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As a prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War, Cmdr. James B.
Stockdale was the epitome of fortitude and love of country. When his
captors told him he was going to be used for propaganda, Stockdale
slit his scalp with a razor, purposely disfiguring himself, so that
his captors could not use him in a video. When they covered his head
with a hat to try again, he beat his own face with a stool until it
was swollen beyond recognition.
Stockdale was shot down in
his Douglas A-4 Skyhawk Sept. 9, 1965, during an escalation of
bombing raids and the beginning of open warfare against North
Vietnam. After ejecting from the aircraft, he landed in a nearby
village and was captured. For more than seven years, Stockdale
endured mental and physical torture at the notorious “Hanoi Hilton”
(Hoa Lo Prison). As the senior naval officer at the prison,
Stockdale felt it his duty to coordinate the resistance to
Vietnamese torture; he provided his fellow prisoners with a mission
and a goal they could all work toward: to ‘Return with Honor.'
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(Image
of USS Stockdale (DG106) with Medal of Honor Admiral James Stockdale
created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Navy courtesy photos)
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Routinely beaten and denied medical treatment for his
severely injured leg, Stockdale spent four years in solitary
confinement, locked in leg irons at night, with nothing but
a concrete slab to sleep on. Whenever he had the
opportunity, he unified and organized the other prisoners
and ensured they used the code of conduct to govern their
actions. He helped to spread secret communications known as
the ‘Smitty Harris Tap Code' among his fellow POWs.
Later, when his captors discovered Stockdale had information
that could implicate his friends in activities the North
Vietnamese deemed evil, Stockdale slit his own wrists so
that they could not torture him into a confession.
“The crew knows Vice Adm. Stockdale's
story and the story of those who served alongside him in the
prison system,” said USS Stockdale (DDG 106) Commanding
Officer Cmdr. Sean T. Grunwell. “They know what the human
mind is capable of, through their example. When we start to
get down or think we have it difficult, we have a vivid
reminder of what people before us have gone through. It
keeps us focused on the mission.”
James C. Collins
quotes Stockdale in his book ‘Good to Great,' “I never lost
faith in the end of the story, I never doubted not only that
I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end
and turn the experience into the defining event of my life,
which, in retrospect, I would not trade.”
Stockdale
was released as a prisoner of war Feb. 12, 1973, during
Operation Homecoming. He received the
Medal of Honor
March 4, 1976. Stockdale went on to achieve the rank of vice
admiral, served as president of the Naval War College and
was a vice presidential candidate in 1992.
As much as
Stockdale was a pillar of strength and excellence, so was
his wife during his tenure of abuse and punishment. Sybil
Stockdale fought for the rights of Vietnam POWs during the
1960s and 1970s. USS Stockdale, sponsored by Sybil
Stockdale, was christened May 10, 2008.
“I feel
fortunate to be on this ship. I think he would agree that
the ship also honors Mrs. Stockdale,” said Grunwell. “It is
an absolute honor to be connected to two great patriots; I
know they would both be very proud of this ship and the
crew.”
By U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class David A. Cox
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
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