Navy Professional Reading Program "2.0" Previewed Aboard PCU Stockdale
By Lt. j.g. Jeffrey White, Pre-Commissioning Unit Stockdale Public Affairs
BATH, Maine (NNS) – A week after returning from its initial sea trials, Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Stockdale's (DDG 106) crew received the updated version of the Navy Professional Reading Program (NPRP) book collection Sept. 25.
While NPRP will officially roll out version "2.0" in October, Stockdale was selected to receive an advanced preview, bringing the program to one of the Navy's newest ships.
First introduced to the fleet in October 2006 aboard the Navy's oldest ship, USS Constitution, NPRP has reached thousands of Sailors and officers in the fleet and ashore, encouraging a lifelong habit of reading and learning.
The second version of the program changes five books, all selected by the Chief of Naval Operations, within the collection. These updates to the program reflect the changing world and growing challenges the United States faces.
Professor John Jackson, the NPRP program manager, based at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., presented the updated collection to prospective Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Fred Kacher. Dr. Jim Stockdale, Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale's oldest son, also attended the ceremony.
"Today, we have the honor to be the first ship to receive this newest edition of a collection of books that celebrate the values and history of the greatest Navy of the world," said Kacher.
"Admiral Stockdale's study of philosophy, political systems and world events - all topics touched on in this collection - better enabled him to resist and outsmart his captors and most importantly lead the other POWs during his seven-and-a-half-year imprisonment."
One of the Navy's most decorated officers, Stockdale was awarded the Medal of Honor and four Silver Stars for his heroic leadership and resistance as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Stockdale relied on the principles he learned as a student of classic literature for strength and endurance during the toughest periods of his captivity in Vietnam.
These teachings, along with his fearless leadership and unwavering courage, allowed Stockdale and many American prisoners of war to return home safely in 1973. During following assignments and ultimately as president of the Naval War College, Stockdale was able to expound on these teachings and continue his successful literary career as a scholar and orator.
"Two Souls Indivisible," one of the books in the program, is the story of two prisoners of war in Vietnam, one a white southern naval aviator and the other a black Air Force officer, held at the same prisoner of war camp, where Stockdale was the senior officer. In a letter read to the crew during the NPRP presentation, that southern naval aviator, Porter Halyburton, described how Stockdale inspired them throughout their ordeal.
"Our purpose this morning was two fold: to present the newest additions to the Navy Professional Reading Program and also to recognize the unique bond that links Admiral Stockdale's namesake ship to the oldest war college in the world," said Jackson. "The subjects discussed in these books, heritage, leadership, war fighting and critical thinking are interwoven into the curricula of the Naval War College."
With this collection of books now aboard Stockdale, the crew has a reference library that aligns with six areas of importance for the naval professional: leadership, naval and military heritage, joint and combined warfare, regional and cultural awareness, critical thinking, and management and strategic planning.
"I look forward to reading 'Two Souls Indivisible,'" said Ship's Serviceman Seaman Gerson Pimentel. "It is an inspiring story that will give me an interesting perspective from some great Navy heroes and hopefully help me in my career."
For more information about the Navy Professional Reading Program, visit www.navyreading.navy.mil.
PCU Stockdale is under construction at Bath Iron Works, will be commissioned in the spring of 2009 and homeported in San Diego.
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