INSIDECOSTCO
A hero’s life
Capturing the memories
of a military father
BY GARY STRAUSS
JAMES STOCKDALE is perhaps best
remembered as Ross Perot’s running mate
in the ;;;; presidential race.
However, it was a mere footnote in the
storied life of a Navy fighter pilot whose
bravery and defiant leadership of prisoners
of war (POWs) at North Vietnam’s infamous “Hanoi Hilton” over seven and a half
years earned him the Congressional Medal
of Honor.
Stockdale died in ;;;; at age ;;, and
his wife, Sybil—instrumental in raising
awareness of the torture and mistreatment
of POWs—passed away in ;;;;. Soon afterward, Costco member Taylor Stockdale, the
youngest of the couple’s four sons, began
cleaning out their Coronado, California,
home. Combing through boxes of photographs, home movies, TV interviews, letters
and personal items dating back to the couple’s childhoods was cathartic, he says.
“We knew some of the stuff that was
there, but there were lots of incredible
things I had forgotten about or hadn’t seen,
which were just amazing,” says Stockdale,
headmaster at The Webb Schools, a private
boarding school based in Southern
California.
He says he was particularly struck by
videos and photos taken the day his father
returned to the U.S. in ;;;;. “I remember
thinking I was going to hug this big man,
but when I reached around his waist, there
was nothing there—he had dropped from
his normal weight of ;;; pounds down to
;;;. He looked like a ghost. But he gave this
beautiful, poignant speech about how grate-
ful the POWs were to be home and the
meaning of faith. Later that night, in the
hospital with just the family, we tried to say
grace. Everyone was crying.”
Stockdale, ;;, decided the treasure trove
of memorabilia and personal history needed
to be preserved to bring meaning to his
father’s legacy and put his life into broader
context for family and friends. He brought
the collection to the Photo Center in his local
Costco, which offers a service through
YesVideo to digitize videotapes, film reels,
slides and photos.
YesVideo CEO Michael Chang says
many clients are downsizing or clearing out
their parents’ homes or their own, and
trying to preserve family legacies for future
generations. “What makes it so meaningful
is we’re recapturing a lot of family memo-
ries, especially for customers who don’t
necessarily have the obsolete equipment to
play tapes or films,” says Chang, who
recently digitized his own parents’ photo
albums and the film of their ;;;; wedding.
Taylor Stockdale was ; years old when
his father shipped out, and nearly ;; when
his dad and scores of other POWs were
released. “It was very strange to have this
childhood and then all of a sudden there’s
this guy telling you what to do,” he says.
The larger-than-life war hero, who suf-
fered from years of physical and psycholog-
ical torture during mostly solitary
confinement, became a loving father, gra-
cious teacher and confidant. Surprisingly,
he was never bitter toward his captors, nor
was he upset at the fallout from what some
considered an erratic performance during
the vice presidential debate, Stockdale says.
“To watch your dad, an amazing human
and hero, get hammered on the political
stage is painful,” he says. “But as painful as
that night was, it was just one moment in
his life. Seeing memories of him as a younger
guy, and how sharp and clear he was about
his experiences, I’m just glad to rediscover
his story, bring it to life and share it.” C
Gary Strauss is a freelance journalist based
in Washington, D.C.
The Stockdale family collection included
photos spanning James Stockdale’s
storied career and life.
“I’m just glad
to rediscover
his story ...”
—Taylor Stockdale
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CONNECTING
Costco’s in-warehouse Photo Centers can
digitize your photos and video on DVDs.
The service also provides free, unlimited
online viewing through a cloud-based app.
You can ;nd full details at Costco.com;
click on “Photo” and “Preserve Memories
on DVD.”
