Captain Gerald Coffee

One of the longest held POW's in the communist prisons of Vietnam, Coffee's is not a story of Vietnam, but an inspirational story of human survival and renewal.

Travels From:  Hawaii

BOOKS

SPEECH TOPICS

Beyond Survival: Reaffirming the Invincibility of the Human Spirit

ABOUT Captain Gerald Coffee

Shot down while flying combat missions over North Vietnam, Retired Navy Captain Gerald Coffee spent much of his 7 years and 9 days as a POW in solitary confinement. Inspiring audiences worldwide with his message of hope, faith, and the invincibility of the human spirit, Coffee's is not a story of Vietnam, but a story of human survival and renewal.

Born in Modesto, California, Captain Coffee joined the Navy in 1957 after graduating from UCLA with a degree in Commercial Art. In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis as an F-8 Crusader pilot, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for flying low-level reconnaissance missions over Cuba, taking the photos ultimately used by the United States UN ambassador to prove the existence of Soviet missiles there.

In February of 1966, while flying combat missions over North Vietnam, Captain Coffee's RA5-C reconnaissance jet was downed by enemy fire. He parachuted safely but was captured immediately. For the next seven years he was held as a POW in the Communist prisons of North Vietnam. After his repatriation in February, 1973, Captain Coffee returned to operation duties. He retired from active duty in the Navy after 28 years of service.

For the past 20 years, Captain Coffee has been considered one of the nation's top speakers, addressing thousands of people a year across a broad spectrum of corporate America and to international groups as well. His message draws not only from insights derived from the prison experience, but also from the perspective of his unique experiences since then: earning a masters degree in political science from Cal-Berkeley; studying at the prestigious National Defense University in Washington, DC; Navy command and staff assignments; and his continuing interaction with hundreds of America's corporations and associations as a professional speaker.

In a poll of corporate meeting planners, Captain Coffee was selected as one of America's top ten speakers. And, the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table selected him as one of its top twelve most popular, highest-rated, main platform speakers for the past 20 years. He holds the National Speaker's Association's highest rating of CSP and membership in the Speaker's Hall of Fame (CPAE).

Captain Coffee's 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. His numerous civilian awards include the George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge.

Captain Coffee is also a highly respected commentator on current political, economic, and social issues, seeing most in terms of opportunities yet to be seized by heroic leadership. He has appeared on "Larry King Live" twice, "Talk Back Live," NBC News, and numerous radio and television talk shows. His book, Beyond Survival: Building on the Hard Times - A POW's Inspiring Story, was made into an award-winning play called "The Prisoner."

Captain Coffee resides in Aiea, Hawaii. His lanai overlooks Pearl Harbor and is directly across from Camp Smith where a giant American flag dedicated to America's POWs and MIAs waves 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

TESTIMONIALS

"Your story made me forget the little nuisances that I live with everyday, and you remind me to be grateful for my life today, as an American! Our human spirit may be 'bent' during the difficult times, but it can never be broken because we must not choose to allow it. Your story was so compelling that it gave me goose bumps!" — Sprint

"I spend time during the presentation looking at the audience...the audience was completely mesmerized...not a yawn, not a quick look at the watch, not a drifting glance...You could hear a pin drop (even on carpet!)" — Teleco, Inc.

"A grand slam. This is the third time you have addressed an NAED audience and the results have been the same...outstanding!" — National Association of Electrical Distributors, Inc.

"I have been with the Association for 20 years, and I have never seen a speaker have the full undivided attention of the audience for their entire presentation. You have been our most dynamic speaker to date." — American Optometric Association