Leon F. “Lee” Ellis Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth and Family

Based on Ellis’ previous education and experience with behavioral assessment and human development, he accepted the role as Director of Career/Life Pathways from 1990 – 1998. He led the development team that researched, developed, and validated Career Direct®, a vocational assessment package and two personality assessments with software applications. From 1998 to 2008, he was responsible for product development of three more behavioral and leadership assessments as well as the launch and Internet deployment of these resources through a previously co-owned company, RightPath Resources. He has also developed and released his latest assessment tool, the N8Traits™ Profile. In total, these assessments have been used by more than 200,000 individuals and are the instrument of choice in many organizations, including Fortune 500 companies and nationally recognized not-for-profits. As an author during this period, Ellis has also written three books – Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton, published by his own publishing company, FreedomStar Media™; it has won several awards including a winner in the 2012 International Book Awards in the Business and Management category; 2012 Indie Excellence Awards winner in the Leadership category; 2012 ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Finalist in the Business and Economics category; and inclusion in the 2013 U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Reading List. Leading Talents, Leading Teams, published by Northfield Publishing, was written in 2003. He has also co-authored three books and workbooks on career planning with Crown Financial Ministries’ co-founder, Larry Burkett. In 2008, Ellis founded a new company, Leadership Freedom® LLC, dba Leading with Honor®, that develops and presents leadership curricula and training focusing on management performance, leadership accountability and principle-based management strategies. In 2011, he founded FreedomStar Media™, a publishing company that provides leadership resources and training.

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. In addition, he was awarded four Air Force Commendation Medals and four Meritorious Service Medals for performance excellence. He retired after 24 years of service with the rank of colonel. He was selected in 1975 as the Air Force nominee for the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce’s “Ten Outstanding Men of the Year” Award.

Prisoners of war were released from the camps in order of capture through Operation Homecoming. On March 14, 1973, Lee and several comrades, including Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), were flown from Vietnam to Clark Air Base, Philippines. From there, Ellis and others eventually landed at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was reunited with his family. Ellis was single at the time of his capture.

After high school, Ellis attended the University of Georgia in Athens and enrolled in Air Force ROTC. He graduated with a B.A. degree in History while pursuing his passion for a military aviation career. Upon graduation from the University of Georgia in 1965, he was selected as a Distinguished Graduate of AFROTC and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

After arriving in Vietnam, Ellis was assigned to execute bombing raids in North Vietnam, one of the heaviest guarded regions of the country. On his 53rd mission, he and aircraft commander, Captain Ken Fisher, received serious damage to their F-4C Phantom aircraft. Both men had to eject from the fighter jet and were immediately captured on the ground when they landed with their parachutes. After two weeks of traveling through various regions in a Vietnamese military vehicle, they arrived at the Hoa Loa Prison in Hanoi, Vietnam (also known as the Hanoi Hilton). Hoa Loa was an old French Bastille prison fortified strongly to keep prisoners from escaping. For the next 9 months, Lee and three other comrades shared 6’x7.5′ cell.

Leon F. “Lee” Ellis (born October 9, 1943) is a retired United States Air Force colonel, award-winning author, speaker, and consultant. Ellis gained notoriety when, as a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War, he was shot down, captured, and spent .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}5+1⁄2 years as a prisoner of war in Hanoi and surrounding areas with former presidential candidate and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and others. His capture occurred on November 7, 1967, and he was released on March 14, 1973. He was one of the youngest, junior members in the camps. Ellis is an international speaker and consultant on the subjects of leadership and human performance, organizational integrity, operational effectiveness, and personal accountability. He frequently consults with various organizations—from small businesses to Fortune 500 organizations on these subjects. Ellis’ latest book, Leadership Behavior DNA: Discovering Natural Talents and Managing Differences was published in 2020 with co-author Hugh Massie. Engage with Honor: Building a Culture of Courageous Accountability published in 2016 and his last award-winning book, Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton published in 2012, share his POW experience and the leadership principles that helped him and his compatriots resist, survive, and return with honor. His previous book, Leading Talents, Leading Teams, was published by Northfield Publishing and shares in-depth team concepts on how to lead and manage based on individual, innate gifts and talents. Additionally, Lee has co-authored three additional books and workbooks on career planning.