James Stockdale
James Stockdale | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, c. 1979 | |
| Birth name | James Bond Stockdale |
| Born | December 23, 1923 Abingdon, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | July 5, 2005 (aged 81) Coronado, California, U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Service years | 1946–1979 |
| Rank | Vice admiral |
| Commands | VF-51 Carrier Air Wing 16 |
| Conflicts | Vietnam War |
| Awards |
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| Alma mater | United States Naval Academy (BS) Stanford University (MA) |
| Spouse | |
| Other work | Vice presidential candidate, 1992 |
James Bond Stockdale (December 23, 1923 – July 5, 2005) was a U.S. Navy vice admiral, aviator, and Stoic philosopher who received the Medal of Honor in 1976 for his leadership as a POW for more than seven years during the Vietnam War.
Stockdale was the most senior naval officer held captive in Hanoi, North Vietnam. He led aerial attacks from the carrier USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident. On his next deployment, while commander of Carrier Air Wing Sixteen aboard the carrier USS Oriskany (CV-34), his A-4 Skyhawk jet was shot down in North Vietnam on September 9, 1965. He served as president of the Naval War College from October 1977 until he retired from the navy in 1979. As vice admiral, James Bond Stockdale was the president of The Citadel from 1979 to 1980.
Stockdale was a candidate for vice president of the United States in the 1992 presidential election, on Ross Perot's independent ticket.