My guest today is a very special individual. Lee Ellis is a retired United States Air Force Colonel, award-winning author, speaker, and consultant. He was shot down and captured in the Vietnam war and spend 5 ½ years as a POW, including time at the notorious Hanoi Hilton.

Lee’s military decorations include a Bronze star, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal and a Purple Heart.

Lee is now an on the subjects of leadership and human performance, organisational integrity, operational effectiveness, and personal accountability.

You can check out Lee's website and great books and other products here.

Here's what we discuss:

Start - How Lee came to join the military

3:24 - Going through military training

6:04 - Getting assigned to the Vietnam war

7:51 - The experience of getting shot down & captured

15:50 - Arriving at the Hanoi Hilton POW camp

17:14 - Torture & resistance

25:56 - How aircrew personality profiles helped

27:44 - The TAP CODE & POW culture

32:31 - Heroic leaders in the POW camps

36:02 - The most challenging aspects of captivity

39:29 - The importance of meaning & purpose

41:59 - Humour & optimism

45:50 - On finding out they were going home

50:23 - Getting back home & readjusting

international speaker and consultant

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Life and Leadership lessons from five and a half years as a prisoner of war with Colonel Lee Ellis