On This Day In Alabama History: Jeremiah Denton First To Disembark From First Pow Planeload

Bill Murray | February 12, 2017 @ 9:56 am

By Graydon RustAlabama 200

February 12, 1973

Navy Captain Jeremiah Denton Jr. was the first to disembark from the first planeload of U.S. POWs released after the Vietnam War. Denton was captured by the North Vietnamese after being shot down during a bombing mission in July 1965 and spent 91 months as a POW, 48 of which were in solitary confinement. In 1966, Denton earned national attention by blinking T-O-R-T-U-R-E in Morse code during an interview for a North Vietnamese propaganda film, confirming American fears that POWs were being subjected to torture. In 1981, Denton became the first Republican senator elected from Alabama since the end of Reconstruction.

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Bill Murray is the President of The Weather Factory. He is the site's official weather historian and a weekend forecaster. He also anchors the site's severe weather coverage. Bill Murray is the proud holder of National Weather Association Digital Seal #0001 @wxhistorian