Freedom 34: The gift of flight

One of the greatest rewards of flight is the many ways it links us and enrichens our lives. This was brought home to me on a bright fall day shared with three exceptional aviators: Wes Stowers, Paul Mercandetti, and Colonel Lee Ellis, USAF (Retired).

Wes, Paul, and I are all based at Knoxville Downtown Island Airport (KDKX), and share a love of classic aircraft. Colonel Ellis was my squadron commander in the early 1980s, and it was then that I learned his remarkable story.

Half a century ago, on Nov. 7, 1967, flying his 68th combat mission in the F4-C Phantom, then-Captain Lee Ellis was shot down over North Vietnam. He was taken prisoner, and began a tortuous journey through 5-½ years of captivity, ultimately being held in the infamous Hanoi Hilton.

Military records indicate that 766 Americans passed through its walls, and ultimately 591 were released beginning in early 1973. In March 1973, Lee Ellis came home.

After his return to flying status and assignments of increasing responsibility, in 1980 Ellis took command of the 560th Flying Training Squadron at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. The squadron was, and remains, the “schoolhouse” where Air Force pilots learn the art and science of instructing in the supersonic T-38.

Following graduation, they return to bases around the country, where the newly-minted instructors employ their skills to keep themselves, their students, and their aircraft intact during the fast-paced course of USAF pilot training.

As a young captain, I was tasked with training these fledgling instructors, and the 560th was my home from 1981 to 1984. Our squadron building featured a long hall lined on either side with display cases and photos. The sign above the entrance proclaimed you were entering “Freedom Hall,” and the displays from the recently-ended war in Southeast Asia were not simply war trophies. These were reminders of a dark and trying chapter in that conflict — mementos of former prisoners of war. They were brought back by Air Force pilots who survived being shot down, only to endure unspeakable hardships and degradation, men who were fortunate enough to prevail and return with honor.

On display were touchingly personal items: A dented tin water cup, crude eating utensils, a sewing kit, sandals made from rubber tire treads, and a complete set of tattered maroon-and-grey-striped POW “pajamas.” Many photos revealed, in stark black and white, the extremes these men endured, while others depicted exuberant homecomings.

And there was row upon row of 8 X 10 photos, each featuring a former POW following the joyful completion of a T-38 “freedom flight,” their first time at the controls since being shot down.

Our squadron housed this museum because from May 1973 to November 1976 during “Operation Homecoming,” it was tasked with requalifying more than 150 former POWs, and the freedom flight was the beginning of their journey back to the skies. They were given the call sign “Freedom” and a number associated with their order of flight.

In August 1973, Lee Ellis was “Freedom 34”, and a decade later I was honored to serve under his command.

Following his assignment at the 560th, Ellis moved up through increasing positions of leadership, and retired as a Colonel on Feb. 1, 1990, completing 25 years of service. His 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.

Over the years, I lost touch with Colonel Ellis. Then in 2015 we crossed paths at the commissioning ceremony for Air Force ROTC graduates at the University of Georgia. As two UGA alumni, he was guest speaker and I was there to congratulate the new second lieutenants.

We stayed in touch afterwards, and I learned how he has continued to serve his country as an educator, author, and motivational speaker.

After retiring from the military, Ellis entered the field of leadership and team development, training, and coaching. He ultimately founded Leadership Freedom, the parent organization of Leading With Honor, which counts Fortune 500 companies among its clients. The company’s mission is to train business executives to grow and lead through character, courage, and commitment — leadership traits exemplified by the senior officers Lee Ellis served under as a POW.

In September 2021, upon learning that he and his wife would be vacationing in the nearby Smoky Mountains of east Tennessee, I realized this was an opportunity to give back to someone who has contributed so much to our nation. Under the guise of a scenic flight in my Globe Swift, we agreed to meet at the Gatlinburg Pigeon-Forge Airport (KGKT). But bigger things were in store.

Wes Stowers is a good friend and fellow Air Force veteran who flew F-4s in the 1980s, and now owns a beautiful T-6 Texan. What better experience could I offer the Colonel than a flight with a fellow F-4 pilot in an iconic warbird?

The plan came together when Wes gave a hearty “Yes!” to the proposal, and Paul Mercandetti, a Vietnam veteran who flew “Dust Off” medevac choppers, agreed to provide his 1946 Globe Swift for the photo ship.

Arriving at the airport, Colonel Ellis must have been a bit surprised to see not one, but two Swifts parked beside a T-6. He immediately hit it off with Wes and Paul, and was soon engrossed in fighter pilot talk and exchanges of “Do you know…..?”

We toured the Tennessee Museum of Aviation located on the field, then asked Lee if he was ready for his flight. A grin crossed his face and it only got wider when led to the T-6.

The flight brief was straightforward. Paul would fly lead and Wes would rejoin on our right wing after takeoff. The Swift and T-6 are well-matched in formation, and we had all flown together several times before.

As always, Paul and Wes made it look easy, while I hung my lens out of the Swift’s right window and fired away.

Following the photo shoot, Wes and the Colonel peeled off for some solo aerobatics, the first time in many years that Lee Ellis took the stick and once again saw the world through a pilot’s eyes.

After our flight, Wes summed it up best. Following my thanks for his participation, he replied, “Are you kidding! I should thank YOU. That man is a national treasure.”

So through the gift of aviation, four lives were enriched that day in ways that we will long remember.