Captain Gerald Coffee

In 1966, while flying a combat mission from the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, U.S. Navy Captain Gerald Coffee was shot down over North Vietnam. Although he parachuted safely, he was captured immediately. For the next seven years, he was held as a POW in communist prisons, including the notorious "Hanoi Hilton," where torture and solitary confinement were routine. After his release in 1973, Captain Coffee returned to operational duties before retiring from active duty after 28 years of service. For two-and-a-half decades since his release, Captain Coffee has inspired thousands worldwide with a life-changing message of hope, faith, courage and honor. In this podcast, recorded during the Academy of Achievement's 1982 Summit in New Orleans, Louisiana, Captain Coffee spoke to the student delegates about his experience as a prisoner of war. He emphasizes the qualities of faith that allowed him to survive, and demonstrates the "tap code" he used to communicate with his fellow prisoners from solitary confinement.