U Alum Spotlight - Colonel Phil Heseltine

As a proud University of Utah Political Science alum, Colonel Phil Heseltine (Ret.) has built an extraordinary career of service and leadership since commissioning through the U’s ROTC program in 1993. Over three decades in the U.S. Air Force, he rose to the rank of Colonel, becoming a command pilot with thousands of flight hours in the KC-135 and holding key leadership roles, including Flight Commander and Executive Officer to the Commander of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center. He most recently led the 931st Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, where he oversaw the historic transition from the KC-135 to the KC-46A Pegasus and guided the wing through challenges ranging from COVID-19 to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Now retired, Heseltine reflects on those experiences and his personal journey in his recently published memoir, Certamus Volare (May 5, 2025). In this Q&A, he shares lessons learned, reflections on his time at the U, and the insights he hopes to pass on to the next generation of leaders. 

When you look back, what stands out as your favorite memory from campus life? 

One of my favorite memories is the first time we had a blizzard during my first year.  In Van Cott Hall there were several of the football team players who lived on my floor.  Watching so many of these enormous guys from the islands of Hawaii, Samoa and Tonga running outside in their flip flops and sarongs laugh and roll around in the snow that they had never seen before still makes me smile. 

 

Was there a class or professor who shaped your path in a lasting way? 

My Air Force Reserve Officer Training Courses (AFROTC) shaped the leader I became throughout the entirety of my Air Force Career.  Major Scott Hill, the AFROTC Detachment 850 Professor of Aerospace Studies, had the greatest impact on me both as a student and a future officer.  I would not have been the successful leader I became without his mentorship and guidance at a pivotal time in my life, which extended well beyond my time at the U. 

 

What was the biggest challenge you faced as a student—and how did you overcome it? 

During my Junior year I was medically disqualified from commissioning in the Air Force.  I stayed enrolled in AFROTC and Major Hill worked tirelessly to get the diagnoses corrected and I was able to graduate and commission on time and alongside my classmates. 

Did you have a “go-to” spot on campus to study, reflect, or recharge? 

The Pie was the “go-to” place to meet up and attempt to eat your body weight in pizza.  I also loved exploring the library, the Union, and so many other buildings across the campus to find obscure locations to study. 

How did your time at the U influence the direction of your career and life after graduation? 

Looking back at my time at the U, my experiences as a Residence Advisor (RA) in Van Cott Hall helped pave the pathway for me to appreciate what service to others means both for your classmates and yourself. 

If you could go back, what advice would you give your college-age self? 

I would encourage myself to live more in the now.  Meaning not every moment needs to be a preparation event for after college.  I would have spent more time exploring the hills behind the U and I would be more involved with the myriad other campus organizations, like student government.  Read more books.  Go to every sporting event on campus.  Make more time for yourself. Try to have fun and laugh every day.     

Was there a moment at the U that you now see as a turning point in your story? 

Being reinstated in the AFROTC program played a major role on the rest of my life.  Without the support of the faculty and staff my life would have gone an entirely different direction. 

What do you hope current students take away from hearing your experiences? 

College is a once in a lifetime experience and the friends and people you meet at the U will lay the foundation for the rest of your life.  Remain connected with those you are in school with today.     

How does it feel to look back now and see your Utah story as part of a memoir? 

It’s been a fantastic journey to lay out the path to get to where I am today.  As I go back through the book and read about my time at the U, there are so many great memories of times as an RA, snowball fights, marching across campus, meeting friends for dinner at the Union, and rooting against BYU for anything and everything!  Just great times.  Would love to go back and do it all again… though I probably would have studied a little harder. 

Can you share a little about your book? 

The title Certamus Volare, is the motto of the University of Utah’s Air Force Reserve Officer Training Detachment 850 Cadet Corps and is emblazoned on the patches worn by these students for more than 75 years.  The book lays out the myriad experiences and lessons I have learned throughout my 30 years as an officer and pilot in the United States Air Force, which all began as a student on the campus of the University of Utah.  There are stories of significant personal and professional challenges on the road to becoming a military aviator, experiences during numerous global deployments, leadership lessons from times when I was both a squadron and wing commander, and the impact so many have had throughout my life, particularly my parents who both recently passed away.  For me the book is an oversized thank you letter to those I’ve met on this long, strange journey who forged who I am today as a leader, mentor, husband, father and friend.  I hope you enjoy the ride!