Gerald Coffee

Biography

Born in Modesto, California, Gerald (Jerry) Coffee joined the Navy in 1957 after graduating from UCLA with a degree with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis as an F-8 Crusader pilot, Jerry 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. He was featured in the 2007 History Channel series The Man, The Moment, and the Machine recounting his photo recon exploits during that dangerous time in U.S. history.

In February of 1966, while flying combat missions over North Vietnam, his 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, Jerry returned to operation duties. He retired from active duty in the Navy after 28 years of service.

His 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.

For the past 20 years, Captain Gerald 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.

In his message of going "Beyond Survival," Jerry 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, D.C., 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).

His numerous civilian awards include the George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge and the Honolulu Chapter of the Navy League American Patriot Award.

Captain Coffee is 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 TV talk shows. His book, Beyond Survival, condensed by Readers Digest, is on audiocassette by Nightingale-Conant, and was made into an award-winning play called "The Prisoner."

Jerry and his wife, Susan, a journalist, reside in Aiea, Hawaii. Between them they have a bunch of kids and grandkids and dogs. Their lanai overlooks Pearl Harbor and is directly across from Camp Smith where a giant American flag dedicated to America`s POWs and MIAs waves 24/7.

Publications

Beyond Survival:
Building on the Hard Times - A POW`s Inspiring Story

Drawing from his seven years as a POW, Captain Coffee provides timeless lessons that apply to the physical, emotional, and ethical challenges of everyday life. Proving that leadership and creativity are possible in difficult and uncertain circumstances, Captain Coffee offers a message we can draw on in any trying situation. His story demonstrates that conviction must come from within, and in telling that story he touches the place inside of us where growth begins.

Titles

Beyond Survival

In his talk, 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 and 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 inspiring story conveys a positive message that we each have the potential to survive any ordeal, overcome any obstacle, achieve any goal.

Captain Jerry Coffee uses Tap Code to personalize his message to your group. After hearing him, your people will look at their challenges and adversities in a totally different way.

When Captain Coffee talks about faith in one another, audiences are spellbound as he taps out client-specific messages to illustrate the importance of communication, both in prison as well as in corporate and personal lives. POWs in North Vietnam were not allowed to communicate with each other, so they used the centuries old "prisoners` code" tap code, using an alphabet matrix to tap out covert messages to each other.