John McCain: Prisoner of War | Greater than Himself | 4
Against The Odds
Audible
4.7 • 7.9K Ratings
🗓️ 18 May 2021
⏱️ 41 minutes
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Summary
After five years in captivity, John McCain and his fellow POWs try to keep their spirits up by finding new ways to hold on. When news comes that the war will soon be over, he must figure out what learnings he wants to bring back to his future life.
For more reading, we recommend Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton: Six Characteristics of High-Performance Teams by Taylor Baldwin Kiland.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, Prime members, you can listen to Against the Odds ad-free on Amazon Music. |
| 0:05.1 | Download the app today. |
| 0:07.2 | This episode of Against the Odds contains explicit language and depictions of violence. |
| 0:12.0 | Please be advised. |
| 0:13.0 | It's late December, 1969, an American prisoner of war John McCain's opening up a present. |
| 0:26.4 | It's a small one, actually sent months ago, but it's John's most precious possession. |
| 0:32.3 | John's been at the infamous brutal prison, dubbed the Hanoi Hilton, for just over two years. |
| 0:37.6 | And all that time, he's only received three letters from his wife, Carol. |
| 0:41.9 | He's sure she sent more, but he also knows that guards don't pass anything along. |
| 0:46.8 | So when a guard appeared at his tiny concrete cell with a small tin, John was confused. |
| 0:52.0 | It must be a trap. |
| 0:53.5 | He opened it immediately and found inside a bottle of vitamins, handkerchiefs, a few cans |
| 0:58.1 | of vitamin-rich baby formula, and a tin of candy. |
| 1:01.3 | God, he loves his wife. |
| 1:03.4 | John threw up the baby formula almost immediately. |
| 1:05.9 | His immune system was still very weak. |
| 1:08.0 | The vitamins were okay, but what got John most excited was the candy. |
| 1:12.2 | He decided to rash them out, one a day. |
| 1:15.5 | John's never had a huge sweet tooth, but these chocolate and vanilla candies are the best |
| 1:19.2 | thing he's ever tasted. |
| 1:21.0 | He pops one in his mouth and he closes his eyes. |
| 1:24.2 | He savers the flavor. |
... |
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