Vice Admiral James Stockton was one of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the United States Navy. A naval pilot during the Vietnam War, Stockton was shot down over North Korea in September 1965 and spent seven years as a POW, in the camp prison where John McCain was held (that's a bad ass for another day).
During his seven years as a POW, he was routinely tortured and beaten, and spent four years in solitary confinement. When his captors wanted to show him off to display how well the prisoners were kept, Stockdale slit his scalp with a razor and beat himself with a stool until his face was swollen beyond recognition, so that he could not be used as propaganda. When asked who didn't make it out, he responded, "the optimists."
Stockdale was released in 1973 and received the medal of honor in 1976. He ran for VP with Perot in 1992 ("Gridlock!!") and passed away on July 5, 2005
2 comments:
Um, that would be Stock_dale_. You got it right the third time.
Good catch, anonymous, and only only five and a half months after the post went up!
Post a Comment