Vice Admiral James Stockdale
During the Vietnam War 766 men were captured as prisoners of war, among them was Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale. Even after being tortured and malnourished Stockdale was able to find motivation within himself to continue fighting. Admiral Stockdale used his 19 years of experience to light a fire within his fellow prisoners of war with his courage, endurance, and dependability.
Admiral Stockdale is best known for his leadership capabilities during the Vietnam War where he was the highest ranked officer in the prisoner of war camp. Stockdale was a 1946 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and became the first pilot to accumulate more than 1000 hours of flight time in the F-8U Crusader. The North Vietnamese
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captured Admiral Stockdale on September 9, 1965 after they shot down his plane with an anti-aircraft, and taken as a prisoner of war. Stockdale was kept in solitary confinement, tortured, and malnourished for seven years at the Hoa Lo prison, commonly referred to as the Hanoi Hilton by the prisoners. Admiral Stockdale was able to keep his composure throughout these seven years and was seen as a beacon of hope and leadership for the other prisoners of war. Admiral Stockdale demonstrated selflessness throughout his time as a prisoner of war by sacrificing himself for the safety of his fellow prisoners.
As the superior officer in the camp, Stockdale received more torturing sessions than the other prisoners. Even after all this torturing Stockdale was still more concerned about his fellow prisoners. Stockdale tried to kill himself by slashing his wrists with glass in order to stop the torturing of the other prisoners. After this incident the Vietnamese captors realized that Stockdale would prefer to die then surrender and they stopped torturing and treated the prisoners better. Also, in order to hinder the Vietnamese from using him as propaganda Stockdale used a razor blade to cut his scalp and a wooden stool to beat in his face. By doing this the captors could not parade him around because it would reflect poorly on them for treating their prisoners so poorly. I am able to learn from this example because as a leader your subordinates should always come before you. Even if this were to cause you physical or emotional pain the sailors below you will always have priority. James Stockdale illustrates his selflessness by putting his life in danger in order to bring about a better life for his
subordinates. Along with his selflessness Stockdale illustrated his initiative while in the prisoner of war camps to lead and motivate the other prisoners. As the senior officer in the camp it was up to Stockdale to command the men that were inside the camp and tell them the proper way to conduct themselves. Stockdale created a code of conduct known as “Back U.S.”, strength over unity, which gave the prisoners the strength necessary to endure several sessions of torture. Stockdale also created a secret code for communication between the prisoners that consisted of knocks or taps made through the walls. He used this code to write secret messages to his wife and she would then relay them to the government. I will be able to use this example of initiative as a midshipman and a junior officer when I see a problem in the workplace that needs to be fixed. It is my duty to be proactive and change the problem before someone gets hurt. One thing that I can take away from this leadership style is that demonstrating initiative will not only help you but those that work with and below you. Admiral Stockdale used his status as an officer to take initiative of the prisoner of war camps and ignite a fire within the prisoners of war, which allowed them to take more torture without cracking. Stockdale’s selflessness and initiative gives him the tools that he needs to become courageous in a time of crisis and come out stronger than ever. Admiral Stockdale was kept prisoner for seven years during the Vietnam War and never once allowed for his captors to receive information about the Americans. Even with the possibility of torture Stockdale courageously fought the captors in order to save his fellow prisoners and aid in the fight against Vietnam. Stockdale would disobey orders given to him by the captors, which would cause him to be punished in order to not give the captors what they wanted. For example, the messages that he was sending his wife to relay top secret information about the prisoner of war camps caused him several hours of torture. As a junior officer a midshipman I need to be able to not be afraid of going against the status quo in order to have a plusher lifestyle. Stockdale has taught me that even in the face of death we must hold true to our ethics and stay courageous. Admiral Stockdale used his courage to fight against his captors and to aid the Americans by sending secret information through coded messages to his wife. Admiral Stockdale was one of the best leaders that the Navy has ever known. Stockdale not only demonstrated his leadership in battle, but also when he was captured and tortured almost to death. Stockdale was able to show this leadership by demonstrating his selflessness, initiative, and courage throughout the Vietnam War.
Billy Bishop’s path to greatness was not an easy one. He encountered many challenges throughout his young life that recognized him as a fiercer fighter pilot and a true hero. Billy Bishop faced an incredibly tough task to achieving his dream of becoming Canada’s greatest ace. Bishop had a tough life at Owen Sound Collegiate. He would be the subject to many jokes and preferred the company of girls. However his anger and fists won him acceptance on the school ground. He was a good natured boy born on February 8th, 1984. In 1911, at the age of 17, his parents sent him Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario due to his mediocre marks in school which his father knew would not allow him to get accepted to the University of Toronto. He was not an academic student and in his third year of high school was found cheating on a class exam which would later be the subject to many controversie...
Caputo was acquitted of all charges and was given a letter of reprimand from the general. About ten years later he continued his Marine endeavors as he reported to Vietnam and witnessed the surrender of the Saigon Government to the Communist North Vietnamese. Caputo's war experience was plagued by an overwhelmingly first-hand witnessing of watching people die because of trip wires, booby-traps, land mines, and even friendly fire.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Many people have been born that have struck a chord with the world. Some people have become legends, patriots and even heroes. Though one person stood out among the rest, this one was not made a hero, but was born to be one. He was a hero at what he strived to be in life and he has captured the attention of the public like no other solider has done before or since. This great Canadian Air Force Ace became one of the legendary figures in 20th century air warfare. With his daring and dramatic dogfights in France, he achieved a record of 72 kills in his many encounters. His role on the ground during the Second World War training pilots changed and inspired a whole new generation of fighter pilots. This man is known as Billy Bishop, the legendary and great Canadian hero who captured and won the respect of his enemies, comrades and the world.
Otto Frank was the husband of Edith Frank and the father of Anne and Margot Frank and the friends of the Van Daans and Mr. Dussel. In 1933 Adolf Hitler was voted president (Chancellor for Germany) for the Nazi Party and on April 1 the first Anti-jewish law was first passed, In the same year, the Franks leave Germany to escape the Nazis. In 1942 the Franks go into hiding in a Secret Annex in Amsterdam. In the story, Mr. Frank showed courage, compassion, and sacrifice.
Moore was the first man out of the lead chopper to hit the landing zone, firing his M16 rifle. Little did Moore and his men suspect that fate had sent them into the first major battle of the Vietnam War between the American Army and the People's Army of Vi...
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The protagonist Holden Caulfield shows a lot of bravery during the course of the novel. I disagree with the quote, but I do agree that there are many references that are similar between J.F. Clarke’s quote and J. D. Salinger’s novel. Author J.F Clarke’s quote, “The bravest of individuals is one who obeys his/her conscience” can be looked upon in many ways. It also relates to J. D. Salinger’s novel Catcher in the Rye. The protagonist Holden Caulfield shows a lot of bravery during the course of the novel.
MacArthur, Douglas. “Duty, Honor, Country.” Sylvanus Thayer Award Acceptance. West Point, NY. 12 May, 1962.
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Courage. It plays a critical role in times when standing up against the entire society. That’s what many people could have done. That’s what many people did. All throughout the 1930’s to around the 1960’s, Jim Crow Racism was a major problem. However, certain people did fight back, like the famous MLK Jr., fighting for equal rights of the black people. Or in To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch fights for Tom Robinson. Fighting back against Jim Crow racism was possible if an individual had enough courage to stand against it.
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This was it, Catherine was up next to go on stage and perform a song for her whole school. She had tried to do perform many times before but her stage fright always got the best of her, but that wasn’t going to be the case today. Catherine gathered up all of her courage and went on stage nailing her performance. Without courage Catherine would have never been able to accomplish one of her largest goals. COurage is a universal attribute that can be expressed in many different ways. As seen in both To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Help by Kathryn stockett, courage is when someone persists on following through no matter how many odds are stacked against them.
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Atticus Finch was an incredible parent. He did a great job raising Jem and Scout on his own. Atticus not only taught by his example, but also gave his children direct lessons. Atticus wanted to teach his children: all people are equal, what he says is courage, and to never lose sight of goodness in the world. Atticus uses the situations they face to teach these lessons.
In the novel “Break of day,” Palmer shows the readers different themes shown with the subject’s bravery, family and death. This essay will explore that family is a powerful thing to have, that bravery is always in everyone, and that the possibility of death is always there. First theme is bravery. The definition of bravery says, “Courageous behaviour or character.” With this information, it only tells people that everyone has to be amazing or strong to be brave, this is not true.