How Purpose Helped Captain Plumb Survive as a POW (ep. 374)
Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary
John O'Leary
4.9 • 672 Ratings
🗓️ 8 July 2021
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Former Navy fighter pilot Captain Charlie Plumb is a testament to the strength of the human spirit.
Scheduled to be his 75th and final mission in Vietnam, Charlie's F-4 Phantom Jet was shot down + captured. He'd spend the next 2,103 days isolated + tortured in North Vietnamese Prisoner of War camps.
Four years ago I had the honor of having Charlie on the show + during our conversation, he deeply moved me when he attributed his survival to his faith and ability to forgive.
Today, I’m sharing a fresh cut of this episode with you because the lessons within it have never been more relevant:
- Purpose provides the strength to endure the unthinkable
- Appreciating the value of challenge
No matter how your 2021 has looked so far, Charlie’s story will remind you that the best is yet to come.
SHOW NOTES:
- “Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'.” ― Man's Search for Meaning
- The POWs held captive the longest came back with a lower rate of PTSD because great leadership unified us under a mission statement: Return with honor.
- Charlie mentions past guest Michaela Haas and how we can actually cultivate resilience through post traumatic grown. Learn more on Live Inspired Podcast ep. 4 here.
- Against therapists advice, Charlie was never bitter about his first wife filing for divorce without his knowledge and instead chose to appreciate how it fueled his hope to survive.
- Captain Charlie Plumb's advice for those who feel imprisoned:
- Look at the value of challenge. Adversity is a horrible thing to waste.
- Take a risk + get outside your comfort zone.
- Build a community of support.
My conversation with Captain Charlie Plumb first aired in May 2017. Listen to that here.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | At Keeley companies, culture sets them apart. |
| 0:04.0 | They are dedicated to the safety, the well-being, and the career growth of every employee, |
| 0:09.0 | which they refer to affectionately as the Keeleans. |
| 0:12.0 | Recently, they launched a new cultural pillar called Keeley One, focusing on diversity and inclusion. |
| 0:19.0 | Senior project manager Henry Isaac says that understanding everyone is unique and different is |
| 0:25.7 | critical. |
| 0:26.8 | We have to recognize our individual differences and that everyone deserves to be included and have |
| 0:32.6 | their voice heard. |
| 0:34.6 | For Keely, this focus on diversity and inclusion has been a huge morale booster. It makes |
| 0:40.4 | people more excited to come into work, which correlates to greater retention and enhances their |
| 0:46.5 | overall culture. Now, when establishing your culture of diversity and inclusion, Henry has some |
| 0:53.1 | great advice for us. Have an open mind and be willing |
| 0:57.8 | to step out of our comfort zone. That's number one. Number two, take the time to truly learn, |
| 1:03.3 | to seek wisdom around different cultures, different races and different religions. Do the work, |
| 1:08.5 | in other words. And then thirdly, reach out to someone |
| 1:11.8 | different from you and be intentional in having an open and honest conversation with them. |
| 1:17.8 | End the sentences with question marks. It's great advice from Henry. And I want to thank my friends |
| 1:23.7 | from Keeley Companies for being proud sponsors, partners, and super fans of the |
| 1:29.2 | Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary. Welcome to the Live Inspired podcast with John O'Leary. |
| 1:37.6 | John is the number one national bestselling author of the book On Fire. He's a world-class |
| 1:42.7 | inspirational speaker and he's the host of the |
| 1:45.1 | Live-inspired podcast. John interviews extraordinary individuals on their life story so that you can |
... |
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