Jeremiah Denton
Encyclopedia
Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. (born July 15, 1924) is a retired United States Navy
rear admiral
, naval aviator
and a former Republican U.S. senator
, for the state of Alabama. He spent almost eight years as a prisoner of war
in Vietnam
and later wrote a book about his experiences.
and Spring Hill College
and graduated from the United States Naval Academy
, class of 1947. His 34-year naval career included service on a variety of ships, in many types of aircraft, including airships (blimps). His principal field of endeavor was naval operations. He also served as a test pilot, flight instructor, and commanding officer of an attack squadron flying the A-6 Intruder
.
In 1957, he was credited with revolutionizing naval strategy and tactics for nuclear war as architect of the "Haystack Concept," while serving on the staff of Commander, Sixth Fleet, as Fleet Air Defense Officer. Denton graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College and the Naval War College
, where his thesis on international affairs received top honors by earning the prestigious President's Award. In 1964, he received the degree of Master of Arts in International Affairs from George Washington University
.
While serving as Naval Aviator
during the Vietnam War
, Denton was Commanding Officer (CO) of Attack Squadron SEVENTY-FIVE (VA-75) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVA 62). On 18 July 1965, then-Commander
Denton was flying an A-6A Intruder
, Bureau Number 151577, from the Independence with his bombardier/navigator, Lieutenant, junior grade
Bill Tschudy, to participate in a bombing mission over the Vietnamese city of Thanh Hoa. Their plane was shot down and the two men were captured by hostile forces.
Denton and Tschudy were both held as prisoners of war
for almost eight years, four of which were spent in solitary confinement. Denton is best known for the 1966 North Vietnam
ese television interview he was forced to give as a prisoner, in which he ingeniously used the opportunity to communicate to American Intelligence. During the interview Denton blinked his eyes in morse code
to spell out the word "T-O-R-T-U-R-E
" to communicate that his captors were torturing him and his fellow POWs. He was also questioned about his support for the U.S. war in Vietnam
, to which he replied: "I don't know what is happening, but whatever the position of my government is, I support it fully. Whatever the position of my government, I believe in it, yes sir. I am a member of that government, and it is my job to support it, and I will as long as I live." For his continuous resistance and leadership, even in the face of torture and inhumane conditions, he would be awarded the Navy Cross
. While imprisoned, Denton was promoted to the rank of Captain
.
Denton was part of a group of about 11 prisoners known as the "Alcatraz Gang", also consisting of George Thomas Coker
, George McKnight, James Stockdale
, Harry Jenkins, Sam Johnson
, James Mulligan, Howard Rutledge, Robert Shumaker, Ronald Storz and Nels Tanner, which was separated from other captives and placed in solitary confinement for their leadership in resisting their captors. "Alcatraz" was a special facility in a courtyard behind the North Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense, located about one mile away from Hoa Lo Prison. In Alcatraz, each of the 11 men were kept in solitary confinement
, where cells measured 3 feet by 9 feet and had a light bulb kept on around the clock; the prisoners were locked each night in irons by a guard.
Finally, on 12 February 1973, both Denton and Tschudy were released from prison along with numerous other POWs. Stepping off the plane as a free man back in his home country, Denton said: "We are honored to have had the opportunity to serve our country under difficult circumstances. We are profoundly grateful to our Commander-in-Chief
and to our nation for this day. God bless America." The speech has a prominent place in the 1987 documentary Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
.
Denton's next assignment, beginning in January 1974, was as commandant of the Armed Forces Staff College (now known as the Joint Forces Staff College). He stepped down as commandant in April 1975 but continued to work at the college until he left the military in June 1977.
He retired from the Navy with the rank of Rear Admiral
, and would later go on to write the book When Hell was in Session
detailing his detention as a POW in Vietnam. The book was later turned into a movie of the same name starring Hal Holbrook
.
as consultant to his friend, CBN founder Pat Robertson
, a position Denton held until 1980. During this time, both Denton and Robertson repeatedly expressed military support for the Contra
forces in El Salvador
.
In 1980, Denton ran as a Republican for a U.S. Senate seat from his home state of Alabama
and achieved a surprise victory over Democrat Jim E. Folsom, Jr., who had defeated the incumbent, Donald W. Stewart
, in the primary. In doing so, he became the only retired admiral to be elected to the United States Senate, as well as the first Republican in modern times to represent Alabama in the Senate. In the Senate, he compiled a solidly conservative voting record. He was featured in a 1981 article in Time Magazine called "The Admiral from Alabama".
In 1986, he narrowly lost his bid for reelection
to 7th District
Congressman Richard Shelby
, who later became a Republican in 1994. In 2007, his wife Jane died. They had been married for 61 years.
He is unrelated to former Alabama state senator
Bobby E. Denton
, a Democrat
.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
rear admiral
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
, naval aviator
Naval Aviator
A United States Naval Aviator is a qualified pilot in the United States Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard.-Naming Conventions:Most Naval Aviators are Unrestricted Line Officers; however, a small number of Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are also trained as Naval Aviators.Until 1981...
and a former Republican U.S. senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, for the state of Alabama. He spent almost eight years as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and later wrote a book about his experiences.
Military career
Denton attended McGill InstituteMcGill-Toolen Catholic High School
McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, located in Mobile, Alabama, is a private co-educational high school operated by the educational system of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile.-History:...
and Spring Hill College
Spring Hill College
Spring Hill College is a private, Roman Catholic Jesuit liberal arts college in the United States. It was founded in 1830 on the Gulf Coast in Mobile, Alabama, by Most Rev. Michael Portier, Bishop of Mobile, Alabama...
and graduated from the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, class of 1947. His 34-year naval career included service on a variety of ships, in many types of aircraft, including airships (blimps). His principal field of endeavor was naval operations. He also served as a test pilot, flight instructor, and commanding officer of an attack squadron flying the A-6 Intruder
A-6 Intruder
The Grumman A-6 Intruder was an American, twin jet-engine, mid-wing attack aircraft built by Grumman Aerospace. In service with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps between 1963 and 1997, the Intruder was designed as an all-weather medium attack aircraft to replace the piston-engined A-1 Skyraider...
.
In 1957, he was credited with revolutionizing naval strategy and tactics for nuclear war as architect of the "Haystack Concept," while serving on the staff of Commander, Sixth Fleet, as Fleet Air Defense Officer. Denton graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College and the Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
, where his thesis on international affairs received top honors by earning the prestigious President's Award. In 1964, he received the degree of Master of Arts in International Affairs from George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
.
While serving as Naval Aviator
United States Naval Aviator
A United States Naval Aviator is a qualified pilot in the United States Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard.-Naming Conventions:Most Naval Aviators are Unrestricted Line Officers; however, a small number of Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are also trained as Naval Aviators.Until 1981...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, Denton was Commanding Officer (CO) of Attack Squadron SEVENTY-FIVE (VA-75) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVA 62). On 18 July 1965, then-Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Denton was flying an A-6A Intruder
A-6 Intruder
The Grumman A-6 Intruder was an American, twin jet-engine, mid-wing attack aircraft built by Grumman Aerospace. In service with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps between 1963 and 1997, the Intruder was designed as an all-weather medium attack aircraft to replace the piston-engined A-1 Skyraider...
, Bureau Number 151577, from the Independence with his bombardier/navigator, Lieutenant, junior grade
Lieutenant, Junior Grade
Lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States Merchant Marine USMM, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade...
Bill Tschudy, to participate in a bombing mission over the Vietnamese city of Thanh Hoa. Their plane was shot down and the two men were captured by hostile forces.
Denton and Tschudy were both held as prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
for almost eight years, four of which were spent in solitary confinement. Denton is best known for the 1966 North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
ese television interview he was forced to give as a prisoner, in which he ingeniously used the opportunity to communicate to American Intelligence. During the interview Denton blinked his eyes in morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
to spell out the word "T-O-R-T-U-R-E
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
" to communicate that his captors were torturing him and his fellow POWs. He was also questioned about his support for the U.S. war in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, to which he replied: "I don't know what is happening, but whatever the position of my government is, I support it fully. Whatever the position of my government, I believe in it, yes sir. I am a member of that government, and it is my job to support it, and I will as long as I live." For his continuous resistance and leadership, even in the face of torture and inhumane conditions, he would be awarded the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
. While imprisoned, Denton was promoted to the rank of Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
.
Denton was part of a group of about 11 prisoners known as the "Alcatraz Gang", also consisting of George Thomas Coker
George Thomas Coker
George Thomas Coker is a retired US Navy commander, honored with the Navy Cross for his leadership as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, and a Distinguished Eagle Scout noted for his devotion to Scouting....
, George McKnight, James Stockdale
James Stockdale
Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale was one of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the United States Navy.Stockdale led aerial attacks from the carrier during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Incident...
, Harry Jenkins, Sam Johnson
Sam Johnson
Samuel Robert "Sam" Johnson is an American politician and a retired career U.S. Air Force officer and fighter pilot. He currently is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the 3rd District of Texas...
, James Mulligan, Howard Rutledge, Robert Shumaker, Ronald Storz and Nels Tanner, which was separated from other captives and placed in solitary confinement for their leadership in resisting their captors. "Alcatraz" was a special facility in a courtyard behind the North Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense, located about one mile away from Hoa Lo Prison. In Alcatraz, each of the 11 men were kept in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
, where cells measured 3 feet by 9 feet and had a light bulb kept on around the clock; the prisoners were locked each night in irons by a guard.
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
and to our nation for this day. God bless America." The speech has a prominent place in the 1987 documentary Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam is an Emmy Award–winning 1987 documentary, inspired by the book of the same title, directed by Bill Couturié. Using real letters written by US soldiers and archive footage, the film creates a highly personal experience of the Vietnam War...
.
Denton's next assignment, beginning in January 1974, was as commandant of the Armed Forces Staff College (now known as the Joint Forces Staff College). He stepped down as commandant in April 1975 but continued to work at the college until he left the military in June 1977.
He retired from the Navy with the rank of Rear Admiral
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
, and would later go on to write the book When Hell was in Session
When Hell was in Session
When Hell was in Session is a memoir by Jeremiah Denton, recounting his experiences as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. A United States Naval Aviator, Denton was shot down and captured, spending the next seven years and seven months as a POW. The book was later made into a television movie...
detailing his detention as a POW in Vietnam. The book was later turned into a movie of the same name starring Hal Holbrook
Hal Holbrook
Harold Rowe "Hal" Holbrook, Jr. is an American actor. His television roles include Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 TV series Lincoln, Hays Stowe on The Bold Ones: The Senator and Capt. Lloyd Bucher on Pueblo. He is also known for his role in the 2007 film Into the Wild, for which he was nominated for...
.
Political career
Following his retirement from the Navy, Denton accepted a position with the Christian Broadcasting NetworkChristian Broadcasting Network
The Christian Broadcasting Network, or CBN, is a fundamentalist Christian television broadcasting network in the United States. Its headquarters and main studios are in Virginia Beach, Virginia.-Background:...
as consultant to his friend, CBN founder Pat Robertson
Pat Robertson
Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson is a media mogul, television evangelist, ex-Baptist minister and businessman who is politically aligned with the Christian Right in the United States....
, a position Denton held until 1980. During this time, both Denton and Robertson repeatedly expressed military support for the Contra
Contra
Contra is a Latin preposition meaning "against". It is very frequently abbreviated to con, which is a separate preposition. It may refer to:*Contras, Nicaraguan counter-revolutionaries opposed to the Sandinistas...
forces in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
.
In 1980, Denton ran as a Republican for a U.S. Senate seat from his home state of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and achieved a surprise victory over Democrat Jim E. Folsom, Jr., who had defeated the incumbent, Donald W. Stewart
Donald W. Stewart
Donald Wilbur Stewart is a former Democratic United States Senator from the state of Alabama.Stewart was born in Anniston, the seat of Calhoun County, and attended the University of Alabama both in undergraduate and in law school. During his years in law school, he ran a successful campaign for...
, in the primary. In doing so, he became the only retired admiral to be elected to the United States Senate, as well as the first Republican in modern times to represent Alabama in the Senate. In the Senate, he compiled a solidly conservative voting record. He was featured in a 1981 article in Time Magazine called "The Admiral from Alabama".
In 1986, he narrowly lost his bid for reelection
United States Senate election in Alabama, 1986
The 1986 United States Senate election in Alabama took place on November 3, 1986 alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican U.S...
to 7th District
Alabama's 7th congressional district
Alabama's 7th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in Alabama, which elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. The district encompasses the counties of Greene, Choctaw, Sumter, Marengo, Dallas, Wilcox, Perry and Hale...
Congressman Richard Shelby
Richard Shelby
Richard Craig Shelby is the senior U.S. Senator from Alabama. First elected to the Senate in 1986, he is the ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and was its chairman from 2003 to 2007....
, who later became a Republican in 1994. In 2007, his wife Jane died. They had been married for 61 years.
He is unrelated to former Alabama state senator
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
Bobby E. Denton
Bobby E. Denton
Bobby E. Denton is a Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 1st District since 1978, and is currently the Dean of the Senate, an honorary title...
, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
External links
- Admiral Jeremiah Denton Foundation
- Video of Denton's POW interview from U.S. National Archives — To find this segment specifically, choose Contents > Scenes From Hell > Denton.
- http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/denton.asp