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Captain Charlie Plumb

Former Navy Fighter Pilot, P.O.W. and Hall of Fame Speaker

Delivering a Highly Motivational Message of Overcoming Adversity … His and Yours

There is a reason why Captain Charlie Plumb is one of the most sought after achievement and motivational speakers of our time. 

He has presented his message to more than 4,500 audiences in every industry and from all walks of life and has been selected as one of the top 10 public speakers in the country.

Whether he is delivering a Keynote or a Workshop – he is bold and dynamic. His message is powerful, entertaining, and delivered with high energy and passion.

An expert at incorporating company jargon and industry buzzwords to reach the hearts and minds of each audience, Captain Plumb shares his insights on coping with the challenges of every day life, and business competition, in the twenty-first century.

He helps audiences break free from their own self-constructed prisons of fear, blame, and doubt. He helps them uncover a new sense of purpose and potential. He gives each participant the strength to rise above the daily challenges of work and home and to recognize the opportunities that surround them. He leaves his listeners wanting to achieve and excel, no matter what the obstacles

– Overcoming Adversity – His and Yours

“We continue to receive excellent feedback on the conference – significantly because what many have described as your powerful, life-altering presentation.  Your presentation provided our Frontline Leaders with a new perspective on the adversity and challenges faced by each of us, and a renewed commitment to success through the understanding that sometimes, in order to succeed, one has to think outside the “8 inches between our ears,” take a risk, and “tug on a wire.”  Thank you for allowing our leaders to grow from your adversity and inspiration. ”

– Scott Hammond

Vice President, MetLife

“My whole life was changed by Captain Plumb’s inspiring talk about choices and attitudes!  I came to our meeting ranked 37th in my area; within the year, I was the “2nd Top Performer” in my company.  God bless!”

– Barb Wachek
Bank of Montreal

“Just attended Charlie’s presentation – it was a superb testimonial on overcoming adversity and keeping on keeping on!  Thank you, Charlie, for sharing and for helping me to be a better servant to my clients and to my firm.”

– Doug Smith
Raymond James, Ltd.

 

“Thanks to Captain Plumb’s riveting speech and analogies, I was able to take away something more than how to succeed in the corporate world.  I was inspired to see how blessed I really am, and have a new way of viewing life and it’s obstacles.  Captain’s messages will play a role in my life every time I face hardship, and happiness.”

– Cheryl
Merrill Lynch

Captain Plumb’s Client List Includes…

– Ameriprise Financial

– Chase Manhattan

– Edward Jones

– Janus

– Legg Mason

– Lincoln Financial

– Merrill Lynch

– Metlife Bank

– Raymond James Financial Services

– Smith Barney

– UBS Walburg

– Wells Fargo

Travels From:  California
City: Southern
$15,001 to $20,000

Biography

Motivational speaker Captain Charlie Plumb has lived what he believes to be the American Dream. As a farm kid from Kansas, he fantasized about airplanes although he felt certain he would never have the opportunity to pilot one. It would be the United States Navy who afforded Plumb the opportunity to live out that dream.

After graduating from the Naval Academy, Plumb completed Navy Flight Training and reported to Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego where he flew the first adversarial flights in the development of what would be called The Navy Fighter Weapons School, currently known as “TOP GUN”.

The next year, Plumb’s squadron the Aardvarks launched on the Aircraft Carrier USS Kitty Hawk with Fighter Squadron 114 to fly the Navy’s hottest airplane, the F-4 Phantom Jet. Code named “Plumber”, Charlie Plumb flew 74 successful combat missions over North Viet Nam and made over 100 carrier landings. On his 75th mission, just five days before the end of his tour, Plumb was shot down over Hanoi, taken prisoner, tortured, and spent the next 2,103 days as a Prisoner Of War.

Following his repatriation, Plumb continued his Navy flying career in Reserve Squadrons where he flew A-4 Sky Hawks, A-7 Corsairs and FA-18 Hornets. His last two commands as a Naval Reservist were the on the Aircraft Carrier Corral Sea, and at a Fighter Air Wing in California. He retired from the United States Navy after 28 years of service.

To this day, Captain Plumb continues to fly left-seat at every opportunity. He has personally owned 8 airplanes, the most treasured being a World War II PT-19 Open-Cockpit Antique. He currently owns a Rutan-designed experimental single-engine Long-Eze.
Military Aircraft Flown:  T-34 Mentor, T-2 Buckeye, F-9 Cougar, F-11 Tiger, F-4 Phantom, A-4 Sky Hawk, A-7 Corsair, FA-18 Hornet, F-16 Falcon

Aircraft Carrier Assignments:  USS Constellation, USS Lexington, USS Oriskany, USS Kitty Hawk, USS Coral Sea, USS Abraham Lincoln

Medals and Decorations:  Silver Star, 2 Purple Hearts, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, POW Medal, Air Medals, Combat Action, Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Campaign, Service Medal

Presentations

In an upbeat, humorous, and dynamic style he draws upon his experiences to demonstrate how to turn adversities, the hard times each one of us faces, into assets in today’s market place and in daily living.

An expert at incorporating company jargon and industry buzzwords to reach the hearts and minds of each audience, Captain Plumb shares his insights on coping with the challenges of every day life, and business competition, in the twenty-first century.

He helps audiences break free from their own self-constructed prisons of fear, blame, and doubt. He helps them uncover a new sense of purpose and potential. He gives each participant the strength to rise above the daily challenges of work and home and to recognize the opportunities that surround them. He leaves his listeners wanting to achieve and excel, no matter what the obstacles.

Topics Includes:

The Power of Choice: In a daily routine, or in a communist prison camp, each of us has the choice to succeed, to fail…or to become the victim of circumstances.

Adversity: Viewed as opportunity and challenge, adversity encourages growth, and propels us beyond self-imposed limits.

Teamwork: In a world where downsizing forces us to do more with less, we must empower the team. “Packing parachutes” can mean the difference in survival. Yours, and your teams!

Change: Invariably, just about the time things feel comfortable, change hits. And whether that change is positive or negative it can be disturbing and difficult to adjust to. Yet, it’s during those times that ones true value shows up, in taking the risks necessary to adapt to change.

Empowerment: Each of us has assets we often times don’t tap into until we’re challenged. Whether or not we realize it, we each have the inner strength and resources to meet whatever business or personal challenges come our way.

Areas of expertise

  • Overcoming Adversity
  • Touch Choices in Challenging Times
  • Power of Purpose
  • The Power of Choice
  • Top Gun Tips for Peak Performance
  • Qualities of Survival
  • Embracing Safety
  • Teamwork
  • Leadership
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