The legacy of Alabama hero Jeremiah Denton lives on

Jeremiah Denton (Photo credit: Stephen M. Katz)

As news agencies across the country announced the death of Admiral Denton, “War hero, Vietnam POW, Admiral and Senator” crossed the headlines.

He was all of those, indeed. And more.

Often forgotten is the international impact Denton, a native of Mobile, Ala., had in some of the farthest reaching corners of the Earth. For example…

The Denton Program, which is jointly administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development, Department State, and Department of Defense, has shipped millions of pounds of humanitarian aid to destinations worldwide.

This organization has in the past 15 years helped thousands of children and families throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as other parts of the world, such as Iraq and the Philippines.

Some kids in these countries once walked barefooted to schools with dirt floors, no running water and no electricity. These are the type of communities in which Admiral Denton’s programs have been transformational.

Admiral Denton combined his international programs with IMEC America, whose stated mission is to transform impoverished communities around the world by providing equipment solutions for health care, agriculture, and education projects in collaboration with other humanitarian organizations, governments, faith-based groups and individuals. Admiral Denton’s partnership with IMEC America has allowed his programs to have an even greater reach.

Admiral Denton Legacy Initiatives and IMAC have helped to transform empty buildings around the world into fully functioning clinics and schools by providing necessary equipment and supplies. The U.S. military builds schools, clinics and community centers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean under their “Beyond the Horizons” program. IMAC America has helped to support such projects executed by the U.S. Southern Command in Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Belize, Uruguay, Guyana, and more.

For example, the school desks Jimmy Buffet once sat in at McGill Toolen High School in Mobile have provided seating for thousands of school children in the remote villages of El Salvador. In 2002, McGill Toolen donated a truckload of school desks that were no longer in use. Students, teachers, and local business leaders cleaned, organized, and prepared the desks for shipment. The American Embassy received the shipment and the U.S. military distributed the desks. Hundreds of kids will never forget the first day they had their own desk to sit in when they came to school.

These are the type of projects organized under Admiral Denton’s international programs.

Thousands of children around the world have been helped and still benefit today from the collaborative effort between The Admiral Denton Legacy and IMEC America, and the organizations, churches, and donors who have donated their time, talents, and sponsorships over the years.

Thus, while “War hero, Vietnam POW, Admiral and Senator” got the headlines upon Admiral Denton’s recent passing, often left out were the titles of “Christian” and “Humanitarian,” which he was, proudly until the end.

It was Admiral Denton’s faith and his love of country that compelled him to help others through the programs he set in motion. “‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself,’ was a principle mandate given to use over 2,000 years ago,” he would say, before asking us, as a nation, not to turn our eyes away from God.

If you are interested in carrying this great work forward, churches, civic organizations and clubs can still sponsor projects that can touch thousands of lives through The Admiral Denton Legacy Initiatives, under IMEC America. For more information, visit AdmiralDenton.org.