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Chris Owen
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Ron The War Hero: The True Story of L Ron Hubbard's Calamitous Military Career Kindle Edition

by Chris Owen (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
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'Chris Owen is one of the most important scholars on the Church of Scientology' Lawrence Wright

To his followers, L. Ron Hubbard was a war hero and spiritual leader who served his country with distinction in World War II, suffering terrible injuries in the line of duty before miraculously healing himself with his revolutionary mental techniques – Dianetics and Scientology.

RON THE WAR HERO examines the truth behind the legend and asks some awkward questions. What if there were no injuries? What if Hubbard was not, in fact, a war hero at all? What if his time in the military was marked not by bravery but by incompetence? By hubris rather than heroism?

As Scientology's own spokesman has admitted, it would mean that Scientology is based on a lie. It would mean that Hubbard's supposed recovery never happened and that his claims about the foundations of Scientology are fraudulent.

Drawing on previously unpublished documents and US government records, RON THE WAR HERO is a forensic and devastating portrait of the deceit at the heart of Scientology – a lie that has ruined so many lives, and persists to this day.

*****

Chris Owen is a British historian and researcher who was appointed MBE for his work in 2000. Separately to his professional life, he has written extensively on British military history, the life of L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. He became interested in the story of Hubbard’s war career after reading about it in Russell Miller’s biography Bare-Faced Messiah. Owen has also advised other authors on aspects of Hubbard’s life and career.

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  1. Print length
    315 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    May 9, 2019
  4. File size
    927 KB
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
30 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Shawna M
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and Devastating to Scientology Propaganda
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2019
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Scientology 's hagiographers love to make much of their founder's supposed spectacular military service. The truth is a lot less flattering. This book discusses all the exaggerations and fantastical lies Hubbard told about his war service, from claiming he sunk two Japanese subs and having extensive war injuries, to his claims that his dabbling in sex magic was really a covert mission for the Navy. These lies are an affront to all veterans who actually "walked the walk" and gave life and limb to keep us free. I appreciate that the book points out there are problems within the Navy's records that made the research difficult, and not just blaming it all in Scientology. It also gave insight as to the hard decisions made during a war to to choose to ignore bad performance and waive rules because they were so short-handed.
8 people found this helpful
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Pat M
5.0 out of 5 stars Liar liar pants on fire!
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2019
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I know what this cult is from personal experience. This book provides great insight into the sociopathic fiction writer and consummate liar, (which has been well documented). The entire belief system of this hideous cult is based on the fallacy of this supposed great man and his war heroism, insight, research, as well as his supposed extraordinary abilities. All are the lies of the conman of the century and a hideous abusive cult called Scientology. They are only good and bankrupting families and tearing them apart. Despite all of the information out there, the cult continues to remain tax exempt. That money is used to follow and harass any opponent of the cult. This is a disgrace. The cult is not meeting criteria for tax exemption but the IRS is still afraid of them. Sad commentary indeed.
18 people found this helpful
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LWN
5.0 out of 5 stars Sets the record straight on L. Ron Hubbard's WWII Navy service
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2020
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L. Ron Hubbard told a lot of lies about his WWII Navy service and the awards he supposedly received. Which Scientology perpetuates to this day, in spite of the fact Hubbard's actual record has been available for some time. Chris Owen does a great job of dissecting Ron the War Zero's lies.
4 people found this helpful
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Valued Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging expose of a 20th century scoundrel
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2020
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Nobody needs reminding that L. Ron Hubbard lied about nearly every aspect of his life. This well researched, well documented book provides a detailed account of "Ron's" actual military service. I highly recommend it to Scientology watchers and critics, and especially to those trying to leave the church.
5 people found this helpful
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Michael Wenlock
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful book about Hubbard's inventions about his military career.
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2019
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The research in the book is impeccable - and the author has done a magnificent job in piecing together all the claims made by Hubbard and his PR People throughout his life - showing the contradictions and outright fantasies that lend the lie to the carefully polished PR product the Church puts out today. Excellent work.
10 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A fun read
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2020
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L. Ron Hubbard - oh boy.
3 people found this helpful
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ChuckBeatty
5.0 out of 5 stars Forever Grateful to Chris Owen
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2022
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Scientology has a punishment/"redemption" program, which is really a thought reform and hard labor program for lifetime staffers who've fallen from grace, or who wish to quit their lifetime staff vows as lifer "religious" worker/staff of the "Sea Org" faux religious order of Scientology's cult bureaucracy setup.

When you reach your final weeks on this seemingly never ending "program" (called the RPF, "Rehabilitation Project Force") you realize you can buck the rules and insist on doing things, like going to the public library, which I noticed other late in the game RPF members were doing, so I did the same.

I went to the 1874 Hillhurst Ave , Los Felix/Hollywood area Los Angeles Public Library branch and it was a godsend for myself, having just been over 6 years in self abusing "redemption" hard labor confinement on the Scientology lifetime staffer RPF program.

I chose to look on the internet, thanks to the joint Apple and Microsoft donated computers the Library let everyone use, this was March 2003.

Searching up my cult founder's name, "L. Ron Hubbard" led me directly and brilliantly to Chris Owen's writings about our "great" Ron.

The perfect and almost acceptable material Chris wrote then on the internet, and today in this book, just moved my mental needle safely away from L. Ron Hubbard the demi god we in Scientology saw him.

Chris Owen, a huge thankyou for putting your material on Ron on the internet, back then.

Really, it gives me goosebumps thinking of the moment I first read Chris' material.

More than thanks to Chris Owen.

- Chuck Beatty
ex Team Xenu "Sea Org" Scientology lifetime staffer faux "religious" order 1975-2003
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Razor Eddie
5.0 out of 5 stars Now this is research.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 11, 2019
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When I started reading this, I started by thinking others had covered this before, there's nothing new. Boy, was I wrong. This is full of the most detailed examination of the glorious career of W̶a̶l̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶M̶i̶t̶t̶y̶ Hubbard. The man was such a liar and it beggars belief that anybody still follows his word. If Chris Owens can write a whole book about five years of Hubbard lies, just imagine if he were to emulate Russell Miller's great tome. Go on Chris.
I pre-ordered this after seeing the info on the Underground Bunker. So glad I did.
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Arto
5.0 out of 5 stars Conman, a script for a movie like "Catch me if you can"
Reviewed in Germany on July 11, 2019
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Really amusing. This is a script for a movie. A talented conmen always on the run. Hubbard is the king of all betrayers and false idendities. A wonder, how he survived all this. Scientologists still believe, all his sutorytelling is quite true, and the navy, FBI etc. are liars within a conspiracy.
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