7 Years Strong

PORT HUENEME, CA, UNITED STATES

04.18.2021

Courtesy Story

Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

USS Stockdale (DDG 106) “returned with honor” to Port Hueneme, California to celebrate its 12th commissioning anniversary, April 18. The ship was in Port Hueneme 12 years prior, on the same day, on the same pier, that Stockdale was commissioned.

To celebrate this unique occasion, Stockdale held a formal ceremony on the pier. In attendance were representatives from the Santa Barbara Navy League who attended the commissioning ceremony 12 years prior, as well as Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale’s youngest son, Taylor Stockdale.
Stockdale’s crew assembled in their dress white uniforms and listened as Master of Ceremonies Lt. j.g. Briana Schmidt led the event.

“Stockdale’s crews – from commissioning to present – have endeavored greatly to maintain combat readiness and global presence,” said Schmidt. “Through four deployments and many arduous assignments, Stockdale has provided the nation with premier combat naval power. On the eve of Stockdale’s fifth deployment, we wish to commemorate the ship’s many achievements over the past 12 years.”

Stockdale was a prisoner during the Vietnam War in Hoa Lo Prison – also known as “Hanoi Hilton.” On September 9, 1965, while flying from USS Oriskany (CV/CVA 34) on a mission over Vietnam, Stockdale ejected from his Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, which had been struck by enemy fire. He parachuted into a small village, where he was severely beaten and taken prisoner.

Stockdale was the most senior officer captured in Vietnam and spent seven and a half years living under brutal conditions. He was also one of the primary organizers of prisoner resistance. Tortured routinely, and denied medical attention, Stockdale created and enforced a code of conduct for all prisoners which governed torture, secret communications, and behavior.

He was released as a prisoner of war on February 12, 1973 during Operation Homecoming and received the Medal of Honor in 1976 for his extraordinary heroism.

USS Stockdale’s crew takes great pride in the ship’s namesake and looks forward to opportunities to celebrate the ship and its legacy. The ship’s legacy is built on the principle of “unity over self,” which was part of the codified acronym, “BACK US” that Stockdale would tap on the walls and floors of his prison to communicate with his fellow captors. This gave prisoners the sense of hope and empowerment, as well as the strength to endure their lengthy sentence.

Stockdale’s Commanding Officer Cmdr. Brandon Booher also gave remarks, reflecting on events of the past year.

“This idea that we are better as a team than we could ever be as individual Sailors is the very heart of our strength – a strength 12 years in the making,” said Booher.

“I chose to serve aboard USS Stockdale because I wanted a ship with a namesake that is still relevant today,” said Booher. “Little did I know that Adm. Stockdale’s name would be back in the spotlight again in 2020, a year plagued by the endless nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. The author Jim Collins once interviewed Adm. Stockdale for his 2001 book, ‘Good to Great.’ When he asked Adm. Stockdale, ‘How on earth did you deal with the endless nature of [the prison camp]... the fact that you didn’t know the end of the story?’ Adm. Stockdale replied with what we now know as The Stockdale Paradox, ’You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.’ In other words, to hold a relentless faith in a successful outcome while acknowledging your current situation, no matter how tough. That wisdom certainly seems relevant right about now.”

USS Stockdale is the 56th ship in the Arleigh Burke-class of guided missile destroyers. The ship was authorized on Sept. 13, 2002 and was built by Bath Iron Works. Stockdale was christened May 10, 2008 by Vice Adm. Stockdale's widow, Sybil, and delivered to the Navy on Sept. 30, 2008. USS Stockdale was commissioned in Port Hueneme on April 18, 2009.

• Date Taken: 04.18.2021
• Date Posted: 05.27.2021 13:34
• Story ID: 397597
• Location: PORT HUENEME, CA, US