Nation & World

<< Previous   of   Next >> Associated Press  (click to enlarge) Streamers are released after the christening of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS James Stockdale on Saturday at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Sunday, May 11, 2008 Destroyer christened in former POW's honor Associated Press BATH, Maine -- The Navy's newest guided missile destroyer was christened Saturday with the name of a fighter pilot who spent 7 1/2 years in captivity in North Vietnam, received the Medal of Honor and served as presidential candidate Ross Perot's running mate. Four Medal of Honor recipients and seven former prisoners of war attended the ceremony at Bath Iron Works that marked a milestone in construction of the 9,200-ton ship named for Vice Adm. James Stockdale. Stockdale's widow, Sybil, let loose a champagne bottle propelled by rope that swung across the Stockdale's bow. On the second try, the bottle exploded, the band broke into "Anchors Aweigh" and red, white and blue streamers filled the air. Stockdale, who died nearly three years ago at age 81, flew 201 carrier-based missions before being shot down in 1965, becoming the highest-ranking naval officer captured during the war. His endurance under torture and years of solitary confinement during his captivity in Hanoi became the stuff of legend. After his release in 1973, he received 26 combat decorations, including the Medal of Honor. The Stockdale, the 56th destroyer of the Arleigh Burke class and the 30th to be built at Bath, is scheduled to undergo sea trials in September and be delivered to the Navy a month later. It will sail early next year to its home port of San Diego, not far from where its namesake had retired. The shipyard is in line to build four additional Burke vessels before it completes the transition to the new DDG-1000 Zumwalt class, a larger, stealthier destroyer whose prototype is expected to be delivered in 2014. Sybil Stockdale, who founded an organization to draw the public's attention to the plight of American POWs in Southeast Asia, was accompanied at the ceremony by the couple's four sons. Although James Stockdale is perhaps best known for his 1992 run as Perot's vice presidential nominee, the family remembers the campaign as a minor footnote to a distinguished military and academic career. A far more significant aspect of Stockdale's life was his study of the philosophy of Stoicism, particularly the writings of the Roman scholar Epictetus, said Stockdale's son, Sidney. The philosophy, which emphasizes the value of fortitude and self-control, served Stockdale well by giving him strength during his years in captivity, his son said.

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