Ellis, former Vietnam POW to speak at Sheppard Wingman Day

  • Published
  • By Kristen Gibson
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  On Friday, Apr. 11, Team Sheppard will take a pause in the daily mission of training and inspiring warriors to reflect on the four pillars of resilience: mental, physical, social and spiritual.

The highlight of this Wingman Resilience Day will be the opportunity to hear the presentation "Leading with Honor" from guest speaker, Air Force retired Col. Lee Ellis, who was a POW in Vietnam just over 40 years ago.

Since retirement, Ellis has become an award winning author, speaker and leadership consultant across America. He dedicates much of his time to training and inspiring our future generation of Warriors.

On Ellis' 53rd mission in Vietnam, he received serious damage to his F-4C Phantom aircraft, ejected, and was immediately captured on the ground. He was held as a prisoner of war for the next five and a half years.

After his release, Ellis returned to flying duties and completed his 25 year career as the Professor of Aerospace Studies and Commander of Air Force ROTC at the University of Georgia.

For his service in Vietnam, Ellis was awarded two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star with Valor device, the Purple Heart and the POW Medal.

During his years in captivity, Ellis and his fellow servicemen applied 14 leadership principles that meant the difference between life and death. Those principles were detailed in his book "Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton."

"It is a very humbling opportunity to bring Col. Ellis to Sheppard for our Wingman Resilience Day events," said Brig. Gen. Scott Kindsvater, 82nd Training Wing commander. "The examples of resilience and courage he portrays in his book transcend all levels of leadership, whether it's a four-star general or brand-new Airman. The principles in which our POWs relied on for survival is truly inspiring."

Wingman Resilience Days began in 2012 with the Air Force's implementation of the Comprehensive Airman Fitness initiative to improve well-being, reduce self-defeating behaviors, and enhance work/life balance for Airmen and families while strengthening personal readiness.

During Wingman Resilience Day, the goal is to enhance personal understanding of resilience, provide time for resilience training, and hear messages from leadership about the importance of thriving in a demanding military environment.

For more information on Wingman Resilience Day, contact the 82nd TRW Community Support Coordinator, Kristen Gibson, at 676-5413.

For more information on Col Ellis, please visit www.leadingwithhonor.com.