12 Years Strong

21 May 2021 USS Stockdale (DDG 106) “returned with honor” to Port Hueneme, California to celebrate its 12th commissioning anniversary, April 18. The ship was in Port Hueneme 12 years prior, on the same day, on the same pier, that Stockdale was commissioned.

To celebrate this unique occasion, Stockdale held a formal ceremony on the pier. In attendance were Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale’s youngest son, Taylor Stockdale. Representatives from the Santa Barbara Navy League who attended the commissioning ceremony 12 years prior also attended.

Stockdale’s crew assembled in their dress white uniforms and listened as Master of Ceremonies Lt. j.g.  Briana Schmidt led the event.
“Stockdale’s crews –from commissioning to present – have endeavored greatly to maintain combat readiness and global presence,”  said Schmidt. “Through four deployments and many arduous assignments, Stockdale has provided the nation with premier combat naval power. On the eve of Stockdale’s fifth deployment, we wish to commemorate the ship’s many achievements over the past 12 years,”

Stockdale’s Commanding Officer Cmdr. Brandon Booher also gave remarks, reflecting on events of the past year.

“I chose to serve aboard USS Stockdale because I wanted a ship with a namesake that is still relevant today,” said Booher. “Little did I know that Adm. Stockdale’s name would be back in the spotlight again in 2020, a year plagued by the endless nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. The author Jim Collins once interviewed Adm. Stockdale for his 2001 book, ‘Good to Great.’  When he asked Adm. Stockdale, ‘How on earth did you deal with the endless nature of [the prison camp]... the fact that you didn’t know the end of the story?’  Adm. Stockdale replied with what we now know as The Stockdale Paradox, ’You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.’ In other words, to hold a relentless faith in a successful outcome while acknowledging your current situation, no matter how tough. That wisdom certainly seems relevant right about now.”  

Vice Adm. Stockdale was a prisoner during the Vietnam War in Hoa Lo Prison – the infamous “Hanoi Hilton.” He spent seven and a half years under brutal conditions. The most senior officer captured in Vietnam, Stockdale took charge and led the captives in active resistance while refusing to comply with their captors. In 1976, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism.
 
Stockdale’s crew takes great pride in the ship’s namesake and was excited for the opportunity to celebrate the ship’s legacy. Stockdale’s legacy is built on the principle of “unity over self.”