
Capt. Gerald Coffee
Former Vietnam POW
Captain Gerald Coffee is an inspiring example of the power of the human spirit to survive and triumph over the most adverse circumstances. As a Navy pilot flying reconnaissance missions over North Vietnam, his plane was downed by enemy fire. He parachuted safely but was captured immediately. For the next seven years he was a POW in the communist prisons of Hanoi. Named one of America's ten most-requested speakers, Coffee shows how to turn difficult and potentially devastating experiences into opportunities for personal growth and triumph.
Captain Gerald Coffee is an inspiring example of the power of the human spirit to survive and triumph over the most adverse circumstances. As a Navy pilot flying reconnaissance missions over North Vietnam, his plane was downed by enemy fire. He parachuted safely but was captured immediately. For the next seven years he was a POW in the Communist prisons of Hanoi. Named one of America's ten most-requested speakers, Coffee shows how to turn difficult and potentially devastating experiences into opportunities for personal growth and triumph.
His military decorations include the Silver Star, two Awards of the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Bronze Stars, the Air Medal, two Purple Hearts, and the Vietnam Service Medal with 13 stars. He is the recipient of the George Washington Honor Medal presented by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, and the National Speakers Association's highest award for excellence in speaking. He is a highly respected observer and commentator on current political, economic and social issues who sees most problems in terms of opportunities yet to be seized by heroic leadership yet to emerge.
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Beyond Survival
In sharing the insights derived from seven years as a P.O.W. in North Vietnam as well as his unique life experience since, Captain Gerald Coffee plants the seed of hope that each of us can go beyond mere survival to emerge from our pain and adversity better, tougher, and more capable than we would have been otherwise. In his timeless and uplifting presentation, he focuses upon leadership under stress, change and uncertainty, teamwork and loyalty to the organization, and communication; all personalized with inspiration and humor to the goals of any meeting. His is not a story of Vietnam, but a story of human survival, a reaffirmation of the invincibility of the human spirit.
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Your message is not only for the moment, but for the long haul.
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January 2005Beyond Survival: Building on the Hard Times - A POW's Inspiring Story
An inspirational book about the spirit of men under extreme duress in a North Vietnamese prison.
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