ladbible homepage
ladbible homepage
  • iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK
    • US
    • World
    • Ireland
    • Australia
    • Science
    • Crime
    • Weather
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Film
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • Netflix
    • Disney
  • Sport
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Money
  • Originals
    • FFS PRODUCTIONS
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content Here
  • SPORTbible
  • Tyla
  • GAMINGbible
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • FOODbible
  • UNILAD Tech
Prisoner blinked chilling message in TV interview to save his own life

Home> News> US News

Published 14:08 25 Nov 2023 GMT

Prisoner blinked chilling message in TV interview to save his own life

Prisoner of war Jeremiah Denton became famous after a 1966 interview, supposed to be a propaganda film

Anish Vij

Anish Vij

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

A man held captive in the Vietnam war sent out a message to the world using just his eyes.

Prisoner of war (POW) Jeremiah Denton became an American hero in 1966 after he was able to turn a propaganda film on its head.

Watch below to see what he's doing:

Advert

Denton served as a US Naval Aviator during the Vietnam War, which lasted from 1955 to 1975.

For nearly eight years, Denton was held in a North Vietnam POW camp called the Zoo and was forced to take part in a propaganda news segment.

The broadcast was designed by the Vietnamese military to show that prison guards weren't breaking human rights laws.

Although Denton was filmed telling reporters that he has 'adequate food, clothing and medical care', his eyes told a different story.

Jeremiah Denton was locked up and tortured for seven and a half years.
Creative Commons

If you've watched the video above and still don't have a clue what's going on, Denton was in fact using morse code with his eyes to convey the truth.

Denton used the communication method to spell out the word 'torture'.

As well as using telecommunications technique, the POW also made it clear that he still belonged to the US government.

"I don't know what is happening but whatever the position of my government is, I support it," he said.

"Whatever the position of my government, I believe in it, yes, sir. I am a member of that government, and it is my job to support it, and I will as long as I live."

He made the statement despite knowing he would be tortured after the camera stopped rolling.

"In the early morning hours, I prayed that I could keep my sanity until they released me. I couldn't even give in to their demands, because there were none. It was pure revenge," Denton wrote at the time.

Hundreds of US troops were held captive as POWs.
Creative Commons

"They beat you with fists and fan belts," he also told the Los Angeles Times in 1979.

"They warmed you up and threatened you with death. Then they really got serious and gave you something called the rope trick."

Ropes were used to cut off circulation in your limbs, causing intense muscle spasms, he said.

Denton later turned to politics and became the first Republican elected to the Senate from Alabama since the Reconstruction era.

However, he lost his re-election bid in 1986 by a small margin.

"He was a war hero, an honorable senator, and a family man who cared deeply about his country," said a statement from U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, who as a Democrat defeated Denton in 1986.

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Audie Murphy American Legend

Topics: Politics, US News

Anish Vij
Anish Vij

Anish is a Journalist at LADbible Group and is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2025. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

X

@Anish_Vij

Recommended reads

Woman shot dead after attacking child in shopping cart with knife outside WalmartOmaha Police DepartmentEuphoria star Chloe Cherry opens up on dark side of adult industry before being cast in showAxelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicWhy penis 'grows' after weight loss as Jelly Roll's wife Bunnie Xo opens up about sex lifeTaylor Hill/Getty Images'Vicious' UK council tax rule to be scrapped impacting every home in the countryGetty Stock Photo

Advert

Choose your content:

an hour ago
3 hours ago
4 hours ago
5 hours ago
  • Omaha Police Department
    an hour ago

    Woman shot dead after attacking child in shopping cart with knife outside Walmart

    A woman was shot dead outside a Walmart in Omaha, Nebraska on Tuesday morning

    News
  • Getty Stock Photo
    3 hours ago

    'Vicious' UK council tax rule to be scrapped impacting every home in the country

    Martin Lewis has welcomed the change as it was something he'd campaigned for

    News
  • ITV
    4 hours ago

    Martin Lewis issues urgent 'do not ignore' price cap warning to ‘most Brits’

    Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has warned Brits about the energy price cap amid the Middle East conflict

    News
  • Instagram/@emilyatack
    5 hours ago

    Emily Atack’s ex-boyfriend was found dead inside tattoo studio, inquest hears

    Charlie Edwards was described as 'funny, smart, talented and caring'

    News
  • Man fined $345 for parking his work truck in own driveway
  • New Reform UK mayor storms off during TV interview after journalist called out controversial comment in speech
  • Prisoner jailed for murder he didn't commit reveals chilling thing inmates saw whenever there was an execution
  • Bill Clinton admits he 'doesn't know' if Epstein took his own life during tense exchange