Admiral Jeremiah Denton

On the 28 March 2014, Admiral Jeremiah Denton died aged of 89.

On July the 18th, 1965, Denton (the Commanding Officer of Attack Squadron Seventy-Five (VA-75)), was shot down over North Vietnam. Captured by the North as a POW, he was forced In 1966 to appear in a press conference at the behest of the north Vietnamese propaganda officials, after having been threatened with further torture and intimidation to ensure he would "respond properly and politely."

What came next was an exhibition of bravery & duty the likes that is rarely seen. During the interview, Denton appearing calm and collected, repeatedly blinked his eyes

- --- .-. - ..- .-. .

which is Morse code for the word, "T-O-R-T-U-R-E". In addition to this, after the interviewer had concluded his scripted diatribe about alleged U.S. war atrocities, Denton was questioned about his support for the U.S. war in Vietnam. His reply "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." was met with a defining silence by an audience who’d expected a vastly different response.

Not only was this man steadfast in principle, but he provided the first confirmation that POWs in Vietnam were being tortured.

In the words of Thomas Fuller “An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything and in this lies the great distinction between great men and little men.”

RIP, Admiral Jeremiah Denton, the world was a little better for you having been here.