In Vietnam I decided our generals were no longer leaders but politicians and politicians are interested only in what benefits them. Today we are ruled by selfish, liars with nothing in mind but the succession and continuation of their own power. If true patriots do not stand up as Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, all the founding fathers did, the United states is doomed to the garbage heap of history. I remember Jim Stockdale well. He would never stand by and watch what is happening to happen. We may be long in the tooth but we still have teeth. It's time to bare them.
Well said Dan. Thank you for your service. I went in right as Vietnam wound down. The parallels of how that ended and what we are enduring now are all too familiar. Teeth bared!
The most important part of what you said is your second sentence. "Today we are ruled..." That's the problem right there. We are not supposed to be ruled, we're supposed to elect leaders who are accountable to the people. Leaders, not rulers. Today we have people who believe they are rulers.
I was profoundly affected by your piece, which came to me from another Retired Marine, both of us the Sons of Marines. My Father, also Retired, was a veteran of WWII, Korea,and Viet Nam. My friend's Father a veteran of WWII went across the beach at Iwo Jima. Needless to say this helped to shape our outlook. Likewise, in a current fashion, your view of our nation's current situation, and your prescription for how we deal with what you so clearly lay out, despite the dire outlook, using a solid Stoicism combined with the example of Admiral Stockdale is sage advice. I have come to similar conclusions as you, but appreciate your ability to clearly and comprehensively lay out the path before us. Admiral Stockdale's example as you have laid out will stick with me. We will need many of his kind. Thanks.
Mark, thank you very much and thank you and your family for all they have done for our country. You are so right that we need many more Admiral Stockdales! I suspect they are out there, they just haven't been given the room they need yet.
He left out one important part of the 'bright future' he sees... eventually. All of the Muslims that are now on our soil... they're not going away. I hate to paint them with a broad brush because as with all humans, there are good and bad. This refers to the bad. They are the biggest danger I see and I see no way of getting rid of them, especially, since they reproduce at a higher rate than we Americans with our now small families and aborted potential Americans. Add to that the number of stupid people that insist that they should be in our government. Without a civil war, I see no relief.
The Muslims are a ticking time bomb in our society...many have not assimilated into our culture. The Muslim religion guides them and although many are peaceful, a significant number want to basically change our society to follow Shariah Law.
Trump was right again when he said he was smarter than his Generals. Just look at Antifa-supporter GEN Mark Milley. No one gets a face that puffy, or looks that prematurely aged than a lifelong drunk.
It’s obvious the Biden Admin made a deal with Milley- go along with our idiotic politically correct agenda, and we’ll let a drunk be Head, Joint Chiefs. And after that, he’ll benefit from wealthy Defense Industry post-retirement Board memberships.
Barry ObamImam started the purge of warfighting Flag Officers, to be replaced by know nothing “no-load” Flag Officers. A certain DFC- awarded Intruder B/Nanagator was stripped of one of his two stars after being railroaded out of the Navy under totally bogus charges. I followed his career and mistreatment because he was a friend at the West Coast Intruder RAG, and was definitely a “golden boy”!
His dad was an Intruder Skipper, he was an Academy grad, he became an Intruder Squadron Ops Officer, during times of major conflict and critical Middle East bombing campaigns as a LT, (UNHEARD OF!), and was on a fast-track to four stars.
Then someone in Barry Obama’s Admin decided that in order to totally emasculate the military, it was necessary to replace “fighting Flags”, with incompetent boobs like Lloyd Austin and Mark Milley. Their “Escape from Afghanistan” movie was a sequel to Escape from NY and LA, starring the great Snake Pliskin. When the day comes that we have male Blue Angel pilots performing their air shows wearing dresses under their flight gear, we will have come full circle from Ronald Reagan’s 600 ship Navy.
(I believe the Air Farce has already recruited a Thunderbird bubba in a dress….)
All of what you say is spot on. The terrifying part is they are spinning up this Ukrainian mess so we end up in the fight. We are about out of artillery shells and several years of production behind critical missile systems. The old adage was "you go to war with the army you've got." What if there is no army left?
I remember Admiral Stockdale and his effect on the Naval War College. The ethics course he initiated there is still taught, but I was fortunate enough to be in the Seminar Class in 1991 with the man who wrote “Foundations of Moral Obligation - the Stockdale Course.” That would be Joseph Brennan, a remarkable professor, and the best I encountered in my time at Newport.
One of the prisoners at the Hanoi Hilton with ADM Stockdale was a young enlisted man who was let go early, as a propaganda tool. Before he went back to America he memorized the names and the relevant data of all 800+ American POW’s at the HH, so their relatives at home would know they were still alive…
Approximately 15yrs later, he was still an intellectually impressive individual, who gave the zero dark thirty Communist propaganda briefs at the Warner Springs, CA SERE School, when I attended in 1982.
But I blew it- he took us to a rickety classroom at 0200, for some deep commie indoctrination. The room was right next to the POW Camp gate, which had been left unlocked. (I’m sure now this was a planned maneuver by the camp guards, played by actdu Navy SEALS). I DID NOT TAKE THE BAIT AND MAKE MY ESCAPE THROUGH THE UNLOCKED GATE, and to this day, I still kick myself for wussing out!
I wish your outlook would prevail. However once workfare became welfare it was only a matter of time. Paying people to have babies to get a free life destroyed the family organization
The loosing of hundreds of thousands of migrants with free living provided only hastened the process. Buying votes with “FREE” money was a downfall.
Why did this occur? Because welfare programs once started will never end. Where are the politicians who will sacrifice their reelection to fight such stupidity? Certainly not among the Dems who use this to gain power and become rich on tax payer money.
Certainly not the Reps who only worried about keeping their chance for riches at tax payer expense.
Think I never beleaguered them for years trying to get them to Listen? For years and hundreds of stamps and calls. None cared except with meaningless chatter. Nothing changed.
Having read the bios of Adam’s, Washington, Hamilton and other founding fathers and reading the speeches of that day snd the tremendous hardships and sacrifices it amazes me that this nation could tear itself apart.
But Jefferson and his ilk tried even back the to sink the ship. In FACT Jefferson succeeded. HE IS the one! HE is the one who fought Hamilton and won to grant one person one vote. Even though some may only benefit snd never contribute. Thus the downfall. Free money to those who vote for me.
An economist from France studied our system in the late 1700’s during the French Revolution and told his government our system would survive until the people discovered they could vote themselves money!
I am a baby boomer, grew up in the '50s and '60s, and served 2 years n the USMC (stateside, no hero here). After WWII, we have had, for the most part, ~76 years of world peace, i.e., no other world war. But, with Biden's election, I predict two wars, perhaps occurring simultaneously. The Democrats wish to disarm the law-abiding gun owners, incurring a 2nd civil war (damn the 2nd Amendment, they believe) and their projection of weakness will lead us into World War III. This country grew out of war, ended slavery through war, smashed the Axis powers in World War II, reached a stalemate in Korea, lost in Vietnam, and lost in Afghanistan. What am I getting at? I predict this country will be sorely tested in the next world war. I'm 73, and don't know if I will be around to see the consequences. Therefore, it behooves the younger generation to carry on the light of freedom to fight socialism/communism. All I can say is that it will not be easy. God only smiled on this country because we had patriot-warriors who stood against tyranny, sacrificing and dying in the process. Will we have enough such people in the future?
I am 79 and totally agree with you on this, and would only add that our voting system has become Soviet-ish. We were blessed to have lived in the best times in history. God help the next generations. If the "woke" don't wake up, and SOON, all will be lost.
Leaders like VAdm Stockdale don’t hide in the flock of sycophants like today’s Dem-Socialists and they bristle at the crooked proddings of a false Shepherd like Joe Biden. We need more Man-Wolves leading our pack out of the worsening Socialism of America.
We again need to put America First to retake world leadership of a controlled and just peace through strength. Every page of our History glows of success when we did do … until review of today’s sad tale.
Look in every corner of today’s America and realize the failures of the Den-Socialist’s plan:
- to urge away evil,
- to oversee and mandate government compliance over every aspect of our lives,
- to the specific ruination of our economy and over-control of our businesses,
- to runaway inflation and rising costs for everything,
- to unbelievable and growing National Debt,
- to growing taxes,
- to endless and growing social programs,
- to the dumbing down of our schools on the assurance that minorities can not compete so school should be easier for them and all,
- to rampant and growing crime in all our major cities,
- to Homelessness as a growing epidemic on our sidewalks,
- to the legalization of drugs and the establishment of a recreational drug society to generate tax revenues from addiction and slothful living,
- to unfettered immigration,
- to mandatory Covid shots for citizens but none required or health vetting of immigrants from known cess pools of disease,
- to the forced resettlement of immigrants throughout USA insuring the spread of disease and depravity,
- to the never ending and unsolvable debate over equity and equality,
- to the pandering of LGBTQ and Others of Non or Binary appellations such that no one is truthfully unique or even just as created,
- to the continued and growing subjugation of the minorities and poor to keep them in their place …
If the above coupled with the below are not enough to give pause to all Americans in the ballot box come the 2022 Midterms and the 2024 General Election then we are lost to decline, ruination, and to the footnote status of
being another of ~500 year great society.
The author of the below expresses optimism that America will awaken and tighten belts and take action to again reach our boot straps … I sincerely hope he is right but I don’t see enough Jim Stockdales now.
Dem-Socialists are not individually bad people and many speak glowingly about their concerns for others and inclusion and fairness, but in the actualization of their platitudes they call up and use policies that have always failed but they rely on a populace that is too busy in petty personal pursuits to study either American History or American Civics to know that today’s Dem-Socialism will too fail.
If the below Author’s assessment is true that “belt tightening” is what we need - there are many tab ends to be grabbed.
My greatest respect to all who served in Vietnam. My apologies for having raised anger. I have passed Mr. Heflim’s Stockdale article on to many folks of like mind. Great man, great timing for the article.
Marty, thank you for guiding me back onto this line of thought! Stoicism IS a ‘warriors creed’ school of thought. Pure and strong.
In the end though, honest men will usually admit to weakness of spirit when faced with the eternal and that’s where Hellenistic (Greek) thought was subsumed or overcome by early Christianity.
I went back to look more deeply into Stoicism:
Wikipedia version:
Many Stoics—such as Seneca and Epictetus—emphasized that because "virtue is sufficient for happiness", a sage would be emotionally resilient to misfortune. This belief is similar to the meaning of the phrase "stoic calm", though the phrase does not include the "radical ethical" Stoic views that only a sage can be considered truly free and that all moral corruptions are equally vicious.[3]
I like to think, I’d bet all YOUR readers do, but that said, I ain’t no Sage!
Thanks,
David Old. ATP/MEI/Commercial Rotor.
Ps thanks for the other kind comments on the string!
Stockdale was a heroic but only partially educated man it appears. I was moved by it all until the end when his purely humanistic approach fell apart on the rocks of scriptural and theistic ignorance.
I will do as the noble Stockdale says, have done so in many ways, but: in the end I will trust in Jesus the Captain of our Souls and the Author and Finisher of our (my) faith.
David, thanks for the note - interesting point. I don't know what the Admiral's religious beliefs were - he was buried in a Christian service in the John Paul Jones Chapel at the USNA. Don't disagree with your point.
Marty Heflin, your article on the Stockdale story as it related to Epictetus was excellent. Thank you. I’m offering the following merely to provide another perspective for those who may not know of James B. Stockdale, the teacher, philosopher, fighter pilot, and hero.
In addition to his incredible courage, James Stockdale was one of the most intelligent military officers ever to represent his country in peacetime and in war. He did not rise to such a high level of influence, trust, and confidence by accident. He loved his profession as a Naval aviator and test pilot, earned his status amongst some highly skilled colleagues, and was passionate about leading with both a dedication to the mission and a fierce commitment to the Sailors and Marines under his charge. He lived with the understanding that words are cheap, but actions send the most powerful and meaningful message to those who observe those actions. And that is what James Stockdale did throughout his life, and most significantly while enduring those 7+ years in the world of Epictetus at the Hao Lo prison. He referred to his time in prison as the “The pressure cooker of humanity…the cauldron” where a man’s true character was stressed, fractured, then pieced back together only to be tested again and again by an enemy that was skilled at breaking the human spirit. The challenge to fight back and restore one’s honor and dignity never abated in the pressure cooker. It took a great leader, and a very intelligent person to recognize what had to be done to give his fellow prisoners what they needed to fight back to restore their honor - even when separated from all that was familiar in life - including formal direction from their Chain of Command. Stockdale took charge, set policy, establish a vision, constructed an organization, reestablished a chain of command, and set in motion a resistance movement to challenge Hoa Lo prison leadership. He did all this through covert communications while constantly being subjected to grueling, and inhumane treatment by his captors. Over the course of those 7+ years in prison, he was labeled a hardcore resister, an organizer, and a leader of the resistance who had to be broken. They attempted to neutralize his influence by isolating him. In the process, he accumulated over 4 years of solo time, a metric he considered the best indicator of a prisoner’s effectiveness. As he wrote, “The first thing I want to know about a prisoner is how much solo time he has. If he has none, and about a third of the prisoners over there had essentially none – that tells me he is not making waves, playing it cool, not resisting.” In addition, Stockdale, the hardcore resister, was placed in leg irons and chains for 2 years, and they brutally tortured him 15 times all because he would not submit to their demands. They could break his bones, but they could not break his spirit to lead and bring back his fellow POWs with their honor intact.
James Stockdale had the guts, the creativity, and the intellect to step forward and lead and give guidance to men that were teetering on the edge of mental and physical ruin. He established an organization, set policy (to “Back U.S.,” “Unity above self” “Resist until broken…then resist again”) and he continued to lead within Hoa Lo at great personal risk. Did he have to step forward and subject himself to such a brutal existence for all those years? NO! He could have taken the easy path and stayed quiet, kept to himself, refused to step forward and lead. After all, he was not senior; there were four officers who were senior to him. Those officers chose to take the easy path. They refused to communicate, and that refusal made it even more difficult to hold the organized resistance together. Not James B. Stockdale. He demanded more of himself than he did of others. It was not in his DNA to take the easy path. The enemy tried to muzzle him, but he fought back, not with bullets or bayonets, but through leading the resistance even to the point of attempting to give his life to protest the ill treatment of his fellow POWs.
Beyond Hoa Lo James Stockdale went on to write numerous books, essays, and delivered some incredibly captivating speeches across the country. In October 1977, he was selected to become the 40th president of the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Shortly after taking command, he wrote to Dr. Joe Brennan, a professor emeritus from Columbia University, to enlist his support in writing and co-teaching a course of instruction that would become part of the moral fabric of the Naval War College and the U.S. Navy for four+ decades and counting. In his communications with Professor Brennan, he stated, “I have come to the conclusion that if I am to leave a legacy here it must be done from the classroom.” Some of the learning outcomes he sought to achieve in writing this course focused on answering questions such as, “What are the philosophic roots of a military profession? What are the watershed distinctions that separate bureaucrats from warriors, winners from losers? I know this is no simple matter to get a layman up to speed to teach such sensitive material—but I want my students to have something more than a few mutually contradictory slogans when their backs are against the wall.” Stockdale wanted to ensure members of the armed forces, destined for high-risk-of capture combat roles, were armed with some philosophical tools to better deal with the stress, and trauma of captivity and to prepare them to deal with an enemy skilled at exploiting any mental or emotional weakness in a prisoner. The “Foundation of Moral Obligation” – otherwise known as the “Stockdale Course” was designed to achieve that outcome.
The Stockdale course was in high demand by the College of Naval Warfare students – typically standing room only for those who were fortunate to register for the sessions. The lessons Stockdale learned from Hoa Lo offered a window into the challenges of leading and following in the most difficult situation imaginable - a POW pressure cooker. A similar course titled, "The Philosophy of American Values," taught by Joe Brennan, came about in 1986 again infusing lessons from Hoa Lo and the classics to teach and inspire officers destined for command. Everything in the course reflected upon the values we hold dear as Americans, that our history is precious to fully understand the origins of our values, who we are as Americans, and why we have a legacy of fighting to preserve our freedoms. This seminar-type course covered topics that reinforced principles relevant to love of country, loyalty to the chain of command, duty, honor, moral responsibility, values, and the significance of fidelity to one’s oath of office to support and defend the Constitution. – particularly in a “Pressure Cooker, the Cauldron of humanity…” The lessons learned in these courses last beyond the uniform. Thank you, James Stockdale, and Joe Brennan and all the NWC Department Chairs since who have kept the Stockdale principles alive and made improvements to course material along the way over these 40+ years.
James Stockdale truly was an exceptional human being. There was not an artificial bone in his body. He simply had an uncanny ability to understand human nature, to understand what made people do the things they do. He clearly knew what it took to lead, how to motivate, and how to elicit the finest performance from others even under the most difficult circumstances. He excelled at creating an organization where trust, honestly, mutual respect, and unity of purpose characterized every human interaction. James Bond Stockdale’s legacy will live on as the personification of those Navy and Marine Corps core values of honor, courage, and commitment. He has earned the everlasting admiration and respect of his fellow POWs and all who knew this great man as I did.
Thank you, Ernest. James Stockdale was an inspiration to all who knew of his selfless leadership under duress, devotion to his family, and love of country. He always stressed that "Character is more important than knowledge." So true and particularly essential as a leader. I wish we had more like him in key leadership roles today. All the best to you.
Marc - thank you for filling in with so much information and context. I met Admiral Stockdale briefly when I was in Surface Warfare School in Newport in 1980, he was impressive and a real hero. If I gave you the impression that I felt he was less than fully educated and brilliant, I apologize. I respect all those who take the time to read my scribbles. Thank you.
Not to worry...your article on Stockdale was right on target and it was clear you have always held his legacy in high regard. Thanks for emphasizing the Admiral's appreciation for and reliance on the wisdom of Epictetus while in Hoa Lo. As that story is shared, we all can learn from what he endured and how he led others in that human pressure cooker. Stay well and thanks again for your articles.
I have no idea who you are but being a Christian as I am you have no idea what a great man Adm Stockdale was. I saw it in real time. Please don’t espouse your scriptural leanings on us. Please stop. Were you in hell for seven years?
In Vietnam I decided our generals were no longer leaders but politicians and politicians are interested only in what benefits them. Today we are ruled by selfish, liars with nothing in mind but the succession and continuation of their own power. If true patriots do not stand up as Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, all the founding fathers did, the United states is doomed to the garbage heap of history. I remember Jim Stockdale well. He would never stand by and watch what is happening to happen. We may be long in the tooth but we still have teeth. It's time to bare them.
Well said Dan. Thank you for your service. I went in right as Vietnam wound down. The parallels of how that ended and what we are enduring now are all too familiar. Teeth bared!
Marty, thank you for your service as well.
The most important part of what you said is your second sentence. "Today we are ruled..." That's the problem right there. We are not supposed to be ruled, we're supposed to elect leaders who are accountable to the people. Leaders, not rulers. Today we have people who believe they are rulers.
I wonder Jim, if we can recapture the spirit of what our founders gave us. I'm hoping so. Thanks for reading my little rants on Substack. Dan
Damn man! Cheers! This is awesome on every level!
I was profoundly affected by your piece, which came to me from another Retired Marine, both of us the Sons of Marines. My Father, also Retired, was a veteran of WWII, Korea,and Viet Nam. My friend's Father a veteran of WWII went across the beach at Iwo Jima. Needless to say this helped to shape our outlook. Likewise, in a current fashion, your view of our nation's current situation, and your prescription for how we deal with what you so clearly lay out, despite the dire outlook, using a solid Stoicism combined with the example of Admiral Stockdale is sage advice. I have come to similar conclusions as you, but appreciate your ability to clearly and comprehensively lay out the path before us. Admiral Stockdale's example as you have laid out will stick with me. We will need many of his kind. Thanks.
Mark, thank you very much and thank you and your family for all they have done for our country. You are so right that we need many more Admiral Stockdales! I suspect they are out there, they just haven't been given the room they need yet.
He left out one important part of the 'bright future' he sees... eventually. All of the Muslims that are now on our soil... they're not going away. I hate to paint them with a broad brush because as with all humans, there are good and bad. This refers to the bad. They are the biggest danger I see and I see no way of getting rid of them, especially, since they reproduce at a higher rate than we Americans with our now small families and aborted potential Americans. Add to that the number of stupid people that insist that they should be in our government. Without a civil war, I see no relief.
The Muslims are a ticking time bomb in our society...many have not assimilated into our culture. The Muslim religion guides them and although many are peaceful, a significant number want to basically change our society to follow Shariah Law.
I agree
Trump was right again when he said he was smarter than his Generals. Just look at Antifa-supporter GEN Mark Milley. No one gets a face that puffy, or looks that prematurely aged than a lifelong drunk.
It’s obvious the Biden Admin made a deal with Milley- go along with our idiotic politically correct agenda, and we’ll let a drunk be Head, Joint Chiefs. And after that, he’ll benefit from wealthy Defense Industry post-retirement Board memberships.
Barry ObamImam started the purge of warfighting Flag Officers, to be replaced by know nothing “no-load” Flag Officers. A certain DFC- awarded Intruder B/Nanagator was stripped of one of his two stars after being railroaded out of the Navy under totally bogus charges. I followed his career and mistreatment because he was a friend at the West Coast Intruder RAG, and was definitely a “golden boy”!
His dad was an Intruder Skipper, he was an Academy grad, he became an Intruder Squadron Ops Officer, during times of major conflict and critical Middle East bombing campaigns as a LT, (UNHEARD OF!), and was on a fast-track to four stars.
Then someone in Barry Obama’s Admin decided that in order to totally emasculate the military, it was necessary to replace “fighting Flags”, with incompetent boobs like Lloyd Austin and Mark Milley. Their “Escape from Afghanistan” movie was a sequel to Escape from NY and LA, starring the great Snake Pliskin. When the day comes that we have male Blue Angel pilots performing their air shows wearing dresses under their flight gear, we will have come full circle from Ronald Reagan’s 600 ship Navy.
(I believe the Air Farce has already recruited a Thunderbird bubba in a dress….)
All of what you say is spot on. The terrifying part is they are spinning up this Ukrainian mess so we end up in the fight. We are about out of artillery shells and several years of production behind critical missile systems. The old adage was "you go to war with the army you've got." What if there is no army left?
I remember Admiral Stockdale and his effect on the Naval War College. The ethics course he initiated there is still taught, but I was fortunate enough to be in the Seminar Class in 1991 with the man who wrote “Foundations of Moral Obligation - the Stockdale Course.” That would be Joseph Brennan, a remarkable professor, and the best I encountered in my time at Newport.
One of the prisoners at the Hanoi Hilton with ADM Stockdale was a young enlisted man who was let go early, as a propaganda tool. Before he went back to America he memorized the names and the relevant data of all 800+ American POW’s at the HH, so their relatives at home would know they were still alive…
Approximately 15yrs later, he was still an intellectually impressive individual, who gave the zero dark thirty Communist propaganda briefs at the Warner Springs, CA SERE School, when I attended in 1982.
But I blew it- he took us to a rickety classroom at 0200, for some deep commie indoctrination. The room was right next to the POW Camp gate, which had been left unlocked. (I’m sure now this was a planned maneuver by the camp guards, played by actdu Navy SEALS). I DID NOT TAKE THE BAIT AND MAKE MY ESCAPE THROUGH THE UNLOCKED GATE, and to this day, I still kick myself for wussing out!
Terrific story - thank you for sharing! Thank you too for your service.
I wish your outlook would prevail. However once workfare became welfare it was only a matter of time. Paying people to have babies to get a free life destroyed the family organization
The loosing of hundreds of thousands of migrants with free living provided only hastened the process. Buying votes with “FREE” money was a downfall.
Why did this occur? Because welfare programs once started will never end. Where are the politicians who will sacrifice their reelection to fight such stupidity? Certainly not among the Dems who use this to gain power and become rich on tax payer money.
Certainly not the Reps who only worried about keeping their chance for riches at tax payer expense.
Think I never beleaguered them for years trying to get them to Listen? For years and hundreds of stamps and calls. None cared except with meaningless chatter. Nothing changed.
Having read the bios of Adam’s, Washington, Hamilton and other founding fathers and reading the speeches of that day snd the tremendous hardships and sacrifices it amazes me that this nation could tear itself apart.
But Jefferson and his ilk tried even back the to sink the ship. In FACT Jefferson succeeded. HE IS the one! HE is the one who fought Hamilton and won to grant one person one vote. Even though some may only benefit snd never contribute. Thus the downfall. Free money to those who vote for me.
An economist from France studied our system in the late 1700’s during the French Revolution and told his government our system would survive until the people discovered they could vote themselves money!
Our outcome will be Argentine’s
.
Frank Ingels
May GOD richly bless you and all those who defend us! Buford-85-DAV/US Army
I am a baby boomer, grew up in the '50s and '60s, and served 2 years n the USMC (stateside, no hero here). After WWII, we have had, for the most part, ~76 years of world peace, i.e., no other world war. But, with Biden's election, I predict two wars, perhaps occurring simultaneously. The Democrats wish to disarm the law-abiding gun owners, incurring a 2nd civil war (damn the 2nd Amendment, they believe) and their projection of weakness will lead us into World War III. This country grew out of war, ended slavery through war, smashed the Axis powers in World War II, reached a stalemate in Korea, lost in Vietnam, and lost in Afghanistan. What am I getting at? I predict this country will be sorely tested in the next world war. I'm 73, and don't know if I will be around to see the consequences. Therefore, it behooves the younger generation to carry on the light of freedom to fight socialism/communism. All I can say is that it will not be easy. God only smiled on this country because we had patriot-warriors who stood against tyranny, sacrificing and dying in the process. Will we have enough such people in the future?
Relevant assessment and question
I am 79 and totally agree with you on this, and would only add that our voting system has become Soviet-ish. We were blessed to have lived in the best times in history. God help the next generations. If the "woke" don't wake up, and SOON, all will be lost.
For sure
Leaders like VAdm Stockdale don’t hide in the flock of sycophants like today’s Dem-Socialists and they bristle at the crooked proddings of a false Shepherd like Joe Biden. We need more Man-Wolves leading our pack out of the worsening Socialism of America.
We again need to put America First to retake world leadership of a controlled and just peace through strength. Every page of our History glows of success when we did do … until review of today’s sad tale.
Look in every corner of today’s America and realize the failures of the Den-Socialist’s plan:
- to urge away evil,
- to oversee and mandate government compliance over every aspect of our lives,
- to the specific ruination of our economy and over-control of our businesses,
- to runaway inflation and rising costs for everything,
- to unbelievable and growing National Debt,
- to growing taxes,
- to endless and growing social programs,
- to the dumbing down of our schools on the assurance that minorities can not compete so school should be easier for them and all,
- to rampant and growing crime in all our major cities,
- to Homelessness as a growing epidemic on our sidewalks,
- to the legalization of drugs and the establishment of a recreational drug society to generate tax revenues from addiction and slothful living,
- to unfettered immigration,
- to mandatory Covid shots for citizens but none required or health vetting of immigrants from known cess pools of disease,
- to the forced resettlement of immigrants throughout USA insuring the spread of disease and depravity,
- to the never ending and unsolvable debate over equity and equality,
- to the pandering of LGBTQ and Others of Non or Binary appellations such that no one is truthfully unique or even just as created,
- to the continued and growing subjugation of the minorities and poor to keep them in their place …
If the above coupled with the below are not enough to give pause to all Americans in the ballot box come the 2022 Midterms and the 2024 General Election then we are lost to decline, ruination, and to the footnote status of
being another of ~500 year great society.
The author of the below expresses optimism that America will awaken and tighten belts and take action to again reach our boot straps … I sincerely hope he is right but I don’t see enough Jim Stockdales now.
Dem-Socialists are not individually bad people and many speak glowingly about their concerns for others and inclusion and fairness, but in the actualization of their platitudes they call up and use policies that have always failed but they rely on a populace that is too busy in petty personal pursuits to study either American History or American Civics to know that today’s Dem-Socialism will too fail.
If the below Author’s assessment is true that “belt tightening” is what we need - there are many tab ends to be grabbed.
Spot on!
My greatest respect to all who served in Vietnam. My apologies for having raised anger. I have passed Mr. Heflim’s Stockdale article on to many folks of like mind. Great man, great timing for the article.
Saturday evening and finished flying!
Marty, thank you for guiding me back onto this line of thought! Stoicism IS a ‘warriors creed’ school of thought. Pure and strong.
In the end though, honest men will usually admit to weakness of spirit when faced with the eternal and that’s where Hellenistic (Greek) thought was subsumed or overcome by early Christianity.
I went back to look more deeply into Stoicism:
Wikipedia version:
Many Stoics—such as Seneca and Epictetus—emphasized that because "virtue is sufficient for happiness", a sage would be emotionally resilient to misfortune. This belief is similar to the meaning of the phrase "stoic calm", though the phrase does not include the "radical ethical" Stoic views that only a sage can be considered truly free and that all moral corruptions are equally vicious.[3]
I like to think, I’d bet all YOUR readers do, but that said, I ain’t no Sage!
Thanks,
David Old. ATP/MEI/Commercial Rotor.
Ps thanks for the other kind comments on the string!
Stockdale was a heroic but only partially educated man it appears. I was moved by it all until the end when his purely humanistic approach fell apart on the rocks of scriptural and theistic ignorance.
I will do as the noble Stockdale says, have done so in many ways, but: in the end I will trust in Jesus the Captain of our Souls and the Author and Finisher of our (my) faith.
David, thanks for the note - interesting point. I don't know what the Admiral's religious beliefs were - he was buried in a Christian service in the John Paul Jones Chapel at the USNA. Don't disagree with your point.
Marty Heflin, your article on the Stockdale story as it related to Epictetus was excellent. Thank you. I’m offering the following merely to provide another perspective for those who may not know of James B. Stockdale, the teacher, philosopher, fighter pilot, and hero.
In addition to his incredible courage, James Stockdale was one of the most intelligent military officers ever to represent his country in peacetime and in war. He did not rise to such a high level of influence, trust, and confidence by accident. He loved his profession as a Naval aviator and test pilot, earned his status amongst some highly skilled colleagues, and was passionate about leading with both a dedication to the mission and a fierce commitment to the Sailors and Marines under his charge. He lived with the understanding that words are cheap, but actions send the most powerful and meaningful message to those who observe those actions. And that is what James Stockdale did throughout his life, and most significantly while enduring those 7+ years in the world of Epictetus at the Hao Lo prison. He referred to his time in prison as the “The pressure cooker of humanity…the cauldron” where a man’s true character was stressed, fractured, then pieced back together only to be tested again and again by an enemy that was skilled at breaking the human spirit. The challenge to fight back and restore one’s honor and dignity never abated in the pressure cooker. It took a great leader, and a very intelligent person to recognize what had to be done to give his fellow prisoners what they needed to fight back to restore their honor - even when separated from all that was familiar in life - including formal direction from their Chain of Command. Stockdale took charge, set policy, establish a vision, constructed an organization, reestablished a chain of command, and set in motion a resistance movement to challenge Hoa Lo prison leadership. He did all this through covert communications while constantly being subjected to grueling, and inhumane treatment by his captors. Over the course of those 7+ years in prison, he was labeled a hardcore resister, an organizer, and a leader of the resistance who had to be broken. They attempted to neutralize his influence by isolating him. In the process, he accumulated over 4 years of solo time, a metric he considered the best indicator of a prisoner’s effectiveness. As he wrote, “The first thing I want to know about a prisoner is how much solo time he has. If he has none, and about a third of the prisoners over there had essentially none – that tells me he is not making waves, playing it cool, not resisting.” In addition, Stockdale, the hardcore resister, was placed in leg irons and chains for 2 years, and they brutally tortured him 15 times all because he would not submit to their demands. They could break his bones, but they could not break his spirit to lead and bring back his fellow POWs with their honor intact.
James Stockdale had the guts, the creativity, and the intellect to step forward and lead and give guidance to men that were teetering on the edge of mental and physical ruin. He established an organization, set policy (to “Back U.S.,” “Unity above self” “Resist until broken…then resist again”) and he continued to lead within Hoa Lo at great personal risk. Did he have to step forward and subject himself to such a brutal existence for all those years? NO! He could have taken the easy path and stayed quiet, kept to himself, refused to step forward and lead. After all, he was not senior; there were four officers who were senior to him. Those officers chose to take the easy path. They refused to communicate, and that refusal made it even more difficult to hold the organized resistance together. Not James B. Stockdale. He demanded more of himself than he did of others. It was not in his DNA to take the easy path. The enemy tried to muzzle him, but he fought back, not with bullets or bayonets, but through leading the resistance even to the point of attempting to give his life to protest the ill treatment of his fellow POWs.
Beyond Hoa Lo James Stockdale went on to write numerous books, essays, and delivered some incredibly captivating speeches across the country. In October 1977, he was selected to become the 40th president of the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Shortly after taking command, he wrote to Dr. Joe Brennan, a professor emeritus from Columbia University, to enlist his support in writing and co-teaching a course of instruction that would become part of the moral fabric of the Naval War College and the U.S. Navy for four+ decades and counting. In his communications with Professor Brennan, he stated, “I have come to the conclusion that if I am to leave a legacy here it must be done from the classroom.” Some of the learning outcomes he sought to achieve in writing this course focused on answering questions such as, “What are the philosophic roots of a military profession? What are the watershed distinctions that separate bureaucrats from warriors, winners from losers? I know this is no simple matter to get a layman up to speed to teach such sensitive material—but I want my students to have something more than a few mutually contradictory slogans when their backs are against the wall.” Stockdale wanted to ensure members of the armed forces, destined for high-risk-of capture combat roles, were armed with some philosophical tools to better deal with the stress, and trauma of captivity and to prepare them to deal with an enemy skilled at exploiting any mental or emotional weakness in a prisoner. The “Foundation of Moral Obligation” – otherwise known as the “Stockdale Course” was designed to achieve that outcome.
The Stockdale course was in high demand by the College of Naval Warfare students – typically standing room only for those who were fortunate to register for the sessions. The lessons Stockdale learned from Hoa Lo offered a window into the challenges of leading and following in the most difficult situation imaginable - a POW pressure cooker. A similar course titled, "The Philosophy of American Values," taught by Joe Brennan, came about in 1986 again infusing lessons from Hoa Lo and the classics to teach and inspire officers destined for command. Everything in the course reflected upon the values we hold dear as Americans, that our history is precious to fully understand the origins of our values, who we are as Americans, and why we have a legacy of fighting to preserve our freedoms. This seminar-type course covered topics that reinforced principles relevant to love of country, loyalty to the chain of command, duty, honor, moral responsibility, values, and the significance of fidelity to one’s oath of office to support and defend the Constitution. – particularly in a “Pressure Cooker, the Cauldron of humanity…” The lessons learned in these courses last beyond the uniform. Thank you, James Stockdale, and Joe Brennan and all the NWC Department Chairs since who have kept the Stockdale principles alive and made improvements to course material along the way over these 40+ years.
James Stockdale truly was an exceptional human being. There was not an artificial bone in his body. He simply had an uncanny ability to understand human nature, to understand what made people do the things they do. He clearly knew what it took to lead, how to motivate, and how to elicit the finest performance from others even under the most difficult circumstances. He excelled at creating an organization where trust, honestly, mutual respect, and unity of purpose characterized every human interaction. James Bond Stockdale’s legacy will live on as the personification of those Navy and Marine Corps core values of honor, courage, and commitment. He has earned the everlasting admiration and respect of his fellow POWs and all who knew this great man as I did.
Wow! What an awesome bundle of information and praise. Thank God for people like Marv and Stockdale.
Thank you, Ernest. James Stockdale was an inspiration to all who knew of his selfless leadership under duress, devotion to his family, and love of country. He always stressed that "Character is more important than knowledge." So true and particularly essential as a leader. I wish we had more like him in key leadership roles today. All the best to you.
Well stated, poignant and relevant!
Thank you, Joe.
Appreciate your feedback.
Marc - thank you for filling in with so much information and context. I met Admiral Stockdale briefly when I was in Surface Warfare School in Newport in 1980, he was impressive and a real hero. If I gave you the impression that I felt he was less than fully educated and brilliant, I apologize. I respect all those who take the time to read my scribbles. Thank you.
Not to worry...your article on Stockdale was right on target and it was clear you have always held his legacy in high regard. Thanks for emphasizing the Admiral's appreciation for and reliance on the wisdom of Epictetus while in Hoa Lo. As that story is shared, we all can learn from what he endured and how he led others in that human pressure cooker. Stay well and thanks again for your articles.
Amen, Brother!
I have no idea who you are but being a Christian as I am you have no idea what a great man Adm Stockdale was. I saw it in real time. Please don’t espouse your scriptural leanings on us. Please stop. Were you in hell for seven years?
Huh???