CDR Stockebrand's interest in flight began at the age of 10 when a barnstormer landed a biplane in his uncle's pasture in Yates Center, Kansas. By the age of 20 he had joined the Civilian Pilot Training Program, received his private license, and graduated from John Brown University with a degree in Radio Engineering. In less than one more year he would become the Radar Officer for VF(N)-76 at Quonset Point, RI. His aptitude in the new fields of radio and radar, his love of flight, and his ability to learn quickly, served our country well throughout the Pacific Campaign in World War II (WWII).

His Naval career began as a USNR-AVRS. His squadron of night fighters was summoned to the west coast in January of 1943. Under the much loved command of Admiral 'Jaco' Clark he served on both the Yorktown (CV 10) and the Hornet (CV 12). The four night fighter pilots with him on the Yorktown were Johnny Deere, Buck Dungan, Tom Cunningham, and Russ Reiserer. When a crash landing left them with only 3 night fighter aircraft Admiral Clark asked LT Stockebrand how long it would take to convert a S6F-5 day fighter into a night fighter. He replied...."at Pearl Harbor, 2 weeks." Admiral Clark replied back...."You have every man on the ship and 72 hours." Working around the clock, he and the crew completed the conversion just as Task Force 58.2 arrived at Truk.

CDR Stockebrand went on to Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, MD, become Project Engineer for the Regulus Missile, the Avionics Officer for the Bureau of Weapons in D.C., and Electronics Officer for the Range Development Department of the Naval Missile Center, Pt. Mugu, CA.

He retired in 1969 and continued flying small planes well into his eighties.