Man's Resilient Warrior Spirit // with Colonel Robert Certain

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Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, bad things have happened to good people. As Christian believers, we know that as painful and unexplainable as this can often be, God uses pain and struggle to shape us into who God designed us to be—if we allow it. 

Today's guest is no exception.

Robert Certain

Robert Certain

Meet Colonel (RET.) Robert Certain. On December 18, 1972, the B-52G Stratofortress he was piloting as part of Operation Linebacker II over Hanoi, North Vietnam, was shot down. He was subsequently captured and held as a POW until the end of the war. And understandably, this experience helped shape the rest of his life.

After the war, Certain pursued a lifelong calling and attended the School of Theology, an Episcopal Church seminary. He was ordained as a priest in 1976, and in this capacity, served as a military chaplain in the Air Force on active duty and in the reserves in various locations, including basic military training, the headquarters of the Strategic Air Command and Air Mobility Command, and at the Air Force Academy. He also graduated from the Air War College and retired from the Air Force Reserves in 1999 at the rank of Colonel.

Post military, Father Certain served parishes in multiple states before retiring from parish ministry in 2012. Since then, he has held leadership positions on numerous boards and committees, and in 2006 when former President Gerald R. Ford passed away, Certain led all of the memorial services and presided over his burial.

In 2003, Robert published his autobiography, Unchained Eagle. In our conversation, he and I unpack his experiences in the military, what it was like getting shot down in Vietnam, being a POW, and much more. And we discuss how his life helped him develop a resilient warrior spirit, how his faith helped him when under fire, and why there is perfect freedom in a life of service for Christ.

Watch This Episode

Watch The Unchained Eagle

On August 28, 2021, The Distinguished Flying Cross Society, along with Old Guys and Their Airplanes, conducted a live interview with Colonel Certain, hosted by a former guest of The Inspired Legacy Podcast, John Mollison. You can watch a recording of this live event below, along with a short film (12 minutes or so) about Certain titled, The Unchained Eagle.

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