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Captain Joseph Charles Plumb Jr. (born November 3, 1942) also known as Charlie plumb is retired Vietnam war naval pilot and an ex-POW turned Author and motivational speaker.

Early life and education
Born on November 3, 1942 in Gary, Indiana during World War II, he was raised in a three room home in rural Kansas, with no indoor plumbing until he was 11. His father, Joseph Charles Plumb, Sr. was a carpenter, his mom, a homemaker. The family moved to Overland Park, a Kansas City suburb, in 1956. Plumb graduated from Shawnee-Mission High School at the age of 17.

Military career
Charlie plumb started his military career at the Naval Academy, Annapolis graduating in 1964 with a commission in the US Navy. He was assigned to the F-4 Phantom jet. He flew 74 successful combat missions over Vietnam. His 75th mission, however, was not that fortunate. With five days left to return home, Charlie Plumb's plane was shot down by a surface to air missile resulting in his capture and torture during a 6 year imprisonment several different prison camps in North Vietnam. He subsequently spent a total of 2,103 days as a Prisoner of War in the communist war prisons.

In the time span of about six years in the duration of his captivity, Charlie Plumb was regarded for his methods of underground communications among the prisoners and also served for two years as the camp's chaplain. Plumb retired from the United States Navy with the rank of Captain after serving for 31 years.

Charlie Plumb was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, 2 Purple Hearts, Legion of Merit and the POW Medal for his service and attained the rank of Captain in the Naval reserve.

On returning home, Plumb continued to fly A-4 Sky Hawks, A-7 Corsairs and F/A-18 Hornets for the navy in Reserve Squadrons. Aircraft Carrier Corral Sea, and at a Fighter Air Wing in California were his last commands as a Naval Reservist.

After retirement, he became a motivational speaker and an author sharing his experiences as a POW including survival skills and communication skills, with the audience. One of his motivational experiences that received extensive media coverage is his meeting with the person who packed his parachute on the day he was shot down several years after he was repatriated. Plumb also received the credit and media coverage for bringing his fellow soldiers home.

Books

 * I’m No Hero (In it’s 32nd printing) by Charlie Plumb, Independence Press.
 * The Last Domino by Charlie Plumb.
 * You Can Do It by Bob Budler, Thomas Nelson Publishers.
 * Speaking Secrets of the Masters by The Members of Speakers Roundtable.
 * Insights Into Excellence by the Members of Speakers Associates.
 * Stand Up, Speak Out, And Win by Keith Degreen.
 * A Cup Chicken Soup for the Soul "Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit" by Jack Canfield, Mark Hansen, and Barry Spilchuk.