Pete Sessions: “I rise to mourn the passage of a friend and to pay tribute to a remarkable man. Jeremiah Denton once served his country…”

“I rise to mourn the passage of a friend and to pay tribute to a remarkable man. Jeremiah Denton once served his country as a pilot, a prisoner of war, a rear admiral in the Navy, and a Senator of the United States. He passed away Friday morning at the age of 89, having been active until near the end. From time to time men and women are born into this world who are made of something special, individuals who seem to have an unlimited reservoir of strength and courage, who are made of sterner stuff. These people carry themselves with grace and dignity even as the world's weight rests upon their shoulders. Jeremiah Denton was such a man. A proud son of Mobile, AL, he attended local Spring Hill College and the local Catholic schools and McGill-Toolen in Mobile, and he graduated later from the U.S. Naval Academy, becoming a pilot and commander. What happened next would etch his name into the annals of American history. On July 18, 1965, Denton led a squadron of 28 jets on a bombing raid when he was shot down over North Vietnam. It was his 12th flight. Captured by the North Vietnamese, he would be a captive in prison camps for the next 7 years and 7 months. During his time as a prisoner of war, he endured virtually constant and excruciating torture. He was held captive at prisons the POWs called Hanoi Hilton, the zoo, and Alcatraz. He endured merciless beatings as well as solitary confinement for 4 years.…”