Larry Rudell Ellis (born June 30, 1946) is a former United States Army officer who served as the Commander of United States Army Forces Command from November 19, 2001 until 2004, following his assignment as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans of the Department of the Army. During his career, Ellis had assignments in the United States, South Vietnam, Germany, South Korea, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. His command assignments include 1st Armored Division, Germany;

Multi-National Division (North) Below is an estimated list of the major units deployed within the Multi-National Force – Iraq and other United States military units that were operating in Iraq under the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) in 2009, during the Iraq War. In militar ...

, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Assistant Division Commander, 2nd Infantry Division, South Korea; Brigade Commander, 3rd Infantry Division, Germany; Battalion Commander, 5th Infantry Division, Fort Polk, Louisiana; Company Commander,

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

, Vietnam; and

82d Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops Magazine'', 25 November 2012. Archived from thorig ...

, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Early life and education

Ellis was born in 1946 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from Morgan State University in 1969. While at Morgan State he was a member of the National Society of Pershing Rifles. He earned a Master of Science degree in Physical education from Indiana University School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1975.NATO bio
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Military career

Ellis' staff assignments included Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans; Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Headquarters, Department of the Army; Assistant Chief of Staff, C3/J3/G3, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea/Eighth United States Army, South Korea; Deputy Director for Strategic Planning and Policy, Headquarters, United States Pacific Command, Hawaii; Deputy Director, Military Personnel Management, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Headquarters, Department of the Army; Force Structure Analyst and Chief, Manpower and Force Structure Division, Program Analysis and Evaluation Directorate, Office of Chief of Staff, Headquarters, Department of the Army; Staff Officer, Headquarter, United States Army Europe, Germany; Staff and Faculty, United States Military Academy, West Point; Battalion Staff Officer, 101st Airborne Division, Vietnam; and Battalion Operations Officer, 82d Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Awards and decorations

Ellis' awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

, the

Defense Superior Service Medal The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members who perform superior meritorious service in a position of significant ...

, the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the National Defense Service Medal with three stars, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with three stars, the Armed Forces Service Medal, the

Vietnam Cross of Gallantry The Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross also known as the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross or Vietnam Cross of Gallantry ( vi, Anh-Dũng Bội-Tinh) is a military decoration of the former Government of South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam). The medal wa ...

/Palm, the

Korean Cheonsu Medal Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

, the German Armed Forces Honor Cross (Gold), the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the

Senior Parachutist Badge The Parachutist Badge, also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings" is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces. The United States Space Force and United States Coast Guard are the only branches that do not award the Parachutist Badge, bu ...

, the Office of Secretary of Defense Staff Identification Badge, the

Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...

, and the

Army General Staff Identification Badge The United States Army Staff Identification Badge is a badge of the United States Army worn by personnel who serve at the Office of the Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the Un ...

Personal life

Following his retirement from the United States Army, Ellis became President and CEO of DHB Industries, a manufacturer of body armor, and has served on the boards of

SRA International SRA may refer to: * SRA0 to SRA4, standard paper sizes defined by ISO 217 * Satanic ritual abuse * SRa or SRA, a type of semiregular variable star * Senior Airman (SrA), a US Air Force rank * Septic Reserve Area, for a septic drain field * The Nat ...

, the Armed Forces Benefit Association, and Universal Systems and Technology. He is an Associate of Burdeshaw Associates, Ltd., a defense consulting firm. He received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award from Indiana University.Five to receive IU's highest alumni award
/ref> He is married to the former Jean Williams of Baltimore, Maryland, and has two adult daughters, one of whom is an army officer.

References

External links

DHB Industries biographyForbes.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Larry R. 1946 births Living people Morgan State University alumni Pershing Riflemen African-American United States Army personnel United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Air Medal Indiana University Bloomington alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal 21st-century African-American people African Americans in the Vietnam War 20th-century African-American people