This was news that never got out. He wanted me to go to Annapolis and go into the Navy. I have a degree in business studies and marketing, but I knew pretty soon after graduating that Id made a mistake, he says. As they walked me over to the other side of the camp and put me in a little privy-like place Id never seen before thats just full of cobwebs it would only accommodate one man and I think they were just doing something to get me out of that camp so that I knew Id go in Room 18 the next morning. In August 1964, Stockdales squadron played a role in the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which involved North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. naval vessels. His tenure there was short and stormy as he found himself at odds with the college's board as well as most of its administration, by proposing radical changes to the college's military system and other facets of the college. But by the time they got back my eyes were closed and there was no question about it. Ho Chi Minh died last night and were in mourning. Well, Id anticipated that. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. James Stockdale: When I was released,I called Sybil, of course, and we had a very, very loving conversation. We met in San Francisco and went aboard the ship. Entrepreneur. [34] At the Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California, the main gate (inaugurated on August 30, 2007) and the headquarters building for the Pacific Fleet's Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) school were both named in his honor. I was given a lot of times in the ropes in Room 18, which is the main torture chamber of Hoe Lo prison. So from then on the life was never the same. Its great that the kids in this film are getting their first on-screen credits. Were speakingwith Admiral JamesStockdale, who was awarded the Medal of Honor after enduring years of mistreatment as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Why am I here? So six torpedoes hit the water less than a half a block behind this destroyer but they all went bananas. I was teaching aircraft performance and others would teach stability and control and a lot of things. His jailers increased the level of torture, so Stockdale determined to fight back in the only way he could. He is perhaps best-known for starring in the late 1960's TV western Lancer. James Stockdale: Yes. (While wrenching, the scene in which soldiers carry out these executions is far less traumatizing than an equivalent massacre in last years The Zookeepers Wife, although nothing in McIvors film could be said to match the impact of that remarkable film, also inspired by true events, in which empty cages were used to hide Jewish refugees.). or search for the film on Facebook and Twitter. They didnt steer. That set the pace. Finally, they said, I got it. He led aerial attacks from the carrier USSTiconderoga(CVA-14) during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident. Throughout Stockdales captivity, his wife Sybil campaigned for respectful treatment for the families of all POWs by founding the League of Families. So that was what we were living with. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". After his retirement in 1979, he became the president of The Citadel. [6], Stockdale (commander VF-51 (Fighter Squadron 51)), with Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Richard Hastings attacked torpedo boats T-333 and T-336, while Commander R. F. Mohrhardt and Lieutenant Commander C. E. Southwick attacked torpedo boat T-339. One beautifully orchestrated air-raid scene featuring iconic shots that would be right at home in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp or Atonement may be a bit intense for younger audiences, as is the death of a key character, although as long as the elephant survives, the kids should be OK. Is it more the matter of how it was fought that you argue with? The Maddox heard by that means that the North Vietnamese were calling in PT boats to get even with him the next morning. I watched all the seasons to date and then the new one as well and I just really enjoy the comedy in it as well as learning about the history and the time period its set in. And the first thing they said to me was, When do you think Jenkins will get shot down? I said, I dont expect him over here.. Theres so much guerilla-style casting now, with kids from estates being recruited and turning in real, raw performances. I had no evidence that there were any PT boats there and I made that clear. And any the water is very luminescent and if a bullet hits, if a shell hits the water youre going to see not only a splash but luminescence. You dont know how to do algebra too well. I had seen my future classmates and they were saying, You and your dad were staying over at the big hotel and the rest of us were in rooming houses. He really did it right. When Stockdale was discovered with information that could implicate his friends' so-called "black activities", he slit his wrists so they could not torture him into confession. I went unconscious. Naval Academy; the hall which houses the Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Are you saying the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was based on false pretenses? These are not local kids but a group of young actors. And he said, Its zero-zero at the bridge. Zero visibility up and sideways. Stockdale's flying career took him west, and in 1962 he earned a . These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". I looked in the Yellow Pages and found an acting school in Manchester offering two-hour courses for 20 a throw. James Stockdale: A lot happened before that, it wasnt just happenstance. Weve been working for two years to set this up and now that its time to pull the handle and you lose your guts.. Then we flew right here to the airport at the Navy base. I didnt think he could have thought of a better thing to do. Boy, this has been a day! I looked up at those walls and theyre all covered with geckos. That was part of my growing up. We got the A-4s to tag the F-8s and we had a search plane that we sent ahead to give us a weather report when we got to the coast. Tortured 15 times, he was forced to wear vise-like heavy leg irons for two years, and spent four of the seven years in solitary confinement, in total darkness. Could you tell us about Eisenhowers Code of Conduct for Prisoners of War and how that influenced you in prison? Here come the big PT boats. In the meantime, I had had sense enough to put it in the crotch of my pants. Every time a plane went into Laos, youd have to check and that all went back to Washington. U-S might be seen as United States but what it really means is Unity over Self. That was the first order. They lugged me out to a literally lugged because they didnt have a stretcher or anything I was in the grass and Id passed out. Your blood is not circulating. By The Newsroom 5th Oct 2016, 9:38am Updated 25th Oct 2016, 8:11pm In that, the only room in the building, a great big building with plate glass windows, and they had big heavy quilts that they drew across it. First of all, I think McNamara and (President) Johnson and that administration was stupid about warfare. [10], On September 9, 1965, while flying as the Carrier Air Wing Sixteen Commander from USSOriskany on a mission over North Vietnam, Stockdale ejected from his Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, which had been struck by enemy fire and completely disabled. These children have been chosen from over 5,000 others. James Stockdale: Yes. The cockpit is no wider than that, and its very noisy inside, but I looked right there and I saw that damn plane and I thought,Theres my Armageddon. And it was fireballs coming at me one after the other. [21][non-primary source needed] When Collins asked which prisoners didn't make it out of Vietnam, Stockdale replied: Oh, that's easy, the optimists. I passed out in a pool of blood. And I looked down there and he was, so help me, weeping, and not out of sympathy for me Im sure, but I marked that down in my book. The scene-stealer here is James Stockdale, who plays Pete's brother Mickey, a not-quite-three-foot teen with an unspecified disability and preternatural charm (he gets all the film's best. They couldnt do anything and said, What do you want me to tell the commissar? I said, You tell the commissar the CAG decided not to go downtown tonight.. Line, top line, third letter over. For further details on A Christmas Star visitwww.cinemagic.org.ukor search for the film on Facebook and Twitter. Anyway, that was a very good cruise. And that was a real turning point in my life because there were only 17 in a class and it lasted six months of school. [29][30] Initially, the rhetorical questions drew applause from the audience. Of course, he obeys the captain [of the ship], but everything with wings on it belongs to him. And the man came in with leg irons and he put them on me and they were squeeze irons, built to put pressure points on your legs so you couldnt sleep that night. Several hours later, Captain John Herrick of the Maddox, after reviewing the events, sent the message, "Review of action makes many reported contacts and torpedoes Read More Medal of Honor Youve got to go dum-da-da-dum-dum, made an American sound, and when the guy says dum-dum that means go. When he was beating me up, he was being heard by about 200 Americans who were living in cells three deep all around that area, and it was dark. Weve got to get some red blood. And so I said, I dont I said to myself, Is this right? I found out two things. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. That night was not like any other night except some of the thoughts and some of the mental state. As historical re-creation goes, the film looks best during outdoor scenes, even when digital mattes are required to extend skylines and reveal smoldering homes devastated by aerial attack (whereas the perfectly lit, amber-haloed interiors have a phonier, more stagebound feel). Stockdale's funeral service was held at the Naval Academy Chapel and he was buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery. I did that because I concluded and I think Im right that theres a great connection between farm boys in Illinois and farm boys in rural Vietnam. James Stockdale: That means Received. He was physically tortured no fewer than 15 times. They were getting me put back in the bath stall and somebody had a wet towel and he was snapping it. Soon after graduating in 1946, Stockdale reported to Pensacola for flight training. As . I landed in the streets of a small village. Maybe not quite that because I was running out of fuel. Everything was caution. Rob James-Collier, who was born in Salford, in England, is perfectly cast as Pat, given his more familiar on-screen persona as Thomas, the treacherous footman in. Thats the kind of eccentric animal hoarder Wilton plays here: As if tending a personal zoo from her home, Austin keeps rabbits in her kitchen and hedgehogs in the side table, while feed and fecal matter spill from every conceivable corner of her overstuffed menagerie. There was nothing there but blood. Admiral, Ive read that when you were coming down you had a sense that you were going to be down for at least five years? I had things to do. He was going to fly into the water. Its a super profile for them.. James Moore is a British actor who stars as Ryan Stocks in Emmerdale. That was about four minutes later. In 2022, James got a chance to play Tomas in 'Derry Girls'. They had eight towering tanks that wed all noticed. Just conversation, he wasnt giving a speech. It has all gelled together amazingly well and has given so many young people the confidence and self-belief to achieve things which, in the past, they may have drawn back from, says Burney Keatings. In some cases, they were skippered by Norwegian merchant seamen. South Vietnam was alive with ammunition expenditure. They were cleaning the room. Almost more than anything else because there half of the prison crowd knew that I was out there getting beat up. There was nothing there but black water and American fire power. I could fly over South Vietnam the year before and see all the little skirmishes going on, including sometimes American soldiers and marines, and flying American airplanes, but they were really noncombatants. I could see all of this thing. James, who has graced the local stage under the auspices of the Bardic . The Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership is a United States Navy award established in 1980 by United States Secretary of the Navy Edward Hidalgo to honor the inspirational leadership of Stockdale. Stockdale's decorations and awards include: Stockdale's official Medal of Honor citation reads: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity 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. Dom-dom-dom-dom, thats G. B, dom-dom-dom: B. Oh, no. cm. As a kid, did you think you were destined to be a leader? I was always trying to get into a sideline of aviation. My mum is from Donegal, and we used to come through the North every summer on our way there for holidays. A, stay off the air, never talk into a tape recorder or a microphone. Techniques included beatings, whippings, and near-asphyxiation with ropes. Stockdale flew almost every propeller-driven aircraft in the Navys inventory, but he yearned for greater challenges. James Stockdale Is A Member Of . He was one of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the Navy, with 26 personal combat decorations, including four Silver Star medals in addition to the Medal of Honor. But when we looked at the we knew now this took about 45 minutes to go through all this and get all that blood stopped. I was the senior guy there. The first night of my command cruise. Taking peculiar advantage of the old disaster-movie rule that audiences care more about whether a single dog lives or dies than they do about the fates of people, Zoo amplifies the horrors of the Luftwaffe air raids on Belfast during World War II by focusing not on human casualties but on what becomes of the animals trapped at the local zoo. I said, Listen, if we come over here, were supposed to be up here looking for MIGs. But he said, You will not stay here. He sneaked up under the door, and it was kind of a complicated thing but he said, What are you doing? I said, Im reading these letters my wife sent me, which was authorized. We were finally putting a family back together.. And then its line and then well, rather than getting mixed up in the terminology, if I wanted to write if I wanted to say C start a letter with C I would go dom-dom-dom-dom. But, that was the first step. That meant as soon as it felt itself released, it would have a shield come up to slow it down so we wouldnt be getting hit with our own shrapnel. And they all backed off after that happened and then the guy with the police whistle had a pith helmet, and he gave me the motion to stand up and I couldnt get up because this leg was not where it is now but it was right out there. I didnt put it in my orders as such. When he learned that his fellow prisoners were dying under torture, he slashed his wrists to show their captors that he preferred death to submission. On March 30, 1992, Perot announced that he had asked Stockdale to be his provisional vice presidential nominee on Ross Perot's 1992 independent ticket. What had happened was, that morning on the ship they had had kind of a strange announcement before they got everybody in the ready rooms and told them you should know that theres a certain type of counter to the North Vietnamese seagoing traffic. I almost laughed. A Christmas Star was conceived as much more than just a movie. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". His primary focus was ancient Stoicism and the Roman slave-turned-philosopher Epictetus, whose lessons captured in The Enchiridion Stockdale credited with providing him strength during his ordeals as a prisoner in the Hanoi Hilton. James Bond "Jim" Stockdale (December 23, 1923 July 5, 2005) was a United States Navy vice admiral and aviator, awarded the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War, during which he was a prisoner of war for over seven years. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War, during which he was a prisoner of war for over seven years. The scene-stealer here is James Stockdale, who plays Petes brother Mickey, a not-quite-three-foot teen with an unspecified disability and preternatural charm (he gets all the films best lines), hidden from public view at a time when families were ashamed of special-needs children. Phil Hartman. Born on , 1997, James Stockdale hails from London, United Kingdom. Though his captors held his body prisoner, their relentless attempts to break his spirit never succeeded. Drawing strength from principles of stoic philosophy, Stockdale heroically resisted. Admiral James B. Stockdale, USN Medal of Honor The worst thing that can happen is death, and that's not the worst thing in the world either. [39], The Admiral James & Sybil Stockdale Arena at South Kent School was named after Stockdale and his wife in April 2014.[40]. There was blood running down my shoulders and there were secretaries in the courtyard that we went by and they were looking. About two in the night somebody screamed Eow, and I think that was the suicide watch. It was like Indian tribes. They would see a couple of American soldiers, bring them in and they would have a campfire and theyd say, What do we do? And then the fourth night he had a truck ready to take me to the hospital. This was an easy day. Theyd have to go to Japan or make some kind of arrangement. I remember soldiers in the streets and checkpoints along the roads. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. So they said,Weve got to get a code going. So what it came down to was a five-by-five matrix. He came to acting via an unconventional route and says that he knows better than most how precious that first screen credit is. When told by his captors that he was to be paraded in public, Stockdale slit his scalp with a razor to purposely disfigure himself so that his captors could not use him as propaganda. I had been on the ship when we would have unofficial exchange programs between the A-4 pilots and the army people on the ground. They just roughly doubled the strength of everything. We blew the oil storage tanks of them off the map. James Stockdale: Air Group Commander. It was so different from Quayle and Gore. "[9], The next morning, on August 5, 1964, President Johnson ordered bombing raids on North Vietnamese military targets which he announced were retaliation for the alleged incident of August 4. James Stockdale: I was just looking at a quotation in a book about hardship: Men can stand anything, if they just will not give up. I think thats one good way to define a man or a person. The biggest industry in the town was the Abingdon Pottery. and I never got back to that because there was never an opportunity for me to explain my life to people. I was contacted by the casting agency and informed that there might be an upcoming role in Derry Girls which would be suitable for me to play. He took me back into this room and boy, those two officers, they said, How dare you? War Hero. Be gentle on yourself and others. Discover Jim Stockdale's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. And then later when some books came out we know we had over a dozen, because these were guys that were put in those ropes even before they got into the prison. Floating right into enemy hands? It was named after James Stockdale, former vice presidential candidate, naval officer and Vietnam . Congratulations to James Stockdale (Year 9)on landing a role in a Christmas feature film which is to include a voiceover by Hollywoodstar Liam Neeson. 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