When Hell was in Session
Encyclopedia
When Hell was in Session is a memoir
by Jeremiah Denton
, recounting his experiences as a prisoner of war
during the Vietnam War
. A United States Naval Aviator
, Denton was shot down and captured, spending the next seven years and seven months as a POW. The book was later made into a television movie starring Hal Holbrook
. It was adapted by screenwriter Jake Justiz (AKA S Lee Pogostin.)
Denton, along with James Stockdale
(another Navy officer who became the vice-presidential running mate of H. Ross Perot during his 1992 presidential campaign), Larry Guarino
(an Air Force Major) and James Robinson Risner
(an Air Force colonel), distinguished themselves as members of the American POW resistance
from 1965-1973, and helped their men accomplish their sworn goal to "return with honor" – a POW battle cry
that later was used as the title of a documentary film
narrated and produced by Tom Hanks
.
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
by Jeremiah Denton
Jeremiah Denton
Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. is a retired United States Navy rear admiral, naval aviator and a former Republican U.S. senator, for the state of Alabama...
, recounting his experiences as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. A United States Naval Aviator
United States Naval Aviator
A United States Naval Aviator is a qualified pilot in the United States Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard.-Naming Conventions:Most Naval Aviators are Unrestricted Line Officers; however, a small number of Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are also trained as Naval Aviators.Until 1981...
, Denton was shot down and captured, spending the next seven years and seven months as a POW. The book was later made into a television movie starring Hal Holbrook
Hal Holbrook
Harold Rowe "Hal" Holbrook, Jr. is an American actor. His television roles include Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 TV series Lincoln, Hays Stowe on The Bold Ones: The Senator and Capt. Lloyd Bucher on Pueblo. He is also known for his role in the 2007 film Into the Wild, for which he was nominated for...
. It was adapted by screenwriter Jake Justiz (AKA S Lee Pogostin.)
Denton, along with James Stockdale
James Stockdale
Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale was one of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the United States Navy.Stockdale led aerial attacks from the carrier during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Incident...
(another Navy officer who became the vice-presidential running mate of H. Ross Perot during his 1992 presidential campaign), Larry Guarino
Lawrence N. Guarino
Lawrence N. "Larry" Guarino was U.S. Air Force officer and veteran of three wars. Shot down on his 50th combat mission, he spent more than 8 years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War and earned the Air Force Cross...
(an Air Force Major) and James Robinson Risner
James Robinson Risner
James Robinson "Robbie" Risner was a general officer and professional fighter pilot in the United States Air Force.Risner is a double recipient of the Air Force Cross, the second highest military decoration for valor that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force...
(an Air Force colonel), distinguished themselves as members of the American POW resistance
Resistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
from 1965-1973, and helped their men accomplish their sworn goal to "return with honor" – a POW battle cry
Battle cry
A battle cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same military unit.Battle cries are not necessarily articulate, although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religious sentiment....
that later was used as the title of a documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
narrated and produced by Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
.
External links
- Denton, Jeremiah (1976). When Hell Was in Session. Reader's Digest PressReader's Digest PressReader's Digest Press was a United States publisher of the mid-1970s to early 1980s, owned by The Reader's Digest Association. It published full-length, original non-fiction books, often concerning military or political topics. Its works were sometimes distributed by Thomas Y. Crowell Co....
. ISBN 0-88349-112-5.