How a man handles adversity speaks volumes about his character, especially when he is tortured, imprisoned and experiencing life beyond his control.

1. Finally I am getting around to talking about Captain
Coffee. Naval Captain Gerald Coffee was a prisoner of war
for seven years in Vietnam. He was a Naval pilot who was
shot down and held captive at the Hanoi Hilton. He was
also my neighbor when I was a teenager living on Barbers
Point Naval Facility in Hawaii.
He tells his story in this video that he made for Habilitate
in Hawaii, an organization dedicated to helping people
struggling with addictions get back on their feet.
www.captiancoffee.com describes Captain Coffee’s message:
In his talk, BEYOND SURVIVAL, Captain Coffee gives a moving account of his
incredible experience from capture to ultimate release. His faith – in himself, others, his
country, and his God – was the key to turning an unbelievably difficult, potentially
devastating experience into an opportunity for personal growth. Captain Gerald Coffee is
an inspiring example of the power of the human spirit to survive and triumph over the
most adverse circumstances. His story conveys a positive message that we each have the
potential to survive any ordeal, overcome any obstacle, achieve any goal. After hearing
him, those in the audience will look at their challenges and adversities in
a totally different way.
Captain Coffee uses “tap code” to personalize his message. Prisoners
were forbidden from communicating with each other, so they employed
the centuries old prisoners tap code based on this alphabet matrix to tap
out covert messages to each other on the walls of their cells. Captain
Coffee demonstrates tap code to illustrate the importance of communication, both in
prison as well as in corporate and personal lives.
HIS MESSAGE FOCUSES ON …
COMMUNICATION Prisoners weren’t allowed to communicate, but we still found
ways to do it. We created a new language. Tap Code. It consisted of five rows of five
letters each. By tapping on our cell walls, we passed information, poetry, even learned
new languages.

2. LEADERSHIP We kept faith in the leadership of our senior officers, who taught us that
commitment, courage and character really count. In solitary, I learned that leadership
starts with self knowledge and understanding, accountability, and integrity.
MASTERING CHANGE I suddenly found myself thrust into a totally foreign, hostile
environment with no source of strength except that which I found within me. Ultimately,
that was enough.
TEAMWORK Our motto in prison was simple: Unity Over Self. Our very survival
depended on it. It was based upon faith in and loyalty to one another. Unity over
self…not a bad corporate motto.
HUMOR My first shower was in a dank, converted cell with water dripping down from a
rusty pipe. Totally dejected, I looked up to let the water splash on my face and saw the
words scratched on the wall by another POW before me: Smile you’re on Candid
Camera.
OVERCOMING ADVERSITY I walked several miles a day in my tiny cell – three steps
and a turn. I vowed to find the purpose in my adversity and pain and come home better,
tougher, and stronger in every way. Our mission in prison was to not just survive, but go
beyond survival and return with honor. [learn more about Captain Coffee and his
incredible message here]
You can watch Captain Coffee’s presentation to Habilitate over here
One of the most amazing things that I took away from Mr. Coffee’s talk was that even though he
was imprisoned, couldn’t talk to his fellow prisoners, had no material to stimulate his brain, lived
in a cell 3×6 feet and slept on a cement slab, there were days he didn’t get everything done that
he wanted to do! He lived his life on purpose.
What do you take away from this amazing story? Does he inspire you too? Do you live each day
on purpose?