 | ||||
Admiral Jeremiah Denton
Admiral Denton later the first Catholic Senator from Alabama served seven years and seven months as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam prison camps where he was subjected to torture and spent four years in solitary confinement. He is best remembered for his performance during a forced interview with a Japanese reporter as a POW during which he blinked the word torture in Morse code to the camera. That was the first concrete evidence that the Vietnamese were torturing US service members.
He reluctantly cites examples of prison experiences that demonstrate the power of prayer. He speaks emotionally and with cracking voice of reciting the Rosary, its mysteries and reciting the mass in the solitude of his 47 inch by 47 inch cell. He recalled those moments as some of the most peaceful of his entire life. During torture sessions he prayed and turned his life over to the will of God. Pain, fear, and anxiety were removed at that moment.
Group prayer was practiced throughout the camp. He said that prayer through suffering is the most natural instinct in man. He opines that all should seek an impetus for prayer from our derived suffering due to our own sinfulness and the sins of our country that practices abortion.
The answer he received to a prayer he recited when he neared despair and said; “Lord I don’t know what to do or How to pray,” will make the hair on your neck stand up and stay with you for a long time.
Jeremiah Denton died at the age of 89 on March 28, 2014. He was buried with military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on July 22, 2014. He was eulogized by those who knew him as a man “who was conscious of his responsibility to provide leadership, and did.” “His patriotism knew no bounds. His bravery pushed every limit.” After listening to this CD we know to whom he would give all credit and praise.
The Essential Mission
Mobilizing Catholics For the New Evangelization
