Elite – even among the few and the proud

Marines to honor author of classic
‘When Hell Was in Session’

By Admiral Jeremiah A. Denton

The Marines know a true member of the warrior class when they see one. And Sen. Admiral Jeremiah Denton – despite the classic rivalry between the Navy and Marines – exceeds even their vaulted qualifications.

On Saturday, the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation will host Denton for a luncheon and discussion at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va.

Denton will discuss his newly released and updated classic book, “When Hell Was in Session,” his story of torture and solitary confinement in a North Vietnamese camp known euphemistically as the “Hanoi Hilton,” where he was held for seven-and-a-half years. The updated book also follows Denton upon release and return to the United States, his election to the U.S. Senate and the role he played partnering with President Reagan in bringing an end to the Cold War.
“When Hell Was in Session,” was out of print for more than a decade until released last fall by WND Books.

During the Vietnam War, Denton, chronicled recently in the Washington Post, served as commanding officer of Attack Squadron 75 aboard the USS Independence. On July 18, 1965, while leading a strike against a North Vietnamese stronghold at Thanh Hoa, he was shot down. He would become the 13th American pilot captured during the war.

Throughout his time in captivity, Denton refused to betray his country by revealing information to the enemy – notably blinking in Morse code the word “torture” during a filmed interview with a foreign journalist.

See the ABC News report with video of Denton’s 1966 “t-o-r-t-u-r-e” interview, as well as his stirring comments upon touching down back in America after 8 years in captivity:

“We are honored to have had the opportunity to serve our country under difficult circumstances. We are profoundly grateful to our commander in chief and to our nation for this day. God bless America.”

– Jeremiah Denton, upon his release after 8 years as a POW

After his release in 1973, Denton was promoted to rear admiral and in 1980 was elected to the United States Senate where he worked with President Reagan to fight communism in Latin America and was a key leader in helping promote the Reagan Revolution.

The new material in this “When Hell was in Session” reveals an inside account of a little-known, but highly influential and intriguing chapter in the nation’s battle against communism. New details include:

Denton’s stunning showdown with communist leaders in Nicaragua where he warned them that this was not Vietnam and President Reagan was not President Johnson;

His Oval Office meeting with President Reagan where he proposed a comprehensive strategy for confronting communism in Nicaragua, a plan that Reagan accepted and implemented;

His stark warning of what awaits America if it does not return to its moral foundation.

“When Hell Was in Session” serves as an important reminder that America remains free because of the courage, commitment and conviction of brave heroes like Admiral Jeremiah Denton.