Imagine - you are a prisoner of war. Your plane was shot down, and you have been held
for so long that the days and nights begin to blur together. You’re kept in a small
cell in solitary confinement, and the only times you see the sun are when you’re taken
out to be beaten and tortured by your captives. You don’t even know if your government knows
that you’re still alive.
Now your captors have a mission for you. They want you to make a propaganda broadcast, telling
your country that you’re being treated well and condemning the war. You need to get the
message out about the truth, but you know that one wrong step could mean more torture
- or worse. For Naval Aviator Jeremiah Denton during the Vietnam War, this was reality,
and he found an incredible way to communicate the truth.
Jeremiah Denton wasn’t your average prisoner of war. While many were young privates, often
draftees, he was a seasoned Navy man with over twenty years of experience behind him.
He had enlisted in the Navy with World War 2 still raging, and went on to serve as a
test pilot, a flight instructor, and a commanding officer of an attack squadron. He even revolutionized
the Navy’s nuclear war tactics at the height of the Cold War in 1957, pioneering the “Haystack
Concept” that made it easier to hide aircraft carriers from enemy planes. But none of that
prepared him for the harrowing ordeal that awaited him when he was shot down over North
Vietnam.
It was July 18th, 1965, and Commander Denton was leading the US 6th fleet into battle.
They launched from the USS Independence in the South China Sea and flew into North Vietnam.
By his side was his navigator, Lieutenant Bill Tschudy. Their bombing raid quickly spiraled
out of control as anti-aircraft guns fired on them. Hit multiple times, their plane began
spiraling down towards the guns below. With only seconds to react, they hit the eject
buttons on their seats and parachuted into enemy territory. They landed in the village
of Thanh Hoa, near Hanoi, and soon found themselves surrounded by enemy soldiers. Outmanned and
outgunned, they had no choice but to surrender, and Jeremiah Denton became one of the highest-ranking
prisoners of war in the Vietnam War.
Denton and Tschudy were held in the notorious prison camp known as “The Zoo”, one of
the most feared prisons in the war zone. From the beginning, conditions were designed to
break them down and get the prisoners to share information on US military operations. Denton
was held in solitary confinement, often in darkness. Prisoners were regularly shackled
with leg irons and beaten with bamboo poles and rubber whips. Denton would be frequently
interrogated by his captors, but stayed steadfast. He would give them nothing but his name, rank,
and serial number, as he had been taught in military training. Denton’s resistance in
the face of the abuse gave courage to his fellow captives, and he quickly became a leader
among the other American POWs. Increasingly frustrated, the North Vietnamese prison guards
decided on a show of force to break their captives down. They would hold a press conference
where the captured soldiers would be used as propaganda against their own country - and
the stubborn Commander Denton would be the star attraction.
It was May 2nd, 1966 when Denton and several of his fellow soldiers were hauled out of
their cells and brought before a visiting Japanese reporter, who asked them questions
about their treatment. The North Vietnamese soldiers were on site, watching their every
word. The reporter prodded Denton to give his opinion on his government’s actions,
but Denton defied his captors and stated that he stood with the United States. He knew the
interview was drawing to a close and he would likely face more torture for his defiance.
This might be his last chance to get a message out to US command, but saying the wrong word
would end the interview and risk his life. But the North Vietnamese didn’t know Denton
had a secret weapon - he knew Morse Code.
Thinking fast, Denton remembered the rudimentary system of dots and dashes used to encode text
characters. Without missing a beat in the interview, he translated that code into a
series of blinks - quick blinks for dots, longer blinks for dashes, and sent out a one-word
message he hoped someone back home would figure out.
A long blink - T Three long blinks - O
A short blink, a long blink, and a short blink - R
A long bink - T Two short blinks, followed by a long blink
- U A short blink, a long blink, and a short blink
- R A short blink - E
Torture. This was the first communication from the prisoners of war to the world that
they were being tortured, and Denton was lucky that his captors did not figure out what he
was doing. The message was broadcast across the world, and US Navy personnel quickly figured
it out.
The word was out and pressure was mounting around the world for the release or better
treatment of the prisoners of war, but the hard times were just beginning for Jeremiah
Denton. His defiance during the interviews was harshly punished, but he remained steadfast
against the abuse by the guards. Extended sessions of solitary confinement became more
common, and he was transferred from one notorious prison to another. Two months after the interview,
he and his men were forced to participate in the infamous Hanoi March, where dozens
of prisoners of war were marched through the streets of Hanoi. They were met with thousands
of enraged Vietnamese civilians who pelted them with bottles and stones and beat them
with sticks. Denton and his men barely escaped with the ir lives.
The Hanoi March was filmed by European journalists and added to the mounting outrage against
the North Vietnamese. Under global pressure, the torture stopped. Denton spent years more
in prison, but he and his fellow men didn’t have to fear extreme abuse every day. He didn’t
know that his blinked message had gotten out until February 12th, 1973. After almost eight
years in prison, Denton and Tschudy were released as part of Operation Homecoming, the release
of POWs that ended the Vietnam War. As a reward for his heroic conduct during years in captivity,
he was promoted to the rank of Rear admiral.
Jeremiah Denton would go on to wear many hats in his post-captivity career. He would be
the commandant of the Armed Forces Staff College, and a special assistant to the Chief of Naval
Education. He would serve a term as Senator from Alabama, and write a memoir, “When
Hell was in Session” that would be turned into a TV movie. But he would always be remembered
best as the iron-jawed prisoner of war who, with seven letters and fifteen blinks, exposed
the truth about the torture of American captives to the world.
Could you send a secret message if you were being held prisoner? You won’t need to escape
when you’re watching The Infographics Show, with hundreds of topics to enjoy. For more
about the Vietnam War, check out this video, and for more about prisoners of war, watch
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