Others Over Self

During the last presidential campaign, the American people were reminded of the unique, individual heroism demonstrated under the most intense pressure. John McCain was captured as a downed pilot during the Vietnam war and sent to the now notorious "Hanoi Hilton" prison.

One reason so many of the men survived the outrageously brutal conditions in the North Vietnamese prison was a man - James Stockdale. Stockdale, an outstanding pilot, graduated from the Naval Academy a rising star. In 1965, at age 40, he commanded VF-51 on board the USS Oriskany and took off in his A-4 Skyhawk on 5 September. His plane drew antiaircraft fire, was hit, and Stockdale was forced to eject, breaking a bone in his back while doing so. When he landed in a small village, he badly dislocated his knee, and injury from which he would never fully recover.
For seven years, he remained a captive in Hoa Lo Prison, the highest ranking American officer in captivity. He was not passive. He organized the prisoner's resistance against the Vietnamese attempts to use them for propaganda purposes. He developed a communications code for the men made of a simple five-by-five matrix with the letters of the alphabet filling the rows and columns. The men used the code to tap messages on the walls or even when sweeping with a broom. For example an "e" would be tap-tap, tap - Row Two, Column One.

He endured four years of solitary confinement, two years in leg irons, and fifteen torture sessions. But it was his determination and organization which carried the men through. He organized a code of conduct centered around the acronym US (unity over self). His determination and refusal to break ultimately led to the easing of torture and improvement of conditions. For his steadfast courage in the face of seemingly impossible odds and his determined leadership and care for the men in his charge, he received the Medal of Honor. No other three-star admiral in U.S. Naval history wore both the aviator wings and the Congressional Medal of Honor. Check out RETURN WITH HONOR, PBS movie DVD.