This morning at JBC’s Men’Breakfast, we had a speaker named Col. Tom Kirk. He is 96 years old; he is a Vietnam veteran who was shot down and captured and was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He was tortured terribly for years and earned the Air Force Cross, which is the second highest for valor, four Silver Stars, two distinguished Flying Crosses, Two Legions of Merit, two Bronze Stars, seven Air Medals, and a Purple Heart. For being 96, he was a very energetic and entertaining speaker. As I listened to him speak, I thought, there aren’t many guys around anymore who are that tough. Considering all the abuse his body and mind took in those years of being a prisoner of war, it is incredible that he has lived this long. He was a prisoner of war for five years and four months, and for over two years, he was in solitary confinement. He lived on two bowls of soup daily and lost 90 lbs while in prison.

To survive the long period alone, Kirk established a routine. “I walked 4.5 miles each day in my cell. I built houses stick by stick, nail by nail in my mind, and mentally calculated mortgage amortization schedules. I even simulated playing the flute using a stick I had found to practice my fingering exercises.”

Today, at 96, Kirk plays golf four times a week, practices his saxophone for an hour and a half daily, and works out five times a week. He regularly travels the country speaking at events like our Men’s Breakfast. He made me feel like a wimp.

One of the amazing things about his story is that, for all that he went through, he said he doesn’t have any bitterness in his heart toward anybody. His faith in God gave him strength and ability to endure. He said that in his tiny cell with no outside light or contact with anybody, it was him and God, and he talked to him all day.

If you google his name, you will find several videos on YouTube of him telling his story. If you get to a place where you feel sorry for yourself, watch one of those videos. It should cure you of self-pity and cause you to thank the Lord for your blessed life.