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mahatmakanejeeves

(57,633 posts) Fri Mar 28, 2014, 11:33 AM Mar 2014

Jeremiah A. Denton Jr., Vietnam POW and U.S. senator, dies

Source: Washington Post

By Emily Langer, Friday, March 28, 10:21 AM

Jeremiah A. Denton Jr., a retired Navy rear admiral and former U.S. senator who survived nearly eight years of captivity in North Vietnamese prisons, and whose public acts of defiance and patriotism came to embody the sacrifices of American POWs in Vietnam, died March 28 at a hospice in Virginia Beach. He was 89.

The cause was complications from a heart ailment, said his son Jim Denton. Adm. Denton was a native of Alabama, where in 1980 he became the state’s first Republican to win election to the Senate since Reconstruction.
....

Adm. Denton was shot down south of Hanoi on July 18, 1965, about a month after his deployment to Southeast Asia. A former test pilot — and the father of seven — he was a commander at the time and was flying an A-6 Intruder on a bombing mission near the Thanh Hoa Bridge. When his plane came under antiaircraft attack and fell into a tailspin, he ejected and was captured.

Over the next seven years and seven months, Adm. Denton was incarcerated in prisons including the infamous Hoa Lo complex, also known as the Hanoi Hilton, and the facility dubbed “Alcatraz” that was reserved for the most willful resisters. Also at Alcatraz were James B. Stockdale, the future vice presidential running mate of Ross Perot, and Sam Johnson, the future Republican congressman from Texas.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/jeremiah-a-denton-jr-vietnam-pow-and-us-senator-dies/2014/03/28/1a15343e-b500-11e3-b899-20667de76985_story.html

17 replies

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Jeremiah A. Denton Jr., Vietnam POW and U.S. senator, dies (Original Post) mahatmakanejeeves Mar 2014 OP

RIP Scuba Mar 2014 #1

The hero that John McCain never was and wanted to be NT broadcaster75201 Mar 2014 #2

RIP Adm. Denton. wall_dish Mar 2014 #3

Rest in peace. Beacool Mar 2014 #4

This was the chastity center proposal guy. Nika Mar 2014 #5

Wow, did not know this about him. wall_dish Mar 2014 #6

Do as I say, not as I do raising2moredems Mar 2014 #7

Different times back then. wall_dish Mar 2014 #8

Didn't say it did. Nika Mar 2014 #9

Glad your interaction was respectful. wall_dish Mar 2014 #10

we honor those like him the most by making sure that few follow in his footsteps yurbud Mar 2014 #11

Denton was famous for blinking his eyes in Morse Code spelling out "torture" in a press conference 7962 Mar 2014 #12

Do you think Stockdale should not have been awarded the MoH? former9thward Mar 2014 #13

I would submit that he earned that MoH several times over. wall_dish Mar 2014 #14

Oh no, I did NOT mean that at all!! He more than earned the highest honor. 7962 Mar 2014 #15

Yeah, I guess I mis-read it. former9thward Mar 2014 #16

While his politics sucked, the leadership and heroism he displayed. . . DinahMoeHum Mar 2014 #17

Scuba

(53,475 posts)

1. RIP

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 11:39 AM

Mar 2014

broadcaster75201

(387 posts)

2. The hero that John McCain never was and wanted to be NT

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 11:45 AM

Mar 2014

wall_dish

(85 posts)

3. RIP Adm. Denton.

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 12:28 PM

Mar 2014

A hero of untold magnitudes.
Cross gently, your wife is waiting for you.

Beacool

(30,253 posts)

4. Rest in peace.

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 12:36 PM

Mar 2014

My condolences to his family.

Nika

(546 posts)

5. This was the chastity center proposal guy.

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 01:30 PM

Mar 2014

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19810918&id=id4hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SaEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2727,4784968

He was a right winger that had an unrealistic take on the teenage pregnancy issue. He opposed a woman's right to chose and frowned on contraception. The link has an old story about this.

wall_dish

(85 posts)

6. Wow, did not know this about him.

Reply to Nika (Reply #5)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 02:16 PM

Mar 2014

Still, it doesn't take away from his steller military and wartime record.

raising2moredems

(641 posts)

7. Do as I say, not as I do

Reply to wall_dish (Reply #6)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 02:31 PM

Mar 2014

No it doesn't however it does put the hypocrisy of "fighting for our freedoms" front and center.

wall_dish

(85 posts)

8. Different times back then.

Reply to raising2moredems (Reply #7)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 02:38 PM

Mar 2014

We truly thought that we were fighting for our country and freedom, boy, did that turn out to be bull.
I can respect the warrior while holding his politics in contempt.

Nika

(546 posts)

9. Didn't say it did.

Reply to wall_dish (Reply #6)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 02:39 PM

Mar 2014

It is part of his legacy worth reminding people about in this day the Repugs have hurt abortion and contraceptive rights in many states.

He spoke at the hanger I worked at when I was in the 82nd Airborne Division and I asked him about his chastity centers and criticized them. I incurred the wrath of higher ups who had invited him. He was nice to me and honored my right to disagree with him in his answer to my question and comment, so I respect him for that.

Needless to say though, I disapproved of his political stripes, and will never forget my run in with him.

wall_dish

(85 posts)

10. Glad your interaction was respectful.

Reply to Nika (Reply #9)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 02:46 PM

Mar 2014

Nowadays, interaction with most R's are distasteful, to be kind about it.

Upper brass shouldn't have given you shit, but that's the military for you, don't dare question the machine.

yurbud

(39,405 posts)

11. we honor those like him the most by making sure that few follow in his footsteps

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 03:16 PM

Mar 2014

unless the national security of the United States is in real danger.

Too many have suffered too much to enrich so few.

7962

(11,841 posts)

12. Denton was famous for blinking his eyes in Morse Code spelling out "torture" in a press conference

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 03:31 PM

Mar 2014

And Stockdale was awarded the Medal of Honor

former9thward

(32,082 posts)

13. Do you think Stockdale should not have been awarded the MoH?

Reply to 7962 (Reply #12)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 03:59 PM

Mar 2014

Stockdale was held as a prisoner of war in the Hoa Lo prison for seven and a half years. As the senior Naval officer, he was one of the primary organizers of prisoner resistance. Tortured routinely and denied medical attention for the severely damaged leg he suffered during capture, Stockdale created and enforced a code of conduct for all prisoners which governed torture, secret communications, and behavior. In the summer of 1969, he was locked in leg irons in a bath stall and routinely tortured and beaten. When told by his captors that he was to be paraded in public, Stockdale slit his scalp with a razor to purposely disfigure himself so that his captors could not use him as propaganda. When they covered his head with a hat, he beat himself with a stool until his face was swollen beyond recognition. When Stockdale was discovered with information that could implicate his friends' "black activities", he slit his wrists so they could not torture him into confession.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stockdale

wall_dish

(85 posts)

14. I would submit that he earned that MoH several times over.

Reply to former9thward (Reply #13)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 04:03 PM

Mar 2014

Quite a man and quite a story, another true hero.

7962

(11,841 posts)

15. Oh no, I did NOT mean that at all!! He more than earned the highest honor.

Reply to former9thward (Reply #13)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 08:39 PM

Mar 2014

Sorry of it appeared otherwise. Someone else earlier had mentioned he was in the same prison so I thought I would point it out to anyone who didnt know.

former9thward

(32,082 posts)

16. Yeah, I guess I mis-read it.

Reply to 7962 (Reply #15)

Fri Mar 28, 2014, 08:48 PM

Mar 2014

I have been to Hoa Lo prison twice. Once in November, 1992 when it was still an active prison and once in January, 2010 when most of it was torn down. It is now a museum complete with the guillotine used to execute prisoners.

DinahMoeHum

(21,812 posts)

17. While his politics sucked, the leadership and heroism he displayed. . .

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Sat Mar 29, 2014, 10:17 AM

Mar 2014

. . .should not be denied.

I've read his book When Hell Was In Session, and in it, he gave (to my mind) the best interpretation of the "Code of Conduct" as a POW.

He even pointed out a major fallacy of this Code when taken "stand-alone": what should a prisoner do when he/she has reached the limit of endurance under torture? Then what?

He devised the tactic called "Bounce Back", meaning: after they've broken you, don't stay broken. Collect yourself and bounce back to a hard line as soon as possible.

That tactic is now taught at all US military SERE ("survival&quot schools.

Fair Winds and Godspeed, Admiral.

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