I have not met Col Leon “Lee” Ellis, but know him by extension as he was a POW in Vietnam with my friend and faith mentor, Col Roger Ingvalson, and Col Leo Thorsness, a Medal of Honor recipient.

Lee, like Roger and Leo, is a man of strong faith.

He is a native of Commerce, Georgia, the son of Leon and Molene Ellis. His Dad worked for the University of Georgia, and his Mom was a middle school teacher.

His interest in becoming a pilot was sparked when he was just five years old, after climbing onto a World War II plane at a static display. His parents encouraged that interest. Though Lee says he was not a disciplined student at Commerce High School, he received good grades and was a great athlete, lettering in football, basketball, and baseball.

He graduated from the University of Georgia, where he was enrolled in Air Force ROTC. Selected as a Distinguished Graduate of AFROTC, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and entered pilot training at Moody Air Force Base, Valdosta, Georgia. A year later, at age 24, he received his wings and began combat training in the F-4C Phantom, and he was soon deployed to Vietnam, where he flew bombing missions into North Vietnam.

All pilots will tell you that it’s critical to keep the number of takeoffs and landings equal.

But in 1968, on then-Capt Ellis’s 53rd mission, he and his aircraft commander, Captain Ken Fisher, were hit by an anti-aircraft missile and forced to eject. Though safely parachuting to the ground, they were immediately captured by enemy forces and two weeks later, arrived at Hoa Loa Prison in Hanoi (a.k.a. “The Hanoi Hilton”). For the next nine months, he and three other POWs were confined to a 6'x7’ cell. That was the beginning of his five and a half years of internment, which he described as “moments of boredom interrupted by stark moments of terror.” The physical torture was combined with endless broadcasts of anti-American propaganda to break morale.

Lee, Roger, and Leo, among other POWs, developed a secret code for communicating with each other using a 5x5 matrix of the 26 letters of the alphabet (K and C were the same tap code). This enabled communication between the thick prison walls and served both as a way to keep tabs on who was imprisoned and as a morale booster.

Lee was released with other POWs as part of Operation Homecoming. On 14 March 1973, he and others flew from Vietnam to Clark Air Base, Philippines, in transit to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, where Lee and his family were reunited.

He then returned to duty with two Silver Stars as a squadron command pilot and flight instructor.

Lee authored Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons From the Hanoi Hilton, which Gen William Looney, USAF (Ret), acclaims for its use of “gripping stories from the POW camps to engage the reader and teach invaluable principles of leadership.”

Of his time as a POW, Lee says: “I learned that pain purifies, and tomorrow is another day. It wasn’t just about surviving; it was about finding purpose in the pain and hope in the possibility of a better tomorrow. We leaned on each other and learned that even in the darkest moments, there’s always a way forward.”

On leadership, he says: “Good leaders are confident, yet humble. You don’t have to be perfect, but you must be willing to learn and adapt. Acknowledge your weaknesses, value your team, and commit to doing the right thing every day. It’s not about being in charge; it’s about taking care of those in your charge. Leadership is not about rank, status, or even success. It’s about the impact we have on others and the legacy we leave behind.”

In addition to Leading with Honor, Lee also wrote Captured by Love.

Roger Ingvalson’s son Craig wrote a chapter in Lee’s book, and of Lee’s character, Craig told me this week: “Oftentimes, soldiers are depicted as calculating, strong, and shrewd … especially fighter pilots. While true, the men Col Ellis lived with and got to know as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam also displayed a softer side of love, emotion, character, and faith. It is this side of humanity that Col. Ellis chose to write about in Captured by Love. The combination of steel and velvet makes for a leader who can conquer and also love and forgive. Col. Ellis tells his own story of love in this book, alongside 19 other stories of the same. His character showed through as a compassionate, caring man when he asked me to write the story of my father and family. Lee showed me that a leader (and a fighter pilot) is best when he combines his military training with compassion.”

After Lee concluded his billets as a pilot, he came full circle, returning to head up Air Force ROTC at the University of Georgia. He retired from UGA after almost 25 years of service. He and Mary have four adult children and six grandchildren.

Col Lee Ellis: An ordinary man faced with extraordinary circumstances, your example of valor — a humble American Patriot defending Liberty for all above and beyond the call of duty — is eternal.

“Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Live your life worthy of his sacrifice.

(Read more Profiles of Valor here.)

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776

Follow Mark Alexander on X/Twitter.

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