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WASHINGTON - The 38th annual Vice Adm. James Bond Stockdale Leadership Award ceremony was held Nov. 14, in the Pentagon Hall of Heroes.
Cmdr. Michael T. Lisa, the Pacific Fleet recipient and Cmdr. Allen M. Siegrist, the Fleet Forces recipient, received this year’s award.
The two recipients were nominated by their peers, who were also eligible for the award, and chosen from among seven finalists.
The award is presented annually to two commissioned officers on active duty in the grade of commander or below who are serving in command of a single unit, and who serve as examples of excellence in leadership and conspicuous contribution to the improvement of leadership in the Navy.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson was the guest speaker at the ceremony and presented the awards to the winners. Richardson received the award in 2001.
"The fact that this award is peer nominated, the fact that this award is named after Admiral Stockdale - who embodies so much of a fully dimensional leader - a scholar, a leader, and then the fact that this symbolizes and recognizes a family approach to leadership, I think for those three reasons this award communicates just about everything we value as a Navy," said Richardson.
Lisa is the former commanding officer of the Black Ravens of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 135. Lisa attributed his selection for the award to a summation of team accomplishments, which he said were comprised of three components.
“I attest that the secret ingredient to our success as a Black Raven team are the result of three things,” said Lisa. “One – family, two – faith, three – fulfilment.”
Siegrist is the former commanding officer of USS James E. Williams (DDG 95).
“For me this award is more about other people...the leadership that I’ve worked for, the Sailors that I’ve served as commanding officer – that’s a big part of it, and then of course family and friends,” said Siegrist.
Vice Adm. James Bond Stockdale, for whom the Stockdale Award is named, articulated five roles for a leader -- moralist, jurist, teacher, steward and philosopher.
A Naval Academy graduate and pilot, Stockdale ejected from his A-4E Skyhawk over North Vietnam in September 1965 and was held prisoner until February 1973. He received the Medal of Honor in 1976 and served as president of the Naval War College from October 1977 until August 1979.
He died in 2005 and is buried at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He is survived by his three sons and eight grandchildren.