Thursday, October 30, 2008

History Trivia

Good Morning.

I asked a trivia question in "My Chat" room (the comment) section of my post that did not receive an answer.
I did some research on the individual I asked about and learned some interesting facts.
My question was/is who is known for asking the following question?

Who Am I?
Why Am I Here?

For some reason, I occasionally remember the speech he made asking those questions and I am wondering if anyone else remembers is. It wasn't that long ago....early 1990's. I won't give the date because that would give away who he is.

(1923-2005)
He was one of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the United States Navy.
He was a POW in Vietnam for 7 years.
Four of those years he was kept in solitary confinement.
When the enemy tried to use him as propaganda, he slit his scalp with a razor so that they couldn't.
They put a hat on him so he beat himself with a stool until his face was swollen beyond recognition.
He refused to capitulate.
When he finally returned to the United States he had been tortured, beaten, his shoulders wrenched from their sockets, his leg shattered and his back broken.
He received 26 personal combat decorations.
He is known for saying "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 that may be."
He was known for his articulate frankness.
he was the author of a number of books.
He became president of the Citadel, The military college of South Carolina.
In the early 1990's he was asked to fill a certain spot TEMPORARILY, and therefore had to make a speech with very little time to prepare.

The following places and things have been named after him and/or in his honor:
Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.
A main gate at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California.
The headquarters building for The Pacific Fleets Survival.
Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) School at Naval Air Station ( NAS ) North Island.
The USS (his name here).
A statue at the entrance of the Luce Hall Naval Academy.
A luxury suite at the Loews Annapolis Hotel.

He passed away in 2005 from Alzheimer's and is buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery.

He is known by millions only as a fumbling and senile old man who began a very important speech, that he had been given close to no time to prepare for, with the questions "Who Am I? Why Am I Here?

That is a shame. He was obviously SO MUCH MORE.

43 comments:

My ADHD Me said...

Sue J- I KNEW you would be the first to get it...even without all the extra info!

On Purpose said...

I love to learn...which is what I am doing here on your blog today. However I am SO NOT a trivia genius...I am sitting anxiously awaiting the answer...oh hey I could google to get the answer...I will go try that!

On Purpose said...

I got it...okay so no one else has to celebrate with me...I feel pretty cool all on my own...hehe! This was a great way to start my morning! Thanks for the lesson! Oh and not to mention "his" question...might be a good start to my session I am currently working on...hey so visiting your blog today was WAY COOL...hey go put your feet up, take a sip of something yummy and know you have done your good deed for the day!

I love you my friend!

Anonymous said...

I'm stumped. I even Googled the former presidents of The Citadel and not one rings a bell. So do tell.

My ADHD Me said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
My ADHD Me said...

I just left a comment and told you all where to find the answer, but I deleted it. I'll wait until later.

Edie said...

I read Sue J's answer before I came in the new chat room so I won't say who it is. I know now but didn't do the leg work. :)

Heaven said...

I know too, but for the same reason as Edie, and I definitely didn't do the leg work because my legs aren't hurting today so I know I didn't otherwise my legs would be hurting from very-un-used muscles but I found that trivia question very fascinating and ADHDme should submit that question to a Trivia game or better yet you should make up your own since you're not making much money on the chat room you invented or the album cover that you were so close yet so far away from and I really have to read that "napkin" thing because it's been mentioned twice now and I can't truly fit in until I know that "inside" information and it's really been bugging me about the name of your blog and exactly why are monkeys funny???

The Equipped Life said...

I googled it. How sad...that really upset me.

Kelly said...

God's girl - read the Dilbert comic strip at the top of the header..."losing focus...monkeys are funny."

When ADHD loses focus, WAY BEFORE BLOGGING, she & I would always say "monkeys are funny." It was a "private joke" for years. When she started blogging, and couldn't keep focused on topic...well those monkeys were still funny.

You MUST watch the Napkin video. But be warned, you will be singing it the rest of the day. It's so worth it.

As for the trivia question (did you think I'd ever to that!) - I had no idea who it was either. So I went to the last post and read Sue's answer. :D (yes, I know cheaters never win.) But I don't think I would have ever known.

Sue J. said...

What may be most sad of all is that even after reading all that stuff, I didn't remember the man. And, yes, who the man was is forever lost in satire.

And candidates are now "forced" to make 30-minute informercials about themselves to reach the public and combat the twists and turns of the media. Although we are told, too, that such infomercials are an expenditure made in futility; using the media to combat the media, all in all pulling us further from the reality.

Is it any wonder we have problems in America?! This man of honor profiled here--what a statement about faith and struggle; what an encouragement.....

Perhaps, ADHDMe, you have a 2nd blog's worth of material to launch--faithful Americans lost under the pile of the country's "rubble."

My ADHD Me said...

Sue J.- You are so right. Even when I wrote the question yesterday I had no idea of the history and courage of that man. I was just going to tell the answer but when I did the research and saw what he had done with his life I knew I had to share it.

Barb-Me too.

My ADHD Me said...

Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale
(Dec 23,1923 - July 5, 2005)

Most people remember him as the man that Independent Presidential Hopeful Ross Perot chose to run as his Vice President in the 1992 President Election.

But now we all know...he was so much more.

Heaven said...

Ok, I get the monkey thing now:) I wish I could chime in on this guy, but I don't remember him, and the only thing I remember about Perot is his big ears (sorry). Even with politics today, I just go with the morals closest to God's. I didn't know you could Google a question. I am so lame when it comes to computers. Anyway, I am enjoying the interactions regarding Mr. Stockdale even though I can't contribute. Have a great and blessed day!

Heaven said...

Hi, there doesn't seem to be many comments on here.

Anonymous said...

I wanted to help you out with the comments.

Anonymous said...

So I thought I'd post a few more for you.

Anonymous said...

Does everyone have a life besides me???

Anonymous said...

I really am bored.

Heaven said...

Can you tell???

Anonymous said...

I really should do this on my blogs, but it wouldn't be the same, and I don't think anyone would get it.

Heaven said...

Yeah, I just have to be content that this is my secret life, posting anonymous comments on this blog "chat room" which really aren't anonymous because I'm not very good at pretending. Okay, I suppose I will go get a napkin (I guess I can't use that unless I go back to that link, so I'm going to go do that)

Edie said...

Sue J - That infomercial thing just blows me away! I won't even say all the stuff that comes to mind cause most of it isn't pretty! Not at all!

Kelly said...

I think G.G. has multiple personalities!! LOL!

Heaven said...

Nah, just a vibrant (maybe unstable???) personality. :)

My ADHD Me said...

G.G.- It's the ADHD conspiracy. You have been drawn into the web and there is no escape....somehow, I feel the tendencies were already there just waiting for the right time to come out.
This is the perfect blog for that. You can be yourself, even if that self is a little bit crazy..or maybe it is your other self that is crazy and the self I am talking to now is completely normal and knows nothing of the crazy self.
Hhhmm, that's something to ponder.
Looks like you had a long day...boring perhaps?
I got to spend the day talking to guidance councelors, teachers and then a doc appointment for my 12 year old.
Yep, then to top it off and we went to get a Halloween costume...nothing like waiting until the last minute. i got to see my 12 year old ALMOST have a meltdown because there were too many choices. I told him that if he had a melt down, I would too and it would be very embarrassing. then he pulled it together.
just another manic Thursday...

My ADHD Me said...

G.G.- On a final note...at least for now..I really don't think monkey's are all that funny. You can read about that in my first blog. It's just one day Chatty kelly found that comic strip at the top of this page and it pretty much had me pegged.

Be careful, this blogging this can be addictive!! I know. believe me, I know!

My ADHD Me said...

OK, God's Girl, this is my final comment to you tonight. Regarding the voting thing. It is very easy. You go into the booth, mark the republican ballet and POOF you are on your way to saving America!

Heaven said...

Amen to the Republican thing! Yes, I am noticing that those tendencies to blab were already there, and I can totally see getting addicted to blogging, so if I disappear for a couple days, it's because I am either lying next to my computer out of air from "talking" so much or most likely, I had to shut my computer off and compose a little self-control:) Monkeys really are funny. Have you seen them at a zoo? That's our favorite part is to look at the funny monkeys. I like monkeys..........going to bed now......zzzzzzzz

Edie said...

Hi ADHD-Jo! Now that you've already been to my blog this morning, the RQ is up. I just know you were waiting for that so you could write about it. I'm sure you must be having withdrawls after a full day of no computing! :P

The Equipped Life said...

I wonder which question she'll choose to respond to this week...?..

Karen Hossink said...

Wow, this has turned into quite a conversation!
Thanks for all the leg-work, ADHD, to help us learn about a great man.

Heaven said...

Ms. ADHD, I just realized you commented on one of my posts a couple days ago. I don't know how I could have missed it because you left two of them. I used to not have people do the "letter thing"- whatever they call it, but then I was getting spam things on my comments, so I know I just make you do more work, but what's a girl to do???

I haveta' do the "letter thingy" for my comments so I don't get spam and I don't like the taste of spam because it is too slimy and tastes too icky.

Heaven said...

I changed my mind (go figure!) and disabled the "word thingy", so now you can comment without being any more confused than you have to:)

Kelly said...

ADHD-Jo - "I got the power" - you are causing women to disable their spam filters! What is next? The world! Doesn't she know you are a secret operative from the SPAM agency and now she will be bombarded with ads.

S.P.A.M. - Some People Appreciate Monkeys...(when they are funny).

Kelly said...

35 comments...is that a record?

My ADHD Me said...

I think it's time for a new post. Have been trying the random question. Have started, deleted, started, deleted etc. So far I have the title. RANDOM QUESTION.

My ADHD Me said...

AND, I am SO far behind in reading my fellow blogger's blogs.
I have been "blogged" down with a headache today. :(

Kelly said...

Booo - sorry about the headache - that is a bummer. Hang in there!

The random question is a hard one. Don't feel bad if you can't come up with something. You can do random, instead of random question. :D

Heaven said...

CK, thanks for redefining spam. I now feel better about disabling my word verification...just for ADHDme (AND everyone else) (thought I would clarify so that no one else felt left out)

ADHD-Sorry about the headache. That does not make a day very fun.

ADHD- I am going to get serious on you for a moment, so prepare and get ready for a sentiment...ok, I know this is hard, but let's just focus for a minute, K? (Maybe 2 minutes, but no longer, I promise) :)

Serious moment coming...
...1...2...3...set... go...
...o-kay, it's here...

*SERIOUS* (narrarator's voice gets a serious tone, with a very sincere expression on her face as she begins to speak -write-)

I have to tell you how much I truly, truly, truly enjoy your blog/"chat room". I really believe God has given you a sense of humor to not only get through some of the issues in your own life, but to bless others. There is something so freeing about coming here and acting totally silly and weird. I am able to give my mind and heart a break from being so serious, and just be "loopy". I find the "Joy of the Lord" when I come to your blog. I encounter a group of women who don't have to be grown and serious adults, at least for the time they are here.

God has given you a gift of humor to lighten the load of your own burdens, and to make His children laugh in the midst of their storms. That, my friend, is "creating joy" in the lives of others. One day, when you get to heaven, (not me silly) (oops, I lost the serious moment for a second, sorry), God will say "well done, my good and faithful servant!"

*I also feel like I am supposed to tell you that your tears are beautiful and they don't make you weak. (Hope that means something, because I am going to sound really dumb if they don't)

O-kay, serious moment done! Whew!

Signing off...Heaven...named by parents who weren't hippies...

Edie said...

I'm sorry you have a headache too. Don't stress over the RQ either like CK said. That is not the purpose. The purpose really is to focus thoughts and direct questions to Him.

And what Heaven said is what everyone can see in you and why we all like to hang out in the chat room.

Kelly said...

Awww - I don't even feel jealous. (well, okay that's a lie). Seriously, that is just the nicest thing ever.

Now that GG has seen inside you, I have no doubt that you will now block her from your blog. LOL.

Hope you are feeling better today.

My ADHD Me said...

God's Girl-Thank you. That is nice and way close to home. Except for the tears part. Everyone knows monkeys don't cry. (JK)
I won't even block you for "seeing" me.

Headache a little better today.

CK & Edie- Random Question? What Random Question?