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Re: There's Nothing You Can't Overcome

From: POW-MIA InterNetwork

Date: August 20, 2003

"POW Tells Crowd: "There's Nothing You Can't Overcome"

A former prisoner of war and retired Air Force colonel knows what it's like living in a hostile enviorment.  For 20 years, he's made it his business to show people how to survive whatever challenge comes their way.

Colonel Ed Hubbard tours the country encouraging people to overcome adversity.  He should know how after living for six-and-half-years as a POW in Vietnam. "We could invent ideas and concepts instantly to save your life that later have application in the real world.  Simple problems and really, when we came home we were absolutely bored to tears because there was nothing that was challenging."

Hubbard has talked to hundreds of thousands of people, and believes it's his duty to motivate people to face their challenges, whatever the situation.  He says, "You have to believe that it's important and you have to be committed to making the effort that it takes in anything you do."

In a Vietnam prison, Hubbard survived for six years eating 300 calories a day, and weighing 97 pounds. He exercised five hours a day and did what was necessary to survive.  "We had no resources of any kind. Didn't have a roomate a lot of times. You had to solve every problem because every problem could cost you your life," he says.

Hubbard believes everyone has this ability even if they haven't been challenged on his level.  He says whatever situation people are in, they are capable of overcoming obstacles. Hubbard says, "We all think we live in this horrible situation and there's no way out and the only way out is you get go out yourself. We learned that sitting in prison, a communist prison on the other side of the world, you cannot wait for somebody to come and get you, because they're not coming. You have to get out yourself."  He adds, "What happens in life is almost insignifcant. The only thing that matters is how you respond to what happens."

Hubbard says he hasn't had a bad day in 36 years since his fifth month in captivity, which means that he doesn't consider the following six years in prison bad days. When he returned home from Vietnam, Hubbard earned five college degrees in seven years while working a full-time job and maintaining a 4.0 grade point average.

By Tonya LaCoste
©2003, WorldNow, KATC and Associated Press"