OT: RIP ADM James B. Stockdale

A great American hero has died. James Stockdale won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his inspirational leadership and personal sacrifices as the senior POW officer in Hanoi during the Viet Nam war.

He spent seven and a half years as a POW , four of those years were in solitary confinement in total darkness, and two were spent in leg irons. He was constantly in trouble for his resistance while in prison. He would purposely disfigure himself so that he could not be used for propaganda and slit his wrists once to show that he would rather die than give in to his captors. Stockdale was an inspiration to the other POW's, leading hunger strikes and such to get them better treatment.

I remember how shameful it was when he ran with Ross Perot in the Presidential election in 1992 and because of his poor performance in the Vice Presidential debates he was ridiculed and made fun of. He had learned less than a week before hand that his would be participating.

Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale held 26 combat decorations, which included two Purple Hearts, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Distinguished Service Medals, four Silver Star Medals, and the Congressional Medal of Honor. He is the only three or four star officer in history of the U.S. Navy to wear both aviator wings and the Congressional Medal of Honor.

When he retired in 1979 the Secretary of the Navy created the Vice Admiral James Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership. Two awards are given each year, one in the Pacific Fleet and one in the Atlantic.

We in the US just celebrated Independence Day and we should remember that guys like James Stockdale are the reason we're still free 209 years after the first one.

Here is his Medal of Honor citation (just reading it is inspirational):

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepdity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while senior naval officer in the Prisoner of War camps of North Vietnam. Recognized by his captors as the leader in the Prisoner' of War resistance to interrogation and in their refusal to participate in propaganda exploitation, rear Admiral Stockdale was singled out for interrogation and attendant torture after he was detected in a covert communications attempt. Sensing the start of another purge, and aware that his earlier efforts at self disfiguration to dissuade his captors from exploiting him for propaganda purposes had resulted in cruel and agonizing punishment, Rear Admiral Stockdale resolved to make himself a symbol of resistance regardless of personal sacrifice. He deliberately inflicted a near mortal wound to his person in order to convince his captors of his willingness to give up his life rather than capitulate. He was subsequently discovered and revived by the North Vietnamese who, convinced of his indomitable spirit, abated in their employment of excessive harassment and torture toward all Prisoners of War. By his heroic action, at great peril to himself, he earned the everlasting gratitude of his fellow prisoners and of this country. Rear Admiral Stockdale's valiant leadership and extraordinary courage in a hostile environment sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service