Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale (December 23, 1923 – July 5, 2005) was one of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the United States Navy. Shot down over enemy territory in 1965, Stockdale was the highest ranking naval officer held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He was released in 1973. He was awarded 26 personal combat decorations, including the Medal of Honor and four Silver Stars. December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (358th in leap years). ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Moh_right. ... The United States Navy, also known as the USN or the U.S. Navy, is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ... The Silver Star is the fourth highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. ... Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. ... December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (358th in leap years). ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In military organizations, a commissioned officer is a member of the service who derives authority directly from a sovereign power, and as such holds a commission from that power. ... The United States Navy, also known as the USN or the U.S. Navy, is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ... The Silver Star is the fourth highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. ...

Stockdale led the U.S. air squadron during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Incident. During the late 1970s, he served as President of the Naval War College. Stockdale is also remembered as a Vice Presidential candidate in the 1992 election, on Ross Perot's independent ticket. Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress passed in August 1964 in direct response to a minor naval engagement known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. ... The Naval War College. ... Dick Cheney 46th and current Vice President (2001- ) The Vice President of the United States is the second-highest executive official of the United States government, the person who is a heartbeat from the presidency. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Henry Ross Perot (born June 27, 1930) is a billionaire American businessman from Texas, who is best known for seeking the office of President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. ...

Early life and career

Stockdale was born in Abingdon, Illinois. During World War II, he attended the Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1947. Stockdale graduated from Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois in 1946. Stockdale always spoke with great love and respect about his father, who had gone to great lengths to get him admitted to Annapolis. Stockdale promised his father that he would become the best midshipman at the Naval Academy; years later, as a POW, he always thought of this promise. About his time at the Naval Academy, he would later say "Plebe year of education under stress was of great personal survival value to me." Abingdon is a large town in Knox County, Illinois, 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Peoria. ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The United States Naval Academy (USNA) is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps and is in Annapolis, Maryland, near Washington D.C. The Academy often is referred to simply as Annapolis although naval officers normally refer to it in conversation... For the university in New Jersey, see Monmouth University. ... Monmouth is the county seat of Warren County in the U.S. state of Illinois. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Shortly after graduating, Stockdale reported to Pensacola, Florida, for flight training. In 1954, Stockdale was accepted into the Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland. Among his classmates there was John Glenn. Stockdale was always interested in philosophy and returned to Stanford University to continue his education in 1960. He was awarded a master's degree two years later. He shone so much in academics, his superiors urged him to get a doctorate and become an academic. Stockdale preferred the life of a fighter pilot, but later credited philosophy with helping him cope as a prisoner of war. Nickname: The City of Five Flags Location of Pensacola (top left) in Florida Country United States State Florida County Escambia  - Mayor John Fogg Area    - City 39. ... U.S. Naval Test Pilot School Logo The United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS), located at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland, provides instruction to experienced U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Army and Air Force pilots, flight officers, and engineers in the processes and techniques of aircraft and... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37°53N to 39°43N  - Longitude 75°4W to 79°33... For other persons named John Glenn, see John Glenn (disambiguation). ...

Vietnam War

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

Admiral Stockdale exiting a jet weeks before his Vietnam POW experience.

On August 4, 1964, squadron commander Stockdale was one of the US pilots flying overhead during the second alleged attack of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident; unlike the first attack, this one is believed to have been a false alarm. In the early 1990s, he recounted: "[I] had the best seat in the house to watch that event, and our destroyers were just shooting at phantom targets—there were no PT boats there.... There was nothing there but black water and American fire power." Stockdale said his superiors ordered him to keep quiet about this. After he was captured, this knowledge threw a burden upon him. He later said he was concerned that his captors would eventually force him to reveal that he knew this secret about the Vietnam War. Admiral James Stockdale exiting an airplaine weeks before his POW experience. ... Admiral James Stockdale exiting an airplaine weeks before his POW experience. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Chart showing the U.S. Navys interpretation of the events of the first part of the Gulf of Tonkin incident The Gulf of Tonkin Incident was an alleged pair of attacks by naval forces of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (commonly referred to as North Vietnam) against two American... A false alarm, also called a nuisance alarm, is the phony report of an emergency, causing unnecessary panic and/or bringing resources (such as fire engines) to a place where they are not needed. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from the start of 1990 to the end of 1999. ... PT boats in line astern. ...

Prisoner of war

On a mission over North Vietnam on September 9, 1965, Stockdale ejected from his A-4E Skyhawk, which had been disabled from anti-aircraft fire. Stockdale parachuted into a small village, where he was severely beaten and taken into custody. September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... The A-4 Skyhawk was an attack aircraft originally designed to operate from United States Navy aircraft carriers. ... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ... The Apollo 15 capsule landed safely despite a parachute failure. ...

He was held as a prisoner of war in the Hoa Lo prison for the next seven years. Locked in leg irons in a bath stall, he was routinely tortured and beaten. 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. When they covered his head with a hat, Stockdale beat himself with a stool until his face was swollen beyond recognition. He told them in no uncertain terms that they would never use him. When Stockdale heard that other prisoners were dying under the torture, he slit his wrists and told them that he preferred death to submission. The Hanoi Hilton (Vietnamese: Hoa Lo) was an infamous prison used by the North Vietnamese for prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. ... An Australian anti-conscription propaganda poster from World War One U.S. propaganda poster, which warns against civilians sharing information on troop movements (National Archives) The much-imitated 1914 Lord Kitchener Wants You! poster Swedish Anti-Euro propaganda for the referendum of 2003. ...

Little did Stockdale know that the actions of his wife, Mrs. Sybil Stockdale, had a tremendous impact on how the North Vietnamese reacted to these acts of self-mutilation in 1969. Early in her husband's captivity she organized The League of American Families of POW's and MIA's, with other wives of servicemen who were in similar circumstance. By 1968 she and her organization, which called for the President and the U.S. Congress to publicly acknowledge the mistreatment of the POW's (something that they had never done even though they had evidence of gross mistreatment), was finally getting the attention of the American press and consequently the attention of the North Vietnamese. Mrs. Stockdale personally made these demands known at The Paris Peace Talks and private comments made to her by the head of the Vietnamese delegation there indicated concern that her organization might catch the attention of the American public, something the North Vietnamese knew could turn the tide against them. The result couldn't have been more fortunate for James Stockdale at the very time he slit his wrists. The Vietnamese now understood that they had no choice but to end their program of brutal torture or else they would be exposed internationally for their gross acts of cruelty, something that would completely derail their propaganda program which had so successfully convinced the American press and public that the prisoners were well treated.

In a book by James C. Collins called Good To Great, Collins relates how Stockdale described his coping strategy during his eight years in the Vietnamese POW camp.[1] Jim Collins Jim Collins is considered to be one of the major American business gurus, who is like a student of and a teacher for great companies. ... Good to Great ISBN: 0066620996,Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Collins (October, 2001) Good to Great is a management book by Jim Collins that describes how companies transition from being average companies to great companies and how companies can fail to make the transition. ...

"I never lost faith in the end of the story, I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade."

When Collins asked who didn't make it out, Stockdale replied:

"Oh, that’s easy, the optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, 'We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say, 'We're going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart."

Witnessing this philosophy of duality, Collins went on to describe it as the Stockdale Paradox.

Return to the United States

Stockdale was released as a prisoner of war on February 12, 1973. His shoulders had been wrenched from their sockets, his leg shattered by angry villagers and a torturer, and his back broken. But he had refused to capitulate. [2] February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

He received the Medal of Honor in 1976. Stockdale filed charges against two other officers who, he felt, had given aid and comfort to the enemy. However, the Navy Department took no action and merely retired these men. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ...

Debilitated by his captivity and mistreatment, Stockdale could hardly walk or even stand upright upon his return to the U.S. Out of respect for his courage, the Navy kept him on the active list, steadily promoting him over the next few years before permitting him to retire as a vice admiral. He completed his career by serving as President of the Naval War College, from October 13, 1977 until August 22, 1979. October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ...

Civilian academic career and writings

After his retirement in 1979, he became the president of The Citadel in South Carolina. He left The Citadel to become a fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in 1981. During the following two decades, Stockdale wrote a number of books both on his experiences during the Vietnam War and afterwards, and on philosophy. With his articulate frankness, as well as his heroism and status as the highest-ranking Vietnam POW, Stockdale attained tremendous credibility among Vietnam veterans. For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, is a state-supported, comprehensive college located in Charleston, South Carolina. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35... Hoover Tower at the Hoover Institution The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded by Herbert Hoover at Stanford University, his alma mater. ... The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University (or simply Stanford), is a private university located approximately 37 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco and approximately 20 miles northwest of San José in an unincorporated area of Santa Clara County. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The philosopher Socrates about to take poison hemlock as ordered by the court. ... Vietnam veteran is a phrase used to describe someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. ...

His best known work is In Love and War: the Story of a Family's Ordeal and Sacrifice During the Vietnam War, co-written with his wife Sybil and published in 1984. It is a compilation of love letters he sent to his wife while he was a captured POW. It was later made into an NBC television movie, watched by 45 million people. Sybil Stockdale was the wife of Rear Admiral James Stockdale, one of the United States most honored and storied military veterans in the post-WWII era, present at the fictional August 4 1964 Gulf of Tonkin event, who spent 7-1/2 years as a POW in North Vietnam under... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... NBC (an acronym for National Broadcasting Company) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ...

Vice-Presidential candidacy

Stockdale came to know H. Ross Perot through Sybil Stockdale's work in establishing an organization to represent the families of Vietnam POWs. Ross Perot asked Stockdale to be nominated as Vice-President on the ticket in March 1992 at a news conference at the Loews Annapolis Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland. Perot told him that he would be placeholder until Perot found a running mate. Stockdale thought that his name would be removed from the ballot when Perot temporarily withdrew from the race. Henry Ross Perot (born June 27, 1930) is an American businessman billionaire from Texas best known as a candidate for President of the United States (in 1992 and 1996). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... “Annapolis” redirects here. ...

Perot eventually re-entered the race in the fall of 1992 with Stockdale still in place as the vice-presidential nominee. Stockdale was not informed that he would be participating in the October 13 vice-presidential debate held in Atlanta, Georgia, until a week before the event. He had no formal preparation for the debate, unlike his opponents Al Gore and Dan Quayle. Stockdale infamously opened the debate by saying, "Who am I? Why am I here?" Initially, the rhetorical questions drew applause from the audience [3], seeming to be a good-natured acknowledgment of his relatively unknown status and lack of traditional qualifications. However, his unfocused style for the rest of the debate (including asking the moderator to repeat one question because he didn't have his hearing aid turned on) made him appear confused and almost disoriented. An unflattering recreation of the moment on Saturday Night Live later that week (with Phil Hartman as Stockdale) cemented the conventional wisdom that he came across as senile, at best. October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. ... James Danforth Dan Quayle (born February 4, 1947) was the 44th Vice President of the United States under George H. W. Bush (1989-1993). ... A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question posed to make a statement or initiate introspection rather than for the purpose of getting an answer. ... Behind the ear aid For the song, see Flood (album). ... Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a weekly late night 90-minute American comedy-variety show based in New York City which has been broadcast live by NBC on Saturday nights since October 11, 1975. ... Phil Hartman (born as Philip Edward Hartmann) (September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was an Emmy-winning Canadian/American graphic artist, writer, actor, voice artist, and comedian. ...

As his introduction to the large segment of American voters who hadn't previously heard of him, the debate was disastrous for Stockdale. He was portrayed in the media as elderly and confused, and his reputation never recovered. In a 1999 interview with Jim Lehrer, Stockdale explained that the statements were intended as an introduction of him and his record to the television audience: James Charles Lehrer (pronounced ) (born May 19, 1934) is the news anchor for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS. Lehrer is also an acclaimed author, writing both non-fiction and fiction which draws on his life experiences and his interests in history and politics. ...

It was terribly frustrating because I remember I started with, "Who am I? Why am I here?" and I never got back to that because there was never an opportunity for me to explain my life to people. It was so different from Quayle and Gore. The four years in solitary confinement in Vietnam, 7½ years in prisons, drop the first bomb that started the...American bombing raid in the North Vietnam. We blew the oil storage tanks of them off the map. And I never—I couldn't approach—I don't say it just to brag, but, I mean, my sensitivities are completely different.

Perot and Stockdale received 19% of the vote in the 1992 presidential election, one of the best showings by an independent ticket in history, but they did not carry any states. Presidential electoral votes by state. ...

In a 1993 stand-up routine, comedian Dennis Miller vehemently defended Stockdale's reputation:

"Now I know (Stockdale's name has) become a buzzword in this culture for doddering old man, but let's look at the record, folks. The guy was the first guy in and the last guy out of Vietnam, a war that many Americans, including our present President, did not want to dirty their hands with. The reason he had to turn his hearing aid on at that debate is because those fucking animals knocked his eardrums out when he wouldn't spill his guts. He teaches philosophy at Stanford University, he's a brilliant, sensitive, courageous man. And yet he committed the one unpardonable sin in our culture: he was bad on television."

Final years

Stockdale retired to Coronado, California, as he slowly succumbed to Alzheimer's disease. He died from the mind-debilitating illness on July 5, 2005. Stockdale's funeral service was held at the Naval Academy Chapel and he was buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery. Flag of Coronado Coronado is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Naval Academy Chapel The United States Naval Academy Chapel is one of two houses of worship on the grounds of the Navys service academy. ... The United States Naval Academy Cemetery is a cemetery at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. ...

A luxury suite at the Loews Annapolis Hotel, the hotel where Perot announced his candidacy, was named in his honor.

In January 2006, the Navy announced that a ship would be named for him. The third USS Stockdale (DDG-106) will be an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. ...

Electoral history

• 1992 Race for U.S. President/Vice President
  • Clinton/Gore (D), 43% (370 Electoral Votes)
  • Bush/Quayle (R), 37% (168 Electoral Votes)
  • Perot/Stockdale (I), 19% (0 Electoral Votes)

William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. ... Order: 41st President Vice President: Dan Quayle Term of office: January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993 Preceded by: Ronald Reagan Succeeded by: Bill Clinton Date of birth: June 12, 1924 Place of birth: Milton, Massachusetts First Lady: Barbara Pierce Bush Political party: Republican George Herbert Walker Bush, KBE (born... James Danforth Dan Quayle (born February 4, 1947) was the 44th Vice President of the United States under George H. W. Bush (1989-1993). ... Henry Ross Perot (born June 27, 1930) is a billionaire American businessman from Texas, who is best known for seeking the office of President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. ...

Books by James Stockdale

• Taiwan and the Sino-Soviet Dispute Stanford, California, 1962.
• The Ethics of Citizenship University of Texas at Dallas, 1981, Andrew R. Cecil lectures on moral values in a free society featured Stockdale and other speakers.
• James Bond Stockdale Speaks on the "Melting Experience: Grow or Die" Hoover Institution, Stanford, 1981 speech to the graduating class of John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.
• A Vietnam Experience: Ten Years of Reflection, Hoover Institution, Stanford, 1984, ISBN 0-8179-8151-9.
• In Love and War: The Story of a Family's Ordeal and Sacrifice During the Vietnam Years Harper & Row, New York, 1984, ISBN 0-06-015318-0.
• In Love and War: The Story of a Family's Ordeal and Sacrifice During the Vietnam Years Naval Institute Press, reprint 1990, Annapolis, Maryland, ISBN 0-87021-308-3.
• Courage Under Fire: Testing Epictetus's Doctrines in a Laboratory of Human Behavior Hoover Institution, Stanford, 1993, ISBN 0-8179-3692-0.
• Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot, Hoover Institution, Stanford, 1995 ISBN 0-8179-9391-6.

John Carroll University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university in the greater Cleveland, Ohio area in the United States. ... Cleveland redirects here. ... Epictetus (c. ...

Other writings by James Stockdale

• Stockdale on Stoicism I: The Stoic Warrior's Triad
• Stockdale on Stoicism II: Master of My Fate

Quotes

• "The worst thing that can happen is death, and that's not the worst thing in the world either."
• In a personal letter: "Do the right thing even if it means dying like a dog when no one's there to see you do it."
• "The test of character is not 'hanging in' when you expect light at the end of the tunnel, but performance of duty, and persistence of example when you know no light is coming."
• "In order to do something you must be something."
• "A liberally educated person meets new ideas with curiosity and fascination. An illiberally educated person meets new ideas with fear."
• "I never had a single conversation about politics with Ross Perot in my life; still haven't."

References

Online references

• Interview with Jim Lehrer on 1992 Vice-Presidential debate
• Medal of Honor page
• Hoover Institution Biography
• Washington Post obituary for Stockdale 6 July 2005
• "James Stockdale, Perot's Running Mate in '92, Dies at 81", The New York Times, July 6, 2005. 
• The Guardian report on Stockdale's death July 2005
• Admiral Stockdale's Personal Webpage
• Memorial Service for Admiral James B. Stockdale
• Naval Academy Tribute to Stockdale
• U.S. Navy Announces the Death of Retired Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale
• NAVAL ACADEMY FUNERAL SERVICE
• "The Prisoner", The New York Times, December 25, 2005. 
• Past Presidents of the Naval War College - from the Naval War College Website

July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 6 days remaining in the year. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Written references

Apart from the works written by Stockdale himself, the following work refers extensively to Stockdale's involvement in the Tonkin Gulf:

• Edwin E. Moise, Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War UNC Press North Carolina 1996 ISBN 0-8078-2300-7

The following book is based on the series of lectures delivered for the course in moral philosophy established at the Naval War College by Admiral Stockdale in 1978, when Stockdale was president of the college. The course was designed by Stockdale and Professor Joseph Brennan, who continued to teach it after Stockdale retired from the Navy. The Foreword was written by Stockdale.

• Joseph Gerard Brennan, FOUNDATIONS OF MORAL OBLIGATION: The Stockdale Course, Presidio Press, Novato, California (1994) ISBN 0-89141-528-9