James Stockdale: POW who knew the power of facing 'brutal facts'

Eight presidential contests ago, when another upstart businessman was making a run at the White House, America was briefly introduced to James Stockdale. He did not make a good impression.

Stockdale was an old friend of independent candidate Ross Perot, who asked him to be his running mate. Stockdale obliged and then was more or less left on his own. He didn't know he was going to be at the vice presidential debate until a week beforehand; he and Perot never had a conversation to talk about their political positions.

Stockdale began the debate with a pair of rhetorical questions: "Who am I? Why am I here?" Unfortunately, he never got the chance to answer them to anyone's satisfaction. The proto-viral moment became a joke about a befuddled old man thrust onto the national stage. At one point, Stockdale missed a question because his hearing aid wasn't turned up.

Who was Stockdale? It's a sad irony that he had a background far more compelling than that of his opponents, Dan Quayle and Al Gore. A Navy vice admiral and fighter pilot, Stockdale was shot down over North Vietnam in 1965; he subsequently spent more than seven years in the notorious Hoa Lo Prison, otherwise known as the "Hanoi Hilton."

As the highest-ranking naval POW, Stockdale created a code of conduct for his fellow prisoners, summarized by the acronym BACK US: don't Bow, stay off the Air, admit no Crimes, never Kiss them goodbye, and Unity over Self. By helping the prisoners summon the will to resist aiding the enemy under torture, it also had the effect of boosting their morale by giving them a sense of dignity and purpose.

Perhaps nobody was more scrupulous about adhering to the code than Stockdale himself, who spent extended periods of time in solitary confinement and in leg irons, while enduring beatings, malnourishment, and the denial of medical care. When his captors informed him that he was to make an appearance on television as an example of how well the POWs were being treated, Stockdale beat himself in the face with a stool and slashed his scalp with a razor.

We all know the importance of keeping a positive attitude in a crisis. But optimism can destroy you as well. In an interview with writer Jim Collins, Stockdale noted that the first of his fellow prisoners to break were the optimists — those who persisted in believing their rescue was imminent, until they suffered one disappointment too many. Nor did those who succumbed to total despair survive.

The key, according to Stockdale, was to find a middle way: "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.”

Some brutal facts we might confront, based on the last few years: Our leaders don't have our best interests at heart; our media seeks to inflame rather than inform; and our national institutions are increasingly dysfunctional.

In other words, help is not on the way. This would seem vital to remember, especially during this presidential election season. A Trump victory is indeed the best outcome we can hope for, but we should also be prepared for defeat. We should do what we can to support a victory without dissipating our energy on what's beyond our control.

That energy is better spent strengthening ourselves, our families, and our communities. Ultimately, the truest answers to the two questions Stockdale posed so long ago will always be found closest to home.