Five days before he was scheduled to finish his tour in Vietnam, U.S. Navy F4 Phantom pilot Capt. Charlie Plumb was shot down on his 75th combat mission over enemy territory. He spent the next 2,103 days (almost 6 years) in an 8×8 foot cell as a Prisoner of War, tortured and beaten in the infamous Hanoi Hilton.
During nearly 6 years of captivity, Charlie shared cells with Sen. John McCain and worked as the right-hand to Admiral James Stockdale where he helped lead the resistance to their captors.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How Charlie developed his personal Code of Conduct.
- When Charlie was shot down, broken, bleeding and in immense pain that wasn’t even the bad news.
- What he learned about leadership from being tortured.
- Why the POWs had a lower rate of PTSD and stress-related issues than other veterans, and how their mindset saved their lives.
- Why a positive attitude can be dangerous to your health.
- How Charlie learned the Stoic ideas of accepting reality.
Charlie has been awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, two Purple Hearts, the Presidential Unit Citation, POW Metal , the Vietnam Service Medal and others. In 2010 he was elected into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame.
He’s also one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met and his ability to motivate anyone will leave you inspired after this episode.
Follow Charlie on Instagram @plumbtalk
You can get his book, I’m No Hero here
Charlie’s website is charlieplumb.com
The Jocko Podcast interview I reference in the episode can be found here.
If you’re interested in learning more about Stoicism, I highly recommend The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday as a great start.
This episode is sponsored by ProForce. ProForce is the largest firearms distributor on the West Coast. ProForce works with some of the largest agencies in the country to help them replace their aging firearms with modern equipment. They also have their retail locations in Brea, CA that services first responders selling everything they need to hit the streets.
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