Jeremiah Denton
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| Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. | |
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| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Donald W. Stewart |
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| Succeeded by | Richard Shelby |
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| Born | July 15, 1924 Mobile, Alabama |
| Political party | Republican |
Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. (born July 15, 1924 in Mobile, Alabama) is a retired United States Navy admiral and a former U.S. senator, of the Republican party, 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.
[edit] Military career
Denton attended McGill Institute and Spring Hill College and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1946. 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 squadron commander. 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, South 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 participating in a bombing mission over the Vietnamese city of Thanh Hoa, in which he was shot down and captured on July 18, 1965. He was held as a prisoner of war for almost eight years - four of which were spent in solitary confinement. Denton is best known for the 1966 North Vietnamese 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 now in Vietnam, because the only news sources I have are Vietnamese. But whatever the position of my government is, I believe in it, I support it, and I will support it 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.
Finally in 1973, he was released from prison and on stepping off the plane, as a free man back in his home country, he 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."
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.
[edit] Political career
In 1978, Denton accepted a position with the Christian Broadcasting Network 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 victory over Democrat Jim E. Folsom, Jr., who had defeated the incumbent in the primary. In doing so, he became the first and only retired admiral to be elected to the United States Senate. In the Senate, he compiled a solidly conservative voting record. In 1986, he narrowly lost his bid for reelection to conservative Democrat Richard Shelby, who later became a Republican in 1994.
In 2004, Denton became a vocal critic of the Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), a fellow Vietnam War naval veteran.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Donald W. Stewart |
United States Senator (Class 3) from Alabama 1981–1987 Served alongside: Howell T. Heflin |
Succeeded by Richard C. Shelby |
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