First Statue Honoring Military Spouses Is HERE!
Learn more about the League of Wives Memorial Project
The League of Wives Memorial honors the legacy of Sybil Stockdale and the movement of wives dedicated to fighting for the humane treatment and return of American prisoners of war (POWs) and those missing from North Vietnam. Sybil, the spouse of the most senior officer held in captivity, then Commander James Stockdale, founded the League of Wives from her home in Coronado, CA, making Coronado the birthplace of the movement. This memorial will be the first public monument in the country to honor military spouses and their service to our country. The memorial was dedicated in Star Park, Coronado, California on June 21st, 2024.
“When Jack was first shut down, we were told, ‘No, don't talk to the press. It might endanger your husband in prison camps.’,” shared POW spouse and San Diego area resident Kathy Ensch whose husband Navy Captain Jack Ensch spent a year as a POW after his F-4 Phantom what shot down over Vietnam. “At the time, the country was divided. There was protesting going on in the street. There were people who, who hated the war. They wanted out of the war; too many people had died; too many people have been injured…These ladies brought to the attention of the American public what was going on with those POWs and that made all the difference in the world. And that's why I think the POWs came home…If those ladies hadn't done that, I'm not sure Jack could be home. So, I think that's huge is what they did for me.”
“It is my great honor to recognize these ‘foremothers’ of military family advocacy. Though they did not set out to transform the role of the military spouse on a broad level, their brave actions left the military families who followed in their footsteps a powerful legacy, "said the League of Wives Memorial Project (LWMP) Co-Chair Christina Bagaglio Slentz, Navy veteran and spouse.
“While the League’s efforts were honored by then-President Nixon, our nation doesn’t really know much about them, or military spouses in general,” said Jennifer Barnhill, military.com columnist, Navy spouse and LWMP Steering Committee member. “This statue not only helps fill in a missing piece of our nation’s history, it helps connect the American public to the type of work modern military spouses are still doing behind the scenes.”
What Was the League of Wives?
“We beg of you to hear our call—May Day! May Day! Do not turn your back on the hundreds of mothers who want their sons returned, do not ignore the children who cry out for the love and guidance of their fathers and the hundreds of wives who have grieved for years, some for husbands who will never return! Hear our distress and the cry from within the walls of the prison camps—May Day! May Day!!! HELP. PLEASE HELP.”
--Louise Mulligan, League Member, 1970
In a void of public awareness and seeming lack of political attention to the circumstances of prisoners of war and the missing in Vietnam, The League of Wives bravely stepped out of their era’s traditionally passive role as military spouses to demand the humane treatment of their POW/MIA husbands and to press the US government for action. Eventually becoming the National League of Families of Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, their actions ultimately influenced a reduction in prisoner torture and contributed to the safe return of 591 Service Members.
These actions forever transformed the role of the military spouse, giving a voice to military families that remain critical to the well-being and readiness of our Armed Services today.
The League of Wives encompassed all Services, all ranks, various ethnicities, and eventually all aspects of family well before these inclusive norms were expected. Similarly, they reached across military, civilian, and political divides to accomplish their objective at one of the most polarized moments in U.S. history. In hindsight, it’s clear their example established a legacy framework by which future military spouses would organize.
The Statue
“My husband was shot down so much later in the war, so, by the time I became involved, they'd already accomplished a great deal,” said Kathy Ensch. “I admired them… [this statue] represents the fact that the military family and the military spouse serve too. They’re part of the whole military experience. So that's what I really, really liked about the whole idea [of creating the memorial] was the spouses were finally getting some recognition.”
The 360-degree, life-sized memorial consists of a bronze sculpture, featuring four female figures, one of which is the likeness of Mrs. Stockdale. The other women are unidentifiable, representing the national movement. The women are stepping forward on an upward slope, signifying their uphill battle. A space at the rear, where one can stand to read the League history, is intentionally left open, inviting current and future military spouses join the ladies, seeing themselves as a continuation of this powerful story.
Shortly after incorporating, the Memorial Project began hosting luncheons with the original League of Wives ladies in the San Diego area. It’s been our genuine pleasure and greatest honor to get to know them personally.
About the League of Wives Memorial Project
I was honored to serve on the steering committee for The League of Wives Memorial Project, an organization dedicated to telling the story of these Vietnam POW/MIA military spouses through the establishment of a memorial in Coronado, California, the birthplace of The League of Wives and home to their founder, Sybil Stockdale.
The LWMP is an all-volunteer organization of predominantly military spouses, many of whom are also veterans. The Project team also includes historian and author, Heath Hardage Lee, who published the book, The League of Wives in 2019, revitalizing interest in the story. Sid and Taylor Stockdale, sons of Sybil and Admiral Jim Stockdale serve as honorary chairs. The LWMP was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 2021. The project designed the memorial in close collaboration with artists Christopher Slatoff and Elisabeth Frederickson Pollnow, drawing upon original League of Wives members and POW community input. In July of 2022, the LWMP gained approval from the City of Coronado to make this donation of public art and began raising the funds to cover the costs, eventually coming to a grand total of more than $400,000.
