A great American hero has died. Jeremiah Denton was an American aviator shot down over North Vietnam in 1965 and held as a POW for eight years. During that time he was held in solitary confinement and tortured repeatedly. Adm. Denton died on 28 March 2014 with little mention in the press; no celebration of a life of sacrifice, honor and duty. The linked WSJ editorial reminds us of his bravery and courage. At the same time Jane Fonda is on her latest book tour. Welcomed as an icon. No one remembers when Hanoi Jane was photographed with a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun like the one that shot down Adm. Denton. Or that when an American POW secretly gave her a list of imprisoned Americans, she gave the list to his captor. We get endless, mindless news when some Hollywood star dies of an overdose, crashes a car into tree or has a run in with the law. Think anyone will ask Hanoi Jane about Adm. Denton? Do you think GMA or the Today Show will show the clip of the Admiral using his eyelids to blink T-O-R-T-U-R-E in Morse Code during a press conference staged by his captors? Semper Fi, Admiral. Job well done, sir. I am sure the Marine guards gave you an extra sharp salute as you entered Heavens gate. RIP REVIEW & OUTLOOK Jeremiah Denton The most famous Morse Code communication in history—and the bravest. Jeremiah Denton never blinked. He did not blink while leading bombing runs over North Vietnam as commander of a squadron of A-6 Intruders. He did not blink after he was shot down and taken prisoner on July 18, 1965, three days after his 41st birthday. And he did not blink when, 10 months later, he was hauled before a Japanese film crew to deliver what Hanoi expected would be a propaganda statement denouncing the American war effort and praising his captors for humane treatment. Whatever the position of my government, I believe in it, yes, sir, he said. I am a member of that government, and it is my job to support it, and I will as long as I live. U.S. Navy Comdr. Jeremiah A. Denton, Jr., who was shot down while leading an air attack on a military installation in North Vietnam is shown in still frames from televised interview of Denton on May 2, 1966. Reuters All the while, he used his eyelids to bat out the word T-O-R-T-U-R-E in Morse Code. It was the first confirmation of the true nature of the treatment being meted to American POWs. Thanks to YouTube, you can watch the tape of Dentons eyelid Morse communication, in what was an astonishing act of bravery and fidelity to duty. His captors soon realized what he had done, and he was beaten and tortured some more. Of his nearly eight years in captivity, four were spent in solitary, often in boxes the size of a coffin. The Norths torturers never broke him. With James Stockdale and other senior officers, Denton inspired his fellow prisoners to resist, to say no, to maintain their honor amid the relentless and violent efforts to degrade it. Freed at last in 1973 after the Paris Peace Accord, Denton, who would go on to become an admiral and a Senator, delivered a brief speech: 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. Weve no doubt God is blessing Jeremiah Denton.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 13:45:07 +0000
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