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World War II Victory Medal}}
World War II Victory Medal}}
'''Jeremiah Andrew Denton, Jr.''' (July 15, 1924 – March 28, 2014), was an [[United States|American]] rear admiral and [[United States Navy]] aviator in [[World War II]] and the [[Vietnam War]] who subsequently served from 1981 to 1987 as the first [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[United States Senator]] since [[Reconstruction]] in his native [[Alabama]]. He was also the first [[Roman Catholic]] elected to statewide office in Alabama.<ref name=destroyer/>
'''Jeremiah Andrew Denton, Jr.''' (July 15, 1924 – March 28, 2014), was an [[United States|American]] rear admiral and [[United States Navy]] rear admiral and aviator and prisoner of war in [[World War II]] and the [[Vietnam War]] who subsequently served from 1981 to 1987 as the first [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[United States Senator]] since [[Reconstruction]] in his native [[Alabama]]. Admiral Denton was also the first [[Roman Catholic]] elected to statewide office in Alabama.<ref name=destroyer/>
A native of [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], Denton endured nearly eight years of grueling conditions as a [[prisoner of war]] in [[North Vietnam]] after his plane was shot down in 1965. He was the first of the American POWs held captive and released in February 1973. Denton was compelled by his captors to participate in a 1966 televised propaganda interview which was broadcast in the United States. While answering questions, Denton blinked his eyes in [[Morse code]] to spell the word "T-O-R-T-U-R-E." This confirmed to Naval Intelligence that American POWs were being tortured by the [[Communism|communists]].<ref name=findagrave>Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. (1924-2014) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed October 26, 2021.</ref>
A native of [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], Denton endured nearly eight years of grueling conditions as a [[prisoner of war]] in [[North Vietnam]] after his plane was shot down in 1965. He was the first of the American POWs held captive and released in February 1973. Denton was compelled by his captors to participate in a 1966 televised propaganda interview which was broadcast in the United States. While answering questions, Denton blinked his eyes in [[Morse code]] to spell the word "T-O-R-T-U-R-E." This confirmed to Naval Intelligence that American POWs were being tortured by the [[Communism|communists]].<ref name=findagrave>Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. (1924-2014) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed October 26, 2021.</ref>