A Pilot & a POW Cling to Faith During Crisis: Tammie Jo Shults & Carlyle “Smitty” Harris
Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith
Jesus Calling
4.6 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 7 November 2019
⏱️ 42 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
There is always light, even in the darkest times. Today’s guests faced the most unimaginable circumstances, but by clinging to faith, they survived and protected others. Southwest Airlines pilot Tammie Jo Shults saved the lives of 148 passengers when she safely landed a plane after an engine exploded mid-flight. In the middle of chaos, Tammie Jo’s conversation with God gave her peace during the crisis and helped reveal a solution to landing the plane. Retired Air Force pilot and former Vietnam POW Col. Smitty Harris spent years in prison teaching others a method of communication called the tap code, which helped boost morale and spread information among other prisoners. Smitty shares powerful stories of secret church services and moments that helped prisoners survive mentally, physically, and spiritually. Through the uncertainty of survival, Tammie Jo and Smitty realized that God will never forsake us—He will always provide a way.
Links, Products and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling weekly prayer call
Becoming an Everyday Hero: Neal McCoy & Rodney D. Bullard
Nerves of Steel (Young Readers Edition) book
Jungle Pilot Book (Nate Saint)
Tap Code: The Epic Survival Tale of a Vietnam POW and the Secret Code That Changed Everything book
Tap Code, Chapter 1 on audiobook
Interview Quotes:
“Whenever I dreamed about what I wanted to do in life, I dreamed without fences.” - Capt. Tammie Jo Shults
“There are some times when we just have to take what's not fair and and work around it.” - Capt. Tammie Jo Shults
“He asks us to pray for people that don't treat us very well, because He'll deal with them. But dealing with us, in our own heart, in that situation, is really the first step to overcoming it.” - Capt. Tammie Jo Shults
“Hope doesn't have to change our circumstances to change us.” - Tammie Jo Shults
“Our communication [with the tap code] became so fast and so good, and we were interested in so many things, between each other and trying to find out information. . . . We talked about God, religion, and how important it was, especially now. It turned out that we were all Christian.” - Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris
“We used our time [as POWs] productively. We had classes in almost anything you'd want. There would be someone in that group—it was pretty educated group, everyone had at least a Bachelor's degree and [there were] quite a few Masters.” - Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris
“The hardest part about those eight years being away from my family was just that—being away from my family.” - Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris
“And I knew, even in the darkest times, when things were at their lowest, lowest ebb, I knew I could always pray and I knew someone was listening, they could do something about it.” - Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris
________________________
Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel:
Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0
Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O
________________________
Connect with Jesus Calling
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | My definition of a hero is someone who takes the time to see and the effort to act on |
| 0:07.5 | behalf of someone else. |
| 0:09.6 | It doesn't require a title, no equipment, no superpowers, just attentive to someone beside yourself |
| 0:16.6 | and willingness to act. |
| 0:18.8 | Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. |
| 0:20.9 | Today, we celebrate two heroes who not only courageously served in the |
| 0:25.2 | United States military but acted in true valor as they placed the lies of |
| 0:29.3 | those they served above their own. Southwest Airlines pilot and retired Navy pilot |
| 0:34.4 | Captain Tammy Joe Schultz and retired Air Force pilot in former Vietnam |
| 0:39.0 | P.O.W. Colonel Carlisle Smitty Harris. |
| 0:50.3 | First up in April 2018, Captain Tammy Joe Schultz was flying Southwest Flight 1380 when the left engine of the plane exploded. |
| 0:54.2 | She safely guided the plane down with one engine and made a successful emergency landing. |
| 0:59.0 | But before that day, Tammy Joe |
| 1:03.4 | had spent years overcoming hurdles to achieve her dreams of being a pilot |
| 1:04.4 | and shares how one particular trial in her Navy years |
| 1:07.3 | may have given her the training that helped her save |
| 1:09.8 | 148 lives. |
| 1:12.3 | Well, I'm Tammy Joe Schultz. |
| 1:14.0 | I live here in Bernie, Texas. |
| 1:16.0 | I'm a wife and a mother, and I'm blessed to be in this time in history and in this country. |
| 1:24.8 | Also have had such an advantage in growing up in a wonderful home in New Mexico, cherished by my family and raised in a faith that there were |
| 1:37.4 | no second class citizens. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jesus Calling, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Jesus Calling and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.