Denton, Jeremiah A., Jr.

Denton, Jeremiah A. (Andrew), Jr. (1924–  ) navy pilot, prisoner of war, U.S. senator; born in Mobile, Ala. After moving frequently during his first 14 years, he settled into a normal high school life, then went to Annapolis. He became a highly skilled navy pilot but as a commander flying off the aircraft carrier USS Independence was shot down on a mission over North Vietnam in July 1965. During almost 8 years of captivity—including four in solitary confinement—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 U.S.A. and in 1977 he founded the Coalition for Decency to promote traditional values of the family and citizenship. Running as a Republican in 1980, he won one of Alabama's seats in the Senate (1981) where he continued to work for a conservative agenda.