Denton, Jeremiah Andrew, Jr (1924– )

US navy pilot, prisoner of war, and senator. Shot down over North Vietnam, he spent almost 8 years in captivity. He founded the Coalition for Decency to promote traditional values. Elected to the Senate, he advanced a conservative agenda.

He was born in Mobile, Alabama. He became a highly skilled navy pilot and it was as a commander flying off the aircraft carrier USS Independence that he was shot down. His spell of captivity included four years in solitary confinement and he demonstrated incredible bravery in the face of torture. He gained fame when he blinked that very word in Morse code when his captors forced him to appear in a public interview. After his release in 1973, and his return to active duty, he became concerned about what he regarded as mounting immorality and disunity in the USA.