On Nov. 7, 1968, retired Col. Leon Ellis was flying an armed reconnaissance mission to bomb gun sites that protected a ferry. His airplane was hit with flack and the airplane blew up into three pieces.

“All my training came back, I knew I had to get out, stick was frozen, smoke in the cockpit, I had to get out, I pulled the handle and out I go. Bedlam on the ground, shooting, rifles, and artillery on the ground. I was still calm because I had great training,” Ellis said.

Ellis, a University graduate and former commander of Air Force ROTC, told ROTC students on Tuesday what it was like to be a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War in a presentation entitled “Life & times of a young flying bulldog.”

Once on the ground, Ellis attempted to make his way back to the river and the Gulf of Tonkin but was surrounded by North Vietnamese militia.

“They surrounded me and I didn’t have much choice. I did try to scare them off … but they didn’t flinch.”

Once on the ground he was transported to the Hanoi Hilton, a detainment camp where most pilots were held, including Lt. Commander John McCain who was shot down 11 days before Ellis.

Ellis had been assigned to the Danang Air Base in the Republic of Vietnam in July 1967. On his first day in Vietnam, his base was struck by rocket attacks. He said dangers were evident daily.

Ellis flew 68 combat missions, including 53 over Vietnam.

“I lost two roommates and several other good friends in combat. Back then it was like having a knife stuck in you losing one of your buddies. We were busy doing a job and you couldn’t slow down to grieve,” Ellis said.

Once in the camp the POWs had to stay strong because the first goal of enemies is to break prisoners, he said.

“They felt we might know the targets for the next day, we didn’t. They wanted us to make propaganda. It was like all wars where propaganda is important.”

In the prison camp, he shared a 6.5 by 7 feet room with two other pilots. The food was limited and had little variety.

Ellis was released in November 1973 when the war ended and the Paris Peace Accords were signed.

As a POW, Ellis said he learned many lessons he wanted to share with the ROTC students, including, “John Wayne is not real. You don’t win every battle. Leaders bounce back from defeat.”