I have started to read books by Admiral Jeremiah Denton around 4 years ago after I had the opportunity to meet with him, while I was serving in the military. He had talked about different events that happen in the Vietnam war but never talked about his 8 years as a POW and 4 years in solitary confinement. Throughout the time reading his books there's one thing that caught my attention something that had stayed with me for years. Throughout an interview given by the north Vietnamese Denton blinked his eyelids repeatedly spelling out a covert message "T-O-R-T-U-R-E". Broadcasting on American television on May 17, 1966 which was the first confirmation that the American Soldiers were being tortured in the Vietnamese prison camps.
Prior to the interview Denton was tortured for 4 days and 3 nights in preparation of the interview leading to starvation, ropes, and iron bars. Denton describes how the North Vietnamese would pull their arms behind them and tie their arms together at the elbows.
English: US POWs and NVA officers during Vietnam W...
Denton, Maryland
Denton FireThen their wrist would be handcuffed and jumbo irons would be on their ankles. Then a 2 inch thick bar would be slid through the jumbo irons then the Vietnamese would put ropes around the bar and his shoulders forcing his head between his knees. This type of torture would go on for days just for him to make a statement condemning the United States war efforts. The Vietnamese thought Denton was softened up adequately to give the Vietnamese misleading publicity line at the interview. The only thing that Denton said "I don't know what is happening now Vietnam, because the only news sources I have are North Vietnamese, but whatever the position of my government is, I believe in it, I support it, and I will support it as long...