Wednesday, July 06, 2005

"Who am I? Why am I Here?" -- James Stockdale Dies

Admiral James Stockdale, Ross Perot's running mate in 1992, has died. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

He opened his remarks at the Vice Presidential debate with the line "Who am I? Why am I here?"

He flew 201 missions over Vietnam before being shot down and captured. He was the highest ranking POW of the war.

Admiral Stockdale recieved the Medal of Honor in 1976 for his efforts to unite POWs and resist their captors. His citation read in part:

"Stockdale ... deliberately inflicted a near mortal wound to his person in order to convince his captors of his willingness to give up his life rather than capitulate. He was subsequently discovered and revived by the North Vietnamese who, convinced of his indomitable spirit, abated their employment of excessive harassment and torture of all prisoners of war."

He spent seven-and-a-half years as a POW. Admiral James Stockdale was 81. (USA Today)

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