Looking Back and Giving Forward - A Conversation with Retired Col. Carmen J. Leonelli, BS ’68, ROTC Alumnus

Summer of ’65

When Carmen J. Leonelli first arrived at the University of Utah, in the summer of 1965, his sights were set firmly on the sky. He wanted to fly—specifically, to become a military aviator—and like many young men of his generation, he viewed ROTC as a practical steppingstone toward that goal.

“At the time, the Air Force Academy was my first plan,” he recalls. “I’d been selected, but it meant waiting another year. When I did the math—two more years plus four at the Academy—I started to rethink things.”

The Vietnam War changed everything. In response to mounting demands for officers, the Air Force introduced a condensed two‑year ROTC program. Leonelli joined and was soon sent to Biloxi, Mississippi, for training.

“It was very much like cadet basic,” he says. “Highly structured. Physically demanding. Academically intense.”

It was also eye‑opening. What he expected to be a preparatory phase quickly became a defining experience. The rigor, responsibility and accountability of military life arrived sooner than anticipated—and with it, the realization that he could meet the challenge.

“That program gave me a shocking reality check,” he explains. “It showed me what military life was actually about—and that I could handle it, even excel with it.”

Confidence, Structure, and Leadership

ROTC didn’t just prepare Leonelli for the cockpit. It helped shape the way he would approach leadership, problem solving and life itself.

“It gave me confidence—real confidence,” he adds. “I learned how to speak in front of people, how to prepare lesson plans, and how to teach, mentor and help people who were struggling.”

The organizational and disciplinary habits instilled through ROTC proved enduring. Long after flight schedules and command decisions began to stack up, those early lessons became the framework Leonelli would rely on in moments of pressure—both professionally and personally.

“The structure stays with you,” he notes. “Especially when things get stressful.”

Above all, ROTC taught him to trust himself.

“No matter what the task was, I learned to believe in my ability to get the job done,” he states. “You don’t ignore fear—you work through it.”

 

A Career in the Air

Leonelli’s aviation career reads like a living history of Air Force flight operations during and after Vietnam. After flight school he served in combat, flying C‑123 cargo missions in Vietnam before transitioning to the KC‑135 tanker fleet. Over time, he flew nearly every major KC‑135 variant, including the A, D, E and R models.

His roles evolved alongside his aircraft. Instructor pilot. Evaluator. Base instrument instructor. Simulator instructor. He eventually completed the Air Force’s elite instructor pilot instrument school (IPIS), placing him at the pinnacle of aviation instruction as he rose from cadet to lieutenant colonel.

Combat flying during Vietnam left little room for distraction. Leonelli served one full year in Vietnam and completed six additional 90‑day tours throughout Southeast Asia, refueling fighter jets and B‑52s from KC‑135 tankers. In addition, he spent two 45-day tours in Europe. 

For Leonelli, the mission is everything. Flying operations, he argues, are the spearpoint of the organization. If the spear breaks, everything behind it fails.

But the most meaningful chapter of his career came later—and far to the north.

 

Building Something from Nothing

Starting in 1986, Leonelli helped establish a new tanker task force with the Alaska Air National Guard, operating out of Eielson Air Force Base. Working in some of the most extreme flying conditions imaginable—snow, ice and unforgiving weather—he and his colleagues built a unit from scratch.

“I was the 26th full‑time hire,” he recalls. “We grew from a small group into an eight‑aircraft unit, then a ten‑aircraft wing.”

Beyond aircraft and infrastructure, the work was about people—recruiting, training, evaluating and mentoring the next generation while creating both full‑time and traditional Guard opportunities.

“It was challenging,” he admits. “But incredibly rewarding.”

Today, the Alaska Air National Guard’s 168th Wing serves as the premier Arctic region air refueling unit. Operating a fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers, they act as the lead Tanker Task Force, routinely supplying lifeblood fuel to U.S. and allied forces during massive combat exercises.

A Teacher at Heart

Leonelli describes himself without hesitation: “I’m a teacher at heart.”

From his early days in flight instruction to his role in command leadership, teaching has been the throughline of his career. He believes deeply in lived experience over textbooks.

“I’m 100 percent audio,” he laughs. “Some people are visual, some auditory—that stuff matters. But experience? That’s how people really learn.”

That belief took on new weight as the years passed. Many of the mentors who shaped him—the World War II and Korean War generation—are gone now. Many of his Vietnam peers are gone too.

“That’s when you realize,” he says quietly, “you’re the mentor now.”

The cycle became tangible when, years later, Leonelli returned as an instructor and found himself teaching alongside his former students.

“They handed me the book and said, ‘You taught us this,’” he recalls. “That’s how experience gets passed down.”

 

Perspective, Legacy, and Life

At 81, Leonelli speaks openly about time, loss and perspective. After spending four decades in Alaska, he found himself reflecting on what—and who—remained.

“My parents are gone. My brothers are gone. My in‑laws are gone,” he reflects. “When that’s your reality, you see the window of life very clearly.”

He and his wife recently celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary. They raised six children and lost one daughter at birth in 1983—a loss that still echoes.

“You never escape that,” he says softly.

Today, he takes pride in his children’s accomplishments and credits his wife with holding everything together during the many years he spent away from home.

“I wasn’t financially comfortable until I hit 70,” he admits. “Then suddenly, no bills, no mortgage. It changes how you think.”

He remains curious, engaged and intellectually playful—often quizzing visitors about geography, history and navigation. It’s the same mindset he once used with ROTC students: learn to think beyond the obvious, beyond the smartphone in your hand.

“You have to see the bigger picture,” he explains. “That’s true in flying—and in life.”

Leonelli considers his greatest accomplishment not to be his own achievements, but the success of those he has guided. Through mentorship, teaching and leadership, he has helped shape individuals in both military and civilian life. To him, what truly endures is what he passes on—the lessons, values and sense of purpose that continue to influence others long after his direct involvement. As he puts it, “Their success is the true mission.”

Guided by this philosophy, Leonelli plans to establish a permanent endowed scholarship within the University’s Air Force ROTC program to support cadets. In doing so, he ensures that his commitment to developing future leaders will continue for generations, extending his legacy of service in a meaningful and lasting way.