War. And Americans think water-boarding is cruel and unusual punishment.
May 30, 2012
I read this over memorial day weekend. It's actually a quick read. The author won the medal of honor for an air action prior to being shot down and captured. He ejected @ 690 miles an hour. Messed up his knees and zippered pockets off his flight suit were blown off.
He discussed being tortured and what it was like being locked up. He takes a surprisingly positive tone that makes it easier to read than some other stories I've read.
He relates some pretty powerful stories of brave men in prison. Worth reading.
He discussed being tortured and what it was like being locked up. He takes a surprisingly positive tone that makes it easier to read than some other stories I've read.
He relates some pretty powerful stories of brave men in prison. Worth reading.
September 11, 2014
Incredible story of an Medal of Honor Recipient who spent six year's in the hell of Ho Chi Mihn's Hanoi Hilton in North Vietnam. It's poignant and funny...I cried as I laughed. Having met Colonel Thorsness this summer, I can tell you this book is exactly him. He is the kindness man who will tell you that since returning home to his wife and daughter, he has never had a bad day. Surviving Hell has reminded me what a debt we owe to those who are willing to defend the freedom we take for granted every day.
September 17, 2018
If I could pick one book that has changed my life, this is it. In the introduction, Thorsness explained that his reason for writing the book was not so much to document his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, but to point out that the small problems we have in life are generally just small problems. He was so right. As the old saying goes: if a man has enough to eat, he has a lot of problems; if he doesn't, he has only one. And by way of extending the statement: enough sleep, enough clothing, enough protection from the elements, enough safety from torture, enough companionship. . .
June 23, 2014
Exceptional read with chilling details of his captivity. I have heard Mr. Thorsness speak in-person and am amazed by the character that defines that men and those who were held captive in the Hanoi Hilton. I highly recommend this book.
April 22, 2019
Interesting read
I thought this was a well written, factual account of one man’s experience. The strength of the POWs and their ingenuity in finding ways to communicate and support one another is inspiring.
I thought this was a well written, factual account of one man’s experience. The strength of the POWs and their ingenuity in finding ways to communicate and support one another is inspiring.
September 27, 2016
This is what a real superhero looks like. Thank you for your service Mr Thorsness.
July 6, 2017
My sister recommended the book "Surviving Hell, A POWS Journey" by Leo Thorsness. I picked it up a while ago but I just read it today. I wish I had read it earlier, before Col. Thorsness had passed away, and could write to him to tell him how this book changed my life. Since I can't do that, I decided to share my thoughts with you, my friends and family whom I love so much.
Reading Col. Thorness' account of being shot down allowed me a glimpse of what happened to my dad. I have never before read a first hand, uncensored, shoot down account. Much of the way I imagined things to be were imagined in little girl's brain. I feel now that I have a much better picture of what happened to my dad in his final hours.
Because my dad was unaccounted for after his shoot down, we didn't know if he had died or been captured and was a POW. We did know that he was an MIA. My mom became very active in the National League of POW/MIA families and, as a little girl, I put my dad in the category of POW. After the war ended and we realized that he was not a POW and had never been a POW it was hard to let go of the "daughter of a POW" identification I had assigned to myself. I still wondered...what if? For the first time ever, while reading this book, I was able to thank God that my father was not ever a POW imprisoned by the North Vietnamese. That is a huge healing step for my and my little girl heart. As we have met people who were in the Vietnam War and they have shared their story andI have shared my story, people inevitably say "Your dad was the true hero. He gave all." Yes, he gave his life, but I really believe that that POWS of Vietnam gave THEIR all. They are the true heroes.
At one point in the book Col. Thorsness describes how the POW families began to be allowed to send packages to their loved ones. He mentions that the packages had to be sealed up at the post office. That immediately took me back to 1970 or 1971, riding in the back seat of my mom's car, talking about what we each wanted to put in a box to daddy. I also vividly remember standing at the old, beautiful, Aberdeen post office mailing our box. I remember that red, white and blue air mail envelopes that we used to send him letters.
And then comes the story of Col. Thorsness' homecoming. I KNEW my dad wasn't coming home, but my mind still whispered "What if...?" I remember sitting in my grandparents' living room, in a chair in front of the television, watching the men walk, or in some cases, be wheeled, off the air plane. I remember the wives and children standing at the end of the red carpet. I remember the wives running towards the men, children following, being swept up in huge homecoming embraces. I watched and I watched and my daddy didn't ever come off of one of those airplanes.
I frequently tell people who are grieving that I believe God gives you a certain amount of tears to cry and until you cry them, your heart can't heal. I thought I had truly come to the end of that grieving journey, but not yet. I have cried many, many tears this afternoon. I am so grateful that Col. Thorsness wrote this book, shared his memories, with the world and with me.
Reading Col. Thorness' account of being shot down allowed me a glimpse of what happened to my dad. I have never before read a first hand, uncensored, shoot down account. Much of the way I imagined things to be were imagined in little girl's brain. I feel now that I have a much better picture of what happened to my dad in his final hours.
Because my dad was unaccounted for after his shoot down, we didn't know if he had died or been captured and was a POW. We did know that he was an MIA. My mom became very active in the National League of POW/MIA families and, as a little girl, I put my dad in the category of POW. After the war ended and we realized that he was not a POW and had never been a POW it was hard to let go of the "daughter of a POW" identification I had assigned to myself. I still wondered...what if? For the first time ever, while reading this book, I was able to thank God that my father was not ever a POW imprisoned by the North Vietnamese. That is a huge healing step for my and my little girl heart. As we have met people who were in the Vietnam War and they have shared their story andI have shared my story, people inevitably say "Your dad was the true hero. He gave all." Yes, he gave his life, but I really believe that that POWS of Vietnam gave THEIR all. They are the true heroes.
At one point in the book Col. Thorsness describes how the POW families began to be allowed to send packages to their loved ones. He mentions that the packages had to be sealed up at the post office. That immediately took me back to 1970 or 1971, riding in the back seat of my mom's car, talking about what we each wanted to put in a box to daddy. I also vividly remember standing at the old, beautiful, Aberdeen post office mailing our box. I remember that red, white and blue air mail envelopes that we used to send him letters.
And then comes the story of Col. Thorsness' homecoming. I KNEW my dad wasn't coming home, but my mind still whispered "What if...?" I remember sitting in my grandparents' living room, in a chair in front of the television, watching the men walk, or in some cases, be wheeled, off the air plane. I remember the wives and children standing at the end of the red carpet. I remember the wives running towards the men, children following, being swept up in huge homecoming embraces. I watched and I watched and my daddy didn't ever come off of one of those airplanes.
I frequently tell people who are grieving that I believe God gives you a certain amount of tears to cry and until you cry them, your heart can't heal. I thought I had truly come to the end of that grieving journey, but not yet. I have cried many, many tears this afternoon. I am so grateful that Col. Thorsness wrote this book, shared his memories, with the world and with me.
January 25, 2018
Many books have been written about the experiences of Vietnam POW’s and, in different ways, they’re all exceedingly interesting. This one is a tribute to Leo Thorsness, who was granted a new liberation when he died this past May. He’s a new Badass on my unofficial ledger.
Leo Thorsness was a Minnesota native, and one of eight Vietnam POW’s to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor (CMH), and one of only nine Eagle Scouts to receive the CMH. On his 93rd flight in-country, on April 30, 1967 (seven sorties shy of completing his tour), Thorsness and his back-seater were shot down and captured while flying their Wild Weasel F-105. His recalcitrance as a prisoner ‘earned’ him special treatment that resulted in severe back injuries. But, there were poignant scenes, as well, in this autobiographical account that chronicles his six years of confinement: Surviving Hell: A POW’s Journey.
Perhaps only on the gallows can you find comparable levity, but these ‘brave’ men found ways: inventing games of poker using tap code; conducting classes on Spanglish, public speaking, and advanced math; placing bets on who’s rice contained the most vermin. Past the sublime, they found a way to create a paper-mache Christmas Tree from their dirty socks; fashion a dirty rag into an American Flag; and otherwise confound their captors as much as humanly possible.
Call me a glutton for punishment when it comes to these POW testimonies because, admittedly, one can get the gist of the horrors they experienced by reading one or two accounts. However, each POW-author presents their own unique story. Secondly, through all of these pain-laced pages, I take solace knowing that my ‘worst day ever’ pales in comparison to theirs. Lastly, these reads are memorials to the power of the human spirit to overcome unfathomable challenges, and even find great pleasure in the esprit of companions and life’s little serendipitous gifts that, all too often, we neglect to notice.
Leo Thorsness was a Minnesota native, and one of eight Vietnam POW’s to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor (CMH), and one of only nine Eagle Scouts to receive the CMH. On his 93rd flight in-country, on April 30, 1967 (seven sorties shy of completing his tour), Thorsness and his back-seater were shot down and captured while flying their Wild Weasel F-105. His recalcitrance as a prisoner ‘earned’ him special treatment that resulted in severe back injuries. But, there were poignant scenes, as well, in this autobiographical account that chronicles his six years of confinement: Surviving Hell: A POW’s Journey.
Perhaps only on the gallows can you find comparable levity, but these ‘brave’ men found ways: inventing games of poker using tap code; conducting classes on Spanglish, public speaking, and advanced math; placing bets on who’s rice contained the most vermin. Past the sublime, they found a way to create a paper-mache Christmas Tree from their dirty socks; fashion a dirty rag into an American Flag; and otherwise confound their captors as much as humanly possible.
Call me a glutton for punishment when it comes to these POW testimonies because, admittedly, one can get the gist of the horrors they experienced by reading one or two accounts. However, each POW-author presents their own unique story. Secondly, through all of these pain-laced pages, I take solace knowing that my ‘worst day ever’ pales in comparison to theirs. Lastly, these reads are memorials to the power of the human spirit to overcome unfathomable challenges, and even find great pleasure in the esprit of companions and life’s little serendipitous gifts that, all too often, we neglect to notice.
July 30, 2017
This is the memoir of a former POW and recipient of the Medal of Honor. It tells a veteran’s life as a POW, and this is what attracted me before purchasing it. I’ve read a lot of veteran’s memoirs, but few are about POW.
The author fought in Vietnam War as a pilot. He was shot down, hurt and taken captive by Vietnam troops. There are a lot of captives in his prison, also shot down. They were tortured from all perspectives. They were beaten badly, they were fed with only a little food and they were not allowed to talk with each other. But the prisoners stayed optimistic. They even invented a way of communicating by knocking. When guard was not nearby, they “talk” in this “language”. It helped them band together and lived through hard life. Finally, when the war was over, prisoners were all set free and sent home.
Through this book we can see how a group of POWs struggled to survive in prison. Life of POW is harsh, but they took every step they could to live through. Not only the author, but also all prisoners who didn’t cooperate with enemy, is truly hero.
The author fought in Vietnam War as a pilot. He was shot down, hurt and taken captive by Vietnam troops. There are a lot of captives in his prison, also shot down. They were tortured from all perspectives. They were beaten badly, they were fed with only a little food and they were not allowed to talk with each other. But the prisoners stayed optimistic. They even invented a way of communicating by knocking. When guard was not nearby, they “talk” in this “language”. It helped them band together and lived through hard life. Finally, when the war was over, prisoners were all set free and sent home.
Through this book we can see how a group of POWs struggled to survive in prison. Life of POW is harsh, but they took every step they could to live through. Not only the author, but also all prisoners who didn’t cooperate with enemy, is truly hero.
February 6, 2017
It's hard to say how I feel about this book. It was a good read, and I am glad I read it. But it made me so angry. How many prisoners of war are still in Vietnam? How many families don't know where their loved ones are? Leo Thorsness gives just enough detail to help us understand a mere fraction of the horrible ordeal of six years of being a prisoner of war. He describes his time in solitary, how he and others were tortured, how their families fought for them back home. He describes how they passed the time and how they survived. He even managed to make me smile or laugh a time or two, with stories like how the prisoners made a Christmas tree out of socks. I highly recommend this book.
October 12, 2020
Bought this because my daughter is at the US Air Force Academy, and her class chose Thorsness as their Class Exemplar.
The writing is simple but effective. The story, powerful. Also war sucks.
I found this compelling on another level as my dad was in Vietnam at this time and was a F-4 navigator. F-4’s are mentioned specifically in this book several times, which makes me wonder if he was involved. I know very little of what my dad actually did in the war, but I know he earned 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses. I never talked to him about this since he died when I was 6. Not sure he would’ve talked about it anyway.
The writing is simple but effective. The story, powerful. Also war sucks.
I found this compelling on another level as my dad was in Vietnam at this time and was a F-4 navigator. F-4’s are mentioned specifically in this book several times, which makes me wonder if he was involved. I know very little of what my dad actually did in the war, but I know he earned 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses. I never talked to him about this since he died when I was 6. Not sure he would’ve talked about it anyway.
July 19, 2023
this is a book that all Americans need to read
I was a a high school student when any of my male friends where drafted. Out of 95 graduating students, 11were killed in Vietnam. Personally I blame president johnson and his guiltless military advisors. They will surely receive their rewards after this life.
I was a a high school student when any of my male friends where drafted. Out of 95 graduating students, 11were killed in Vietnam. Personally I blame president johnson and his guiltless military advisors. They will surely receive their rewards after this life.
September 2, 2025
Must read
This was an excellent book. These men endured and were finally set free. I think as Americans we owe these POW’s the honor of reading their stories. Thank you all for your service🇺🇸
This was an excellent book. These men endured and were finally set free. I think as Americans we owe these POW’s the honor of reading their stories. Thank you all for your service🇺🇸
Read
May 21, 2019You have never heard of Leo Thorsness. But he is someone whose name we should all know. In his autobiography, Surviving Hell: A P.O.W.’s Journey, Leo describes his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, from 1967 to 1973. In spite of experiencing torture and deprivation, Leo came away from his experience a better man. His story can help people stay positive through difficult times.
After being shot down during a mission over North Vietnam, Leo Thorsness was separated from his co-pilot and injured during his parachute landing. He was taken to the “Hanoi Hilton,” a prison where he was tortured and starved and watched some of his fellow prisoners die. He and the other Americans were kept in separate cells and not allowed to communicate. The conditions were filthy and there was no medical treatment.
In spite of this, Leo stayed positive, and did not become bitter. He and the other prisoners developed a “tap code” in order to communicate, and patiently tapped out individual letters to first learn each other’s names and later to help each other remember and learn treasured stories, songs, and poems. This helped the prisoners escape the boredom of their empty cells, and get to know each other.
Leo did not hate his captors. At one point he was able to carve a tiny hole in the mortar of his bricked-up window with a nail he found, and through that hole he saw a Vietnamese soldier tending chickens. He realized that that soldier had little chance for a good life in his communist homeland, and that even if Leo died right then at age thirty five he would have lived a fuller life than that soldier.
To help survive the time in prison, Leo thought often of his wife and daughter at home in South Dakota, and his growing up in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. He exercised by pacing his cell, counting the steps and adding them up into miles. He was “walking home.” Leo never gave up believing that he would eventually go back home, and when he did he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions saving others in the last mission he performed before he was shot down.
Reading Surviving Hell was very inspirational. Thinking about being in prison, deprived, cold, hungry, and often tortured, helps put life into perspective. If Leo can face the awful conditions of prison with a positive attitude, people going through the tough times of ordinary life can follow his example and stay positive too. When we go through hell, we can still learn from it and grow, like he did.
After being shot down during a mission over North Vietnam, Leo Thorsness was separated from his co-pilot and injured during his parachute landing. He was taken to the “Hanoi Hilton,” a prison where he was tortured and starved and watched some of his fellow prisoners die. He and the other Americans were kept in separate cells and not allowed to communicate. The conditions were filthy and there was no medical treatment.
In spite of this, Leo stayed positive, and did not become bitter. He and the other prisoners developed a “tap code” in order to communicate, and patiently tapped out individual letters to first learn each other’s names and later to help each other remember and learn treasured stories, songs, and poems. This helped the prisoners escape the boredom of their empty cells, and get to know each other.
Leo did not hate his captors. At one point he was able to carve a tiny hole in the mortar of his bricked-up window with a nail he found, and through that hole he saw a Vietnamese soldier tending chickens. He realized that that soldier had little chance for a good life in his communist homeland, and that even if Leo died right then at age thirty five he would have lived a fuller life than that soldier.
To help survive the time in prison, Leo thought often of his wife and daughter at home in South Dakota, and his growing up in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. He exercised by pacing his cell, counting the steps and adding them up into miles. He was “walking home.” Leo never gave up believing that he would eventually go back home, and when he did he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions saving others in the last mission he performed before he was shot down.
Reading Surviving Hell was very inspirational. Thinking about being in prison, deprived, cold, hungry, and often tortured, helps put life into perspective. If Leo can face the awful conditions of prison with a positive attitude, people going through the tough times of ordinary life can follow his example and stay positive too. When we go through hell, we can still learn from it and grow, like he did.
March 22, 2016
I had the opportunity to listen to him tell his story which is where I bought the book. After listening to him and two other POWs tell their story and then I read the book, it gave me a whole new perspective of what they actually went through. It takes a special individual and the interesting thing about them is they are not bitter about it at all. After living through these experiences they came back and tackled life even harder because they almost didn't get the opportunity to live a normal life again. It is a very inspirational story! I do not know if I could live through the trails and conditions they were put through.
August 26, 2012
I like how he layed out his whole experience over 6 years in less than 127 pages. He is frank and to the point about what happened but yet puts no blame here nor there. It is a this is what happened story!! Why did I buy it? I had the honor of meeting Col Thorsness at a POW/MIA ceremony in Miles City Montana where he was the speaker. He is a man of honor with out a doubt but yet is still humble. Knowing what I do of him from that meeting, I knew the book was going to be a top notch product and it is!
March 31, 2009
A stunning account of life as a POW in the "Hanoi Hilton" by one who had grown up in the Walnut Grove area of MN. Leo Thorsness survived 6 years in the worst conditions imaginable where very few positive things ever happened and torture and starvation were the norm. This story speaks to the determination of men trying not only to survive but to maintain their humanity in very inhumane circumstances. Leo is a very humble Viet Nam hero and survivor.
December 27, 2011
Excellent! Some moments of laugh out loud humor and some teary-eyed spots, this book evokes feelings of pride, disgust, patriotism, and a variety of other emotions. It reads quickly and easily. Leo does not engage in self-pity or self-aggrandizement. He and the other POW's, most of them anyway, were true heroes. This book compares well with Jeremiah Denton's, When Hell was in Session.
December 7, 2012
This book was literally the first complete book I have finished. I enjoyed it a lot. It's about a POW survivor (not a spoiler as the author is the survivor) who tells his 6 year long story and his survival in the Hanoi Hilton during Vietnam. I really enjoyed this book as it really clung to me. The gist of the book was his explanation of what his day to day basis was like.
June 22, 2016
Thorsness tells his story of his time in a POW camp. The book describes the torture enough that you can get a picture, but not in vivid detail that makes the book hard to read. Thorsness explains daily life in the camp enough that it is easy to picture the POW camps in Vietnam. The book is a quick read that I couldn't put down until I was done.
June 5, 2009
This was an interesting book. It is about a medal of honors time in Hanoi Hilton and what he and other prisoners did to survive. I found it a very easy to read and was able to finish it in a few hours.
January 28, 2013
This is written by a man who was a POW with John McCain in Vietnam. He now lives in Huntsville. Inspiring to read about what these men went thru, fighting to uphold America's values. Sad to hear what mankind inflicts on one another.
January 1, 2015
Recently toured the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" POW prison in Hanoi where the official exhibit touts the "humane" treatment that POW's received. Wanted to read a more realistic account so I read this brief book after my visit. Very sobering. Worth reading for anyone with an interest in the war.
August 16, 2013
Surprisingly bright and uplifting, the book shines light on the evils that happened in Hanoi, but reminds me more of e.e. cummings' The Enormous Room than a wartime memoir.
Bright and uplifting, while still maintaining the evils of Hanoi.
Bright and uplifting, while still maintaining the evils of Hanoi.
June 8, 2014
An excellent read about a situation I knew little about. The author is succint, but writes well. It is not just a fact by fact tour of his imprisonment. A great memoir for those interested in Vietnam POW stories.
January 30, 2011
I'd like to think this one over a little. I will say that it made me think of Conrad's Heart of Darkness at times. Claustrophobic, moving, gut-wrenching, and real.
May 13, 2009
Very good book, though I wish the author would have gone more in-depth about his time there. I did like, however, how he focused on how he survived the endless hours of boredom.
January 7, 2012
Fantastic book. The book gives you the impression that the author is having a one on one conversation with the reader. Gives a very honest of what the life of a POW was like. Story stays with you.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews