Brad
July 6th 05, 12:42 AM
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
No. 679-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jul 05, 2005
Media Contact: (703)697-5131
Public/Industry Contact: (703)428-0711
Department of the Navy Announces the Death of Retired Vice Adm. James B.
Stockdale
Retired Navy Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale, Medal of Honor
recipient,
former Viet Nam prisoner of war (POW), naval aviator and test pilot,
academic, and
American hero died today, July 5, 2005, at his home in Coronado, Calif. He
was 81
years old and had been battling Alzheimer's disease.
Born Dec. 23, 1923 in Abingdon, Ill., and a graduate of the U.S.
Naval
Academy Class of 1947, he is best remembered for his extraordinary
leadership as
the senior naval officer held in captivity during the Vietnam War. As
commanding
officer of Carrier Air Group Sixteen flying from the aircraft carrier the
USS
Oriskany, he was shot down while leading a mission Sept. 9, 1965.
During his 7½-year imprisonment, he was tortured numerous times,
forced
to wear vise-like heavy leg irons for two years and spent four years in
solitary
confinement. While imprisoned, he organized the prisoner culture in
defiance of
regulations forbidding prisoner communication and improvised 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, which many credited with
giving
them the strength to endure their ordeal.
Upon his release in 1973, Stockdale's extraordinary heroism
became
widely known and he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1976. A portion of
his
citation reads: "Stockdale...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 their employment of
excessive
harassment and torture of all prisoners of war."
"Vice Adm. Jim Stockdale's legendary leadership and heroic
service to
the cause of freedom has been an inspiration to our nation," said Secretary
of the
Navy Gordon England. "His courage and life stand as timeless examples of
the power
of faith and the strength of the human spirit. Our thoughts are with his
devoted
family. America and our Navy are eternally grateful and will always
remember him."
_ _ Upon his retirement from naval service, the secretary of the
Navy
established the Vice Admiral Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership
presented
annually in both Pacific and Atlantic Fleets. Stockdale held 26 combat
awards
including two Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Distinguished Service
Medals, two
Purple Hearts and four Silver Star Medals. He is a member of the Navy's
Carrier
Hall of Fame, The National Aviation Hall of Fame and an Honorary Fellow of
the
Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He held 11 honorary doctoral degrees.
"Our Navy is saddened by the loss of Vice Adm. James B.
Stockdale, a
giant among heroes and a patriarch of ethical leadership," said Chief of
Naval
Operations Adm. Vern Clark. "Adm. Stockdale challenged the human limits of
moral
courage, physical endurance and intellectual bravery, emerging victorious as
a
legendary beacon for all to follow. Our thoughts and prayers are with
Sybil, his
devoted partner in love and life, and the rest of the Stockdale family."
Stockdale will be honored at a memorial service on board the USS
Ronald
Reagan in his hometown of Coronado, Calif. The service will take place
Saturday,
July 16. He will be buried with full honors at the U.S. Naval Academy
Saturday,
July 23. He is survived by his beloved wife Sybil of Coronado, Calif., and
his
four sons: James of Beaver, Pa.; Sidney of Albuquerque, N.M.; Stanford of
Denver,
Colo.; Taylor of Claremont, Calif.; and eight grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions should be made to:
U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, 291 Wood Rd., Beach Hall,
Annapolis,
Md., 21402, telephone: (410) 295-4116.
Monmouth College Fund, 700 E. Broadway, Monmouth, Ill., 61462,
telephone: (309) 457-2316/17
Stockdale's biography and additional photos are located on the
following Web site: http://www.admiralstockdale.com .
Note to media:
For more information concerning the memorial service in San
Diego,
Calif., contact Capt. Jacquie Yost at (619) 532-1430.
For information concerning funeral services at the U.S. Naval
Academy,
contact Cdr. Rod Gibbons at (410) 293-1521.
[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20050705-3886.html]
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http://www.defendamerica.mil
No. 679-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jul 05, 2005
Media Contact: (703)697-5131
Public/Industry Contact: (703)428-0711
Department of the Navy Announces the Death of Retired Vice Adm. James B.
Stockdale
Retired Navy Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale, Medal of Honor
recipient,
former Viet Nam prisoner of war (POW), naval aviator and test pilot,
academic, and
American hero died today, July 5, 2005, at his home in Coronado, Calif. He
was 81
years old and had been battling Alzheimer's disease.
Born Dec. 23, 1923 in Abingdon, Ill., and a graduate of the U.S.
Naval
Academy Class of 1947, he is best remembered for his extraordinary
leadership as
the senior naval officer held in captivity during the Vietnam War. As
commanding
officer of Carrier Air Group Sixteen flying from the aircraft carrier the
USS
Oriskany, he was shot down while leading a mission Sept. 9, 1965.
During his 7½-year imprisonment, he was tortured numerous times,
forced
to wear vise-like heavy leg irons for two years and spent four years in
solitary
confinement. While imprisoned, he organized the prisoner culture in
defiance of
regulations forbidding prisoner communication and improvised 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, which many credited with
giving
them the strength to endure their ordeal.
Upon his release in 1973, Stockdale's extraordinary heroism
became
widely known and he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1976. A portion of
his
citation reads: "Stockdale...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 their employment of
excessive
harassment and torture of all prisoners of war."
"Vice Adm. Jim Stockdale's legendary leadership and heroic
service to
the cause of freedom has been an inspiration to our nation," said Secretary
of the
Navy Gordon England. "His courage and life stand as timeless examples of
the power
of faith and the strength of the human spirit. Our thoughts are with his
devoted
family. America and our Navy are eternally grateful and will always
remember him."
_ _ Upon his retirement from naval service, the secretary of the
Navy
established the Vice Admiral Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership
presented
annually in both Pacific and Atlantic Fleets. Stockdale held 26 combat
awards
including two Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Distinguished Service
Medals, two
Purple Hearts and four Silver Star Medals. He is a member of the Navy's
Carrier
Hall of Fame, The National Aviation Hall of Fame and an Honorary Fellow of
the
Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He held 11 honorary doctoral degrees.
"Our Navy is saddened by the loss of Vice Adm. James B.
Stockdale, a
giant among heroes and a patriarch of ethical leadership," said Chief of
Naval
Operations Adm. Vern Clark. "Adm. Stockdale challenged the human limits of
moral
courage, physical endurance and intellectual bravery, emerging victorious as
a
legendary beacon for all to follow. Our thoughts and prayers are with
Sybil, his
devoted partner in love and life, and the rest of the Stockdale family."
Stockdale will be honored at a memorial service on board the USS
Ronald
Reagan in his hometown of Coronado, Calif. The service will take place
Saturday,
July 16. He will be buried with full honors at the U.S. Naval Academy
Saturday,
July 23. He is survived by his beloved wife Sybil of Coronado, Calif., and
his
four sons: James of Beaver, Pa.; Sidney of Albuquerque, N.M.; Stanford of
Denver,
Colo.; Taylor of Claremont, Calif.; and eight grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions should be made to:
U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, 291 Wood Rd., Beach Hall,
Annapolis,
Md., 21402, telephone: (410) 295-4116.
Monmouth College Fund, 700 E. Broadway, Monmouth, Ill., 61462,
telephone: (309) 457-2316/17
Stockdale's biography and additional photos are located on the
following Web site: http://www.admiralstockdale.com .
Note to media:
For more information concerning the memorial service in San
Diego,
Calif., contact Capt. Jacquie Yost at (619) 532-1430.
For information concerning funeral services at the U.S. Naval
Academy,
contact Cdr. Rod Gibbons at (410) 293-1521.
[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20050705-3886.html]
-- News Releases: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/
-- DoD News: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/dodnews.html
-- Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/dodnews.html#e-mail
-- Today in DoD: http://www.defenselink.mil/today/
-- U.S. Department of Defense Official Website - http://www.defenselink.mil
-- U.S. Department of Defense News About the War on Terrorism -
http://www.defendamerica.mil