Former Senator and Retired Rear Admiral Jeremiah Denton passed away on March 28th at the age of 89. Admiral Denton was a gentleman, a Christian, a great Patriot and an American hero who always put his country first. His firm but kind words will be missed by a country sadly losing her destiny.
Admiral Denton, a Navy pilot at the time, was shot down in 1965 over North Vietnam and spent nearly eight years in the brutal "Hanoi Hilton". Always devout and a courageous leader, he communicated with his men by tapping Morse Code messages to his fellow prisoners. As the senior American and despite his hardships from torture and illness, he did what he could to keep their morale as positive as possible. He stated later that he turned things over to the Lord who gave him the strength to endure.
When put before the cameras by his captors to supposedly apologize for his nation's sins under extreme duress, he sent a message of Morse Code by eye blinks which spelled out the word "Torture", letting the world know the truth. He was released and returned home in 1973.
Seven years later after retirement from Naval Service, Admiral Denton ran successfully for the Senate from his home state of Alabama and served one term in office. He was an outspoken critic of those attempting to weaken our military and he said to his dying day that victory in Vietnam was taken away by the actions of liberal politicians. He was a plain spoken and honest man always.
America owes a great debt of gratitude to this fine man and I hope each of us will take a moment to thank God for giving us such a fine Christian and for the sacrifices he made for his country. And as the Navy likes to say, I wish him "fair winds and following seas" on his journey home. May he finally receive the peace that he so richly deserves and God bless his soul.
Admiral Denton, a Navy pilot at the time, was shot down in 1965 over North Vietnam and spent nearly eight years in the brutal "Hanoi Hilton". Always devout and a courageous leader, he communicated with his men by tapping Morse Code messages to his fellow prisoners. As the senior American and despite his hardships from torture and illness, he did what he could to keep their morale as positive as possible. He stated later that he turned things over to the Lord who gave him the strength to endure.
When put before the cameras by his captors to supposedly apologize for his nation's sins under extreme duress, he sent a message of Morse Code by eye blinks which spelled out the word "Torture", letting the world know the truth. He was released and returned home in 1973.
Seven years later after retirement from Naval Service, Admiral Denton ran successfully for the Senate from his home state of Alabama and served one term in office. He was an outspoken critic of those attempting to weaken our military and he said to his dying day that victory in Vietnam was taken away by the actions of liberal politicians. He was a plain spoken and honest man always.
America owes a great debt of gratitude to this fine man and I hope each of us will take a moment to thank God for giving us such a fine Christian and for the sacrifices he made for his country. And as the Navy likes to say, I wish him "fair winds and following seas" on his journey home. May he finally receive the peace that he so richly deserves and God bless his soul.
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