Adm. James Bond Stockdale... Yesterday a hero passed.

Yesterday, an American Hero passed away.  Vice Admiral James "Bond" Stockdale passed quietly at his home in Coronado.

Fortunately I know of this man not from the media who can barely print 3 paragraphs before they feel compelled point out his flaws as a politician.  I know of this man as a pillar of character and leadership!  And serves as a model to all who serve this country in uniform or as a civilian.  We all have plenty to learn from Admiral Stockdale.  Please take some time and read the story of a true American Leader and Hero.

"Through it all, Stockdale's captors held out the promise of better treatment if he would only admit that the United States was engaging in criminal behavior against the Vietnamese people, but Stockdale refused. Drawing strength from principles of stoic philosophy, Stockdale heroically resisted. His courage was an inspiration to his fellow POWs, with whom he communicated in an ingenious code, maintaining unit cohesion and morale. His jailers increased the level of torture, so Stockdale determined to fight back in the only way he could...

Told that he was to be taken "downtown" and paraded in front of foreign journalists, Stockdale slashed his scalp with a razor and beat himself in the face with a wooden stool. He reasoned that his captors would not dare display a prisoner who appeared to have been beaten...

Upon his release in 1973, Stockdale's extraordinary heroism became widely known, and he received the Congressional Medal of Honor in the nation's bicentennial year. He was one of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the Navy... "

God Speed Admiral!

Other Tributes to the Great Admiral:

• Neptunus Lex- James Bond Stockdale - Ave atque vale
• Powerline-  A Hero Passes
• Functional Ambivalent - Admirable Stockdale