SwiftVets.com

[hosemonkey]

One of my personal heroes passed away today. Vice Admiral James Stockdale passed to his fathers today in San Diego. Adm. Stockdale spent seven and a half years in the captivity of the North Vietnamese communists. For his leadership and sacrifice while in captivity, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by a grateful nation. I had the privilage and high honor of meeting and working for this true American hero in 1976. A kinder and more gracious gentleman I have never met. Fair winds and following seas, Admiral, they don't make men like you every day. God rest you.

Dave Jones AME1 USN (Ret.)

[LewWaters]

It's always sad to hear another Veteran has passed away.

I never appreciated the way the media tried to make him a laughing stock when he was the VP candidate, totally uncalled for.

Thanks for posting and giving us an insight into him.
_________________
Clark County Conservative

[baldeagle]

Seems all the MSM knew of this Medal of Honor Hero was his ineffectual pairing with Ross Perot in the mess that was the 92 Presidential campaign. That was all I heard on the newscasts.

Excerpt;
Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale, Naval aviator, senior Navy Prisoner of War in
Vietnam, Medal of Honor recipient, hero, author and academic, has died at the age of 81 after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Admiral Stockdale was born on December 23, 1923 in Abingon, Illinois. After graduating
from the Naval Academy in 1946, he attended flight training in Pensacola, FL and in 1954
was accepted to the Navy Test Pilot School where he quickly became a standout and served
as an instructor for a brief time. Stockdale’s flying career took him west, and in 1962 he
earned a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Stanford University. He was the
first to amass more than one thousand hours in the F-8U Crusader, then the Navy’s hottest
fighter, and by the early 1960’s Stockdale was at the very pinnacle of his profession when he
commanded a Navy fighter squadron.

(snip)
On September 9, 1965 at the age of 40, Stockdale, Commanding Officer, VF51 and Carrier
Air Group Commander (CAG-16) was catapulted from the deck of the USS Oriskany for
what would be the final mission. While returning from the target area, his A-4 Skyhawk was
hit by anti-aircraft fire. Stockdale ejected, breaking a bone in his back. Upon landing in a
small village he badly dislocated his knee, which subsequently went untreated and eventually
left him with a fused knee joint and a very distinctive gait.
Stockdale wound up in Hoa Lo Prison, the infamous “Hanoi Hilton”, where he spent the next
seven years as the highest ranking naval officer and leader of American resistance against
Vietnamese attempts to use prisoners for propaganda purposes. Despite being kept in solitary
confinement for four years, in leg irons for two years, physically tortured more than 15 times,
denied medical care and malnourished, Stockdale organized a system of communication and
developed a cohesive set of rules governing prisoner behavior. Codified in the acronym
BACK U.S. (Unity over Self), these rules gave prisoners a sense of hope and empowerment,
which many credited with giving them the strength to endure their lengthy ordeal. Drawing
largely from principles of stoic philosophy, notably Epictetus’ The Enchiridion, Stockdale’s
courage and decisive leadership was an inspiration to POWs.

More here
http://www.admiralstockdale.us/Stockdale.pdf

Adm. Stockdales biograph, writings, and pics here;
http://www.admiralstockdale.us/
_________________
"In a word, I want an American character, that the powers of Europe may be convinced we act for ourselves and not for others; this, in my judgment, is the only way to be respected abroad and happy at home." --George Washington

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

Fair winds and following seas, Admiral.

[Deuce]

Baldeagle,

What a Great American...we're all indebted to you for that great eulogy of another Great American, Thanks.

Perhaps another MOH recipient will honor him again at this years Convention of MOH Society in Phoenix...