James Stockdale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James B. Stockdale
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Stockdale as a rear admiral in
full dress white uniform (late 1970s) |
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| Birth name | James Bond Stockdale |
| Nickname(s) | "Jim" |
| Born | December 23, 1923 Abingdon, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | July 5, 2005 (aged 81) Coronado, California, U.S. |
| Buried |
United States Naval Academy Cemetery
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| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |
 United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1946–1979 |
| Rank |  Vice admiral |
| Commands held | VF-51 Carrier Air Wing 16 |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards |
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| Alma mater | Monmouth College, U.S. Naval Academy, Stanford University |
| Spouse(s) |
Sybil Bailey Stockdale
(m. 1947) |
| Other work | Vice-Presidential candidate, 1992 |
James Bond "Jim" Stockdale (December 23, 1923 – July 5, 2005) was a United States Navy vice admiral and aviator, awarded the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War, during which he was a prisoner of war for over seven years.
Stockdale was the most senior naval officer held captive in Hanoi, North Vietnam. He led aerial attacks from the carrier USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident. On his next deployment, while commander of Carrier Air Wing Sixteen aboard the carrier USS Oriskany (CV-34), his A-4 Skyhawk jet was shot down in North Vietnam on September 9, 1965. He served as president of the Naval War College from October 1977 until he retired from the navy in 1979. As vice admiral, Stockdale was the president of The Citadel from 1979 to 1980.
Stockdale was a candidate for Vice President of the United States in the 1992 presidential election, on Ross Perot's independent ticket.
Contents
Early life and education
Stockdale was born in Abingdon, Illinois, on December 23, 1923, the son of Vernon Beard Stockdale (1888–1964) and Mabel Edith Stockdale (née Bond; 1889–1967). Following a brief period at Monmouth College, he entered the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in June 1943.
On June 5, 1946, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy with the Class of 1947 due to the reduced schedule still in effect from World War II. Academically, he ranked 130th among 821 graduates in his class. His first assignment was assistant gunnery officer aboard the destroyer minesweeper USS Carmick (DD-493) from June to October 1946. He next served aboard the USS Thompson (DD-627) from October 1946 to February 1947, the USS Charles H. Roan (DD-853) from February 1947 to July 1948, and the USS Deming (PCS-1392) from July 1948 to June 1949.
Stockdale was accepted for flight training in June 1949 and reported to Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. He was designated a Naval Aviator at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas, in September 1950. He was next assigned for additional training at Naval Air Station Norfolk in Virginia from October 1950 to January 1951. In January 1954, he was accepted into the United States Naval Test Pilot School at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River base in Southern Maryland, and he completed his training in July 1954. There he tutored the U.S. Marine Corps aviator John Glenn in mathematics and physics. He was a test pilot until January 1957.
In 1959, the U.S. Navy sent Stockdale to Stanford University, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in international relations in 1962. Stockdale preferred the life of a fighter pilot over academia, but he later credited Stoic philosophy with helping him cope as a prisoner of war.
Vietnam War
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
On August 2, 1964, while on a DESOTO patrol in the Tonkin Gulf, the destroyer USS Maddox (DD-731) engaged three North Vietnamese Navy P-4 torpedo boats from the 135th Torpedo Squadron. After fighting a running gun and torpedo battle, in which Maddox fired over 280 5-inch (130 mm) shells, and the torpedo boats expended their 6 torpedoes (all misses) and hundreds of rounds of 14.5mm machine gun fire; the combatants broke contact. As the torpedo boats turned for their North Vietnamese coastline, four F-8 Crusader fighter aircraft from USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) arrived, and immediately attacked the retreating torpedo boats.
Stockdale (commander VF-51 (Fighter Squadron 51)), with Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Richard Hastings attacked torpedo boats T-333 and T-336, while Commander R. F. Mohrhardt and Lieutenant Commander C. E. Southwick attacked torpedo boat T-339. The four F-8 pilots reported scoring no hits with their Zuni rockets, but reported hits on all three torpedo boats with their 20 mm cannon.
Two nights later, on August 4, 1964, Stockdale was overhead during the second reported attack in the Tonkin Gulf. Unlike the first event, which was an actual sea battle, no Vietnamese forces were, however, believed to have been involved in the second engagement. In the early 1990s, he recounted: "[I] had the best seat in the house to watch that event, and our destroyers were just shooting at phantom targets—there were no PT boats there. ... There was nothing there but black water and American fire power."
The next morning, on August 5, 1964, President Johnson ordered bombing raids on North Vietnamese military targets which he announced were retaliation for the alleged incident of August 4. When Stockdale was awakened in the early morning and was told he was to lead these attacks he responded: "Retaliation for what?" Later, while a prisoner of war, he was concerned that he would be forced to reveal this secret about the Vietnam War.
Prisoner of war
On September 9, 1965, while flying as the Carrier Air Wing Sixteen Commander from USS Oriskany on a mission over North Vietnam, Stockdale ejected from his Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, which had been struck by enemy fire and completely disabled. He parachuted into a small village, where he was severely beaten and taken prisoner.
Stockdale was held as a prisoner of war in the Hỏa Lò Prison (the infamous "Hanoi Hilton") for the next seven and a half years. As the senior naval officer, he was one of the primary organizers of prisoner resistance.
Early in Stockdale's captivity, his wife, Sybil Stockdale, organized The League of American Families of POWs and MIAs, with other wives of servicemen who were in similar circumstances. By 1968, she and her organization, which called for the president and the U.S. Congress to publicly acknowledge the mistreatment of the POWs (something that had never been done despite evidence of gross mistreatment), gained the attention of the American press. Sybil Stockdale personally made these demands known at the Paris Peace Talks.
Stockdale was one of eleven U.S. military prisoners known as the "Alcatraz Gang": George Thomas Coker, USN; George G. McKnight, USAF; Jeremiah Denton, USN (who had graduated with Stockdale from the Naval Academy); Harry Jenkins, USN; Sam Johnson, USAF; James Mulligan, USN; Howard Rutledge, USN; Robert Shumaker, USN (originator of the name "Hanoi Hilton"); Ronald Storz, USAF (died in captivity); and Nels Tanner, USN. Because they had been resistance leaders they were separated from other captives and placed in solitary confinement in "Alcatraz", a special facility in a courtyard behind the North Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense, located about one mile away from Hỏa Lò Prison. In Alcatraz, each of the prisoners were kept in an individual windowless and concrete cell measuring 3 by 9 feet (0.9 by 2.7 m) with a light bulb kept on around the clock, and locked in leg irons each night. Of the eleven, Storz died in captivity there in 1970.
The Stockdale Paradox
James C. Collins related a conversation he had with James Stockdale regarding his coping strategy during his period in the Vietnamese POW camp. When Collins asked which prisoners didn't make it out of Vietnam, Stockdale replied:
Collins called this the Stockdale Paradox.
Return to the United States
Stockdale was released as a prisoner of war on February 12, 1973, during Operation Homecoming.
On March 4, 1976, Stockdale received the Medal of Honor. Stockdale filed charges against two other officers (Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Edison W. Miller and Navy Captain Walter E. "Gene" Wilber) who, he felt, had given aid and comfort to the enemy. However, the Department of the Navy under the leadership of then-Secretary of the Navy John Warner took no action and retired these men "in the best interests of the Navy." Both Miller and Wilber received letters of censure.
Debilitated by his captivity and mistreatment, Stockdale could not stand upright and could barely walk upon his return to the United States, which prevented his return to active flying status. In deference to his previous service, the navy kept him on active duty, steadily promoting him over the next few years before he retired as a vice admiral on September 1, 1979. He completed his career by serving as the president of the Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island, from October 13, 1977, until August 22, 1979.
Civilian academic work and writings
After his retirement in 1979, he became the president of The Citadel. His tenure there was short and stormy as he found himself at odds with the college's board as well as most of its administration, by proposing radical changes to the college's military system and other facets of the college. He left The Citadel to become a fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in 1981. During his twelve-year tenure at the Hoover Institution, Stockdale wrote and lectured extensively. His primary focus was ancient Stoicism and the Roman slave-turned-philosopher Epictetus, whose lessons captured in The Enchiridion Stockdale credited with providing him strength during his ordeals as a prisoner in the Hanoi Hilton. Between 1981 and 1988 Stockdale also served as chair of the White House Fellows under the Reagan administration.
In 1984, Stockdale and his wife Sybil co-authored In Love and War: the Story of a Family's Ordeal and Sacrifice During the Vietnam War, which was published by Harper and Row. It recounts Stockdale's experiences while in Vietnam; additionally, in alternating chapters, it also tells the story of Sybil Stockdale's early involvement in the League of American Families of POWs and MIAs, which she helped to found, and served as its first chairperson. Their story was later made into an NBC television movie under the name In Love and War, starring James Woods and Jane Alexander.
Stockdale was a member of the board of directors of the Rockford Institute, and he was a frequent contributor to Chronicles: A magazine of American Culture.
Vice presidential candidacy
Stockdale came to know businessman and presidential candidate Ross Perot through his wife's work in establishing an organization to represent the families of Vietnam POWs. On March 30, 1992, Perot announced that he had asked Stockdale to be his provisional vice presidential nominee on Ross Perot's 1992 independent ticket. Perot intended to replace Stockdale with another candidate, but did not do so before he dropped out of the race in July 1992.
Perot eventually re-entered the race in the fall of 1992, with Stockdale still in place as the vice presidential nominee. Stockdale was not informed that he would be participating in the October 13 vice presidential debate held in Atlanta, Georgia, until a week before the event. He had no formal preparation for the debate, unlike his opponents Al Gore and Dan Quayle, and did not discuss any political issues with Perot beforehand.
Stockdale opened the debate by saying, "Who am I? Why am I here?", when responding to a request for an opening statement from debate moderator, Hal Bruno, the political director of ABC News. Initially, the rhetorical questions drew applause from the audience. However, his unfocused style for the rest of the debate (including asking the moderator to repeat one question because he didn't have his hearing aid turned on) made him appear confused and almost disoriented. An unflattering recreation of the moment on Saturday Night Live later that week, with Phil Hartman as Stockdale, cemented a public perception of Stockdale as slow-witted. He was also often parodied for his repeated use of the term "gridlock" to describe slow governmental policy.
As his introduction to the large segment of American voters who had not previously heard of him, the debate was disastrous for Stockdale. He was portrayed in the media as elderly and confused, and his reputation never recovered.
Perot and Stockdale received 19 percent of the vote in the 1992 presidential election, one of the best showings by an independent ticket in U.S. electoral history, although they did not carry any states.
Military awards
Stockdale's decorations and awards include:
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| Badge | Naval Aviator insignia | ||
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| 1st Row | Medal of Honor | ||
| 2nd Row | Navy Distinguished Service Medal w/ two 5⁄16" Gold Stars | Silver Star Medal w/ three 5⁄16" Gold Stars | Legion of Merit w/ Combat "V" |
| 3rd Row | Distinguished Flying Cross w/ one 5⁄16" Gold Star | Bronze Star Medal w/ Combat "V" and one 5⁄16" Gold Star | Purple Heart w/ one 5⁄16" Gold Star |
| 4th Row | Air Medal w/ Strike/Flight Numeral 10 | Combat Action Ribbon | Navy Unit Commendation w/ one 3⁄16" bronze star |
| 5th Row | American Campaign Medal | World War II Victory Medal | Navy Occupation Service Medal |
| 6th Row | National Defense Service Medal w/ one 3⁄16" bronze star | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal w/ two 3⁄16" bronze stars | Vietnam Service Medal w/ three 3⁄16" silver stars and one 3⁄16" bronze star |
| 7th Row | Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross) w/ palm | Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal w/ 1960- device | Navy Pistol Marksmanship Medal w/ "E" device |
Later life and death
Stockdale retired to Coronado, California, as he slowly succumbed to Alzheimer's disease. He died from the illness on July 5, 2005. He was 81. Stockdale's funeral service was held at the Naval Academy Chapel and he was buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery.
Legacy
The Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership is a United States Navy award established in 1980 by United States Secretary of the Navy Edward Hidalgo to honor the inspirational leadership of Stockdale. The award was first made in 1981.
The U.S. Navy has named a number of structures after Stockdale, including the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG-106), christened on May 10, 2008. At the Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California, the main gate (inaugurated on August 30, 2007) and the headquarters building for the Pacific Fleet's Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) school were both named in his honor. In July 2008, a statue of him was erected in front of Luce Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy; the hall which houses the Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership.
In 1976, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.
Stockdale Center, the student center at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois, which he attended prior to transferring to the Naval Academy, was dedicated in his honor in 1989.
He was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2002.
The Admiral James & Sybil Stockdale Arena at South Kent School was named after Stockdale and his wife in April 2014.
In October 2014, Airbase Arizona of the Commemorative Air Force placed on display a restored Grumman AF-2S Guardian (BuNo 126731) flown by vice admiral Stockdale early in his navy career with his name on the canopy rail and all markings as they were when he flew the aircraft in the 1950s.
Stockdale's naval experiences and his leadership decisions while senior naval officer in prison in North Vietnam are an integral part of every midshipman's educational experience at Annapolis.
A luxury suite at the Loews Annapolis Hotel, where Perot announced his candidacy, was named in Stockdale's honor.
The Abingdon-Avon High School Auditorium in Abingdon, Illinois, has been named "Stockdale Auditorium" in his honor.
Electoral history
- 1992 election for U.S. president/vice president – popular vote share
- Clinton/Gore (D), 43.0% (370 electoral votes)
- Bush/Quayle (R), 37.7% (168 electoral votes)
- Perot/Stockdale (I), 18.9% (0 electoral votes)
Writings by James Stockdale
- Taiwan and the Sino-Soviet Dispute, Stanford University Press, California, 1962.
- The Ethics of Citizenship, University of Texas at Dallas, 1981, Andrew R. Cecil lectures on moral values in a free society featured Stockdale and other speakers.
- James Bond Stockdale Speaks on the "Melting Experience: Grow or Die", Hoover Institution, Stanford, 1981 speech to the graduating class of John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.
- A Vietnam Experience: Ten Years of Reflection, Hoover Institution, Stanford, 1984, ISBN: 0-8179-8151-9.
- In Love and War: The Story of a Family's Ordeal and Sacrifice During the Vietnam Years
- Courage Under Fire: Testing Epictetus's Doctrines in a Laboratory of Human Behavior, Hoover Institution, Stanford, 1993, ISBN: 0-8179-3692-0.
- Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot, Hoover Institution, Stanford, 1995 ISBN: 0-8179-9391-6.
- Stockdale on Stoicism I: The Stoic Warrior's Triad
- Stockdale on Stoicism II: Master of My Fate
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War
- List of United States presidential candidates (1856–present)
- List of Mount Holyoke College people
- List of United States Naval Academy alumni (Medal of Honor)
- List of prisoners of war
