Cmdr. Lee Hankins, former Greeneville Skipper Selected for Vice Adm. James Stockdale Leadership Award

Since 12-04-04

From NSL UPDATE 11-29-04

Former Greeneville Skipper Selected for Vice Adm. James Stockdale Leadership Award

By Chief Journalist (SW/AW) David Rush, COMSUBPAC Public Affairs, 26 Nov 04 PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS)

Cmdr. Lee Hankins, former commanding officer

(CO) of USS Greeneville (SSN 772), was announced Nov. 24 as the Pacific Fleet recipient of the Vice Adm. James Stockdale Leadership Award.

The annual award, named in honor of this legendary naval officer, recognizes two commanding officers who demonstrate superior leadership and conspicuous contributions to the improvement of Navy leadership while in command of a single ship, submarine or aircraft squadron. One each is selected from the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets.

According to Hankins, he is honored to receive the award and gives credit to his crew for their hard work. "First of all it's a huge honor. I am very grateful to my fellow commanding officers for their confidence and recognition of our ship's performance. On behalf of my entire crew I am very grateful," said Hankins.

"To receive the award named for Vice Adm. Stockdale is truly special. I hope in some small way I was able to live up to his high standards," Hankins added.

Hankins said leadership is extremely important to submarine operations. "It's probably the most important thing we can give to our crew. It's not just something we give and teach to them, but something that can transcend through the whole command."

Hankins' style of leadership incorporates communication as the key to success. "One of the most important leadership traits to perform on a daily basis is to communicate and talk to your troops," he said. "Understand them and where they're coming from, and make sure they understand the mission of the ship. And also to listen to them and know what the problems are on the deckplate level. Set the standard and be the person out front," Hankins concluded.

Rear Adm. Paul F. Sullivan, commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, said he was not surprised that Hankins was chosen for the prestigious award. "The Adm. Stockdale Leadership Award is a very special recognition for a commanding officer because to qualify you must be nominated by your fellow commanding officers. As peers, the other skippers arguably are the toughest group to impress since they too are successful leaders," said Sullivan. Sullivan noted that it was his high standard for excellence and commitment to the crew that earned Hankins the award.

"Hankins' performance as commanding officer of Greenville is a credit to Vice Adm. Stockdale's own amazing performance as a leader while being held prisoner in the POW camps of North Vietnam. Hankins excelled as a leader in the most challenging of circumstances. Showing tremendous enthusiasm, boundless determination, grace under pressure, impeccable integrity and superb professional acumen, Hankins led the return of Greeneville as one of the best performing boats in the (Pacific) fleet," said Sullivan.

"Lee and his crew blazed new trails as the first submarine to deploy in an expeditionary strike group last year and were principally responsible for the fleet introduction of the Advance Seal Delivery System (ASDS), a truly revolutionary capability, critically needed in the fight on the global war on terrorism," Sullivan concluded.

Capt. Cecil Haney, former commodore, Submarine Squadron 1, was the principal speaker at Cmdr. Hankins' recent change of command ceremony.

"The performance of USS Greeneville during Cmdr. Hankins' tour has been nothing but remarkable," said Haney. "It has been marked by top grades in both tactical and engineering readiness. Lee Hankins was handpicked by our leadership for the job as CO of Greeneville. They got it right. Lee's endless energy and exacting standards were keys to success in this demanding seagoing business."

Shot down on his second combat tour over North Vietnam, Stockdale became the highest-ranking U.S. prisoner of war in North Vietnam during the war. He was held in the infamous Hanoi Hilton prison for eight years. For his leadership and extraordinary bravery while in captivity, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Stockdale's was a career spent almost entirely at sea. Over the span of a
37-year career, his shore duty consisted of only three years as a test pilot and test pilot instructor at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., two years as a graduate student at Stanford University, one year in the Pentagon and two years as President of the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.

He had the distinction upon retirement of being the only three star flag officer in the Navy's history to wear both aviator wings and the Medal of Honor. "In order to do something," he once said, "you must be something."

Hankins is currently working on the staff of Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet as director for Intelligence and Special Operations.