Col. Lee Ellis

A native of Commerce, Ga., Col. Lee Ellis graduated from the University of Georgia in 1965 as a Distinguished Graduate of Air Force ROTC. He received his pilot wings in August 1966 at Moody AFB, GA and was assigned to fly the F-4C Phantom fighter-bomber. In 1967, Lee was assigned to Danang Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, where he flew 68 combat missions with 53 over North Vietnam. On November 7, 1967, he was shot down, captured and held as a prisoner of war for more than five years.

After repatriation in March 1973, Lee returned to flying duties with increasing positions of leadership. His assignments included duty as a T-38 instructor pilot, flight commander and section commander at Moody AFB Ga., and then in 1975 had the same roles in the T-38 at Randolph AFB, Texas. In 1977, he was selected to serve as chief of flight standardization and evaluation for the 12th FTW at Randolph. After Staff College in 1978 he returned to San Antonio as an Air Training Command staff officer, for two years and then was promoted to Lt. Col. and became the squadron commander of his former T-38 squadron. After graduating from the Air War College in 1983, he served as Vice-Commandant Squadron Officer School (SOS) and then headed home to become Commander AFROTC Det. 160 at the University of Georgia. He retired as a Colonel on February 1, 1990, completing 25 years of service.

Col. Ellis is a command pilot whose decorations include the Silver Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster; the Legion of Merit with one Oak Leaf Cluster; the Bronze Star with Valor Device; the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters; the Purple Heart; the Air Medal with eight Oak Leaf Clusters; and the Prisoner of War Medal. Lee is also a 2014 inductee into the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame and the 2015 DAR Medal of Honor Recipient for a lifetime of patriotic service as a military officer and spokesman for leading with honor.

Col. Ellis is founder and President of Leadership Freedom® LLC, serving for more than twenty-five years as a nationally recognized leadership trainer, coach, author, and keynote speaker. He has authored or co-authored six books on leadership and career development. His latest bestselling book is entitled Captured by Love: Inspiring True Romance Stories from Vietnam POWs. Two additional, award-winning books share leadership insights gained from his POW experience. Leading with Honor®: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton won book-of-the-year awards and was selected in 2013 for the USAF Chief of Staff Professional Reading List. His follow-on book, Engage with Honor™: Building a Culture of Courageous Accountability was selected best in class in the “Leadership” category.

Col. Ellis and his wife Mary reside in the Dawsonville, Ga., area and have four grown children and six grandchildren. He is a member of American Legion Post 307 in Cumming, Ga.