Generations have been born since the hostilities in Vietnam ended. But, there are a lot of folks still alive who remember that time and the folks who distinguished themselves in various ways. Last week one of the bravest passed away. The passing was noted in the national media, but not with much emphasis on the heroism, the patriotism, the man himself. No, the media focused on the Vice-Presidential candidacy with Ross Perot in 1992. The media told a very small part of the man’s story and not necessarily the most important. They dwelt on the somewhat bumbling appearance in the Vice-Presidential debates in which the elderly gentleman asked the nation, “Why am I here?”
It was a rhetorical question; one asked to illuminate the political atmosphere that had generated a viable third-party. It was asked to possibly get folks to consider the failure of the two major parties to deal with economic issues, job losses, and the role of the nation in a changing world. Unfortunately, it was employed by the brutal political operatives and the military-despising media to portray the gentleman as someone not quite anchored in space and time.
In recent years, this genuine American hero has been suffering from Alzheimer’s, a terrible debilitating illness that renders the formerly robust terminally feeble. That also was mentioned in the national coverage. But, little was discussed about the Medal of Honor, the leadership of his fellow-warriors in trying circumstances, the unbelievably courageous resistance displayed against his enemies, and the incredible achievements of the man.
Lt. Cmdr. Paul Galanti was a POW in Hanoi along with Admiral Stockdale. He shared the torture, the terror and the experiences for the long years of imprisonment. He has written eloquently of the man and said the things which were unforgivably downplayed by the main-stream media. His insights are worth reading: An Ex-Con Remembers a Hero
Here’s a salute to the passing of a great American. A toast and a smashing of the glass so that it may never be used for a lesser purpose. And, a “nickel on the grass” to RAdm James Bond Stockdale.
2 comments:
Ed:
The page you pointed to has apparently expired--do you have another source?
Jan Howell
Sorry, here's the whole item grabbed from another blog:
Thursday, 7 July 2005
Remembering James Stockdale:
I've been waiting for a piece such as this one from Ex-POW Paul Galanti:
From today's Richmond Times-Dispatch... Written Tuesday night upon learning of the death of one of the greatest men I've ever known. Pablo
Remembering James Stockdale:
His Destiny Made All the Difference
PAUL GALANTI
TIMES-DISPATCH GUEST COLUMNIST Jul 7, 2005
A truly great man died Tuesday.
In September, 1965, when Cdr. Jim Stockdale was shot down over North Vietnam, my squadron commanding officer, Cdr. Tex Birdwell -- one of the toughest men I'd ever known, who'd worked with Stockdale at the Navy Test Pilot School -- said, "Jim'll do all right, he's the toughest guy I know." Commander Bill Franke, a contemporary of Stockdale's when shot down, was the smartest human being I'd ever known. He served on the test pilot faculty with Stockdale. Franke told me, "Jim is the smartest human being I've ever known." Those two endorsements say a lot about Jim Stockdale -- a very tough guy who led others with his intellect.
"CAG" (Commander of the Air Group) was the last of a breed and one of the great bargains Uncle Sam received in exchange for his Annapolis education. A brilliant man, Stockdale excelled in the primarily engineering curriculum of the Academy class of 1947. He wound up flying fighters, earning an MS in Engineering, and becoming head of academics at the Navy Test Pilot School -- where his students included four of the earliest astronauts, three Navy and one Marine.
BUT IT WASN'T the tailhook carrier Navy that excited Jim Stockdale the most. Working toward his doctorate in philosophy, he studied the classics for two years under Stanford's renowned philosophy professor Philip Rhinelander. He became fascinated with the Stoics. Particularly in Epictetus' Enchiridion, Stockdale found his raison d'?tre as a leader of men in a POW environment. His nearly eight years in a Communist prison with frequent torture, solitary confinement, and endless mind games played by his captors made him stronger. He would later tell audiences that he believed his whole life directed him to be the inspirational leader for the 600 military POWs in Vietnam. He got through nearly five years of solitary confinement convinced that it was his purpose to be there.
Stockdale's 2,713 days of leadership in isolation resulted in promotions to admiral and general, selections for choice assignments, and a plethora of medals for the men he inspired. He was personally awarded the Medal of Honor in large part for refusing to be exploited by being forced to order Americans to violate their Code of Conduct.
His brief foray into politics as the reluctant vice-presidential candidate for Ross Perot in 1992 didn't work out. But one of the memorable moments of the campaign was the vice-presidential debate with Dan Quayle and Al Gore, and Admiral Stockdale. The pundits had a field day with the geezer against the hip, one-thought-equals-one-clever-bumper-sticker Quayle and Gore. Admiral Stockdale looked at the camera and asked famously, "Why am I here?" Neither Quayle, Gore, the press, nor the viewers understood what he was saying. But those of us who served with him in Hanoi understood very well.
He was imploring the spirit of Epictetus to whisk him away from these buffoons back to his destiny: leading men under very trying circumstances. According to Epictetus, Jim Stockdale knew, that was his life's principal destiny. And for so many of us POWs, it -- and he -- made all the difference.
A retired Navy pilot, Cdr. Paul Galanti of Richmond served nearly seven years as a POW -- much of that time under the command of James Bond Stockdale. Galanti's wife, Phyllis, succeeded Stockdale's wife, Sybil, as head of the POW wives' group that worked tirelessly for the humane treatment and return of all POWs from Vietnam.
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