Col. (Ret.) Leslie G. Denend Class of 1963 32 · usafa.org 2019 DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE COL. (RET.) LESLIE DENEND 1963 ad it not been for the miracle of ing the ones who are already H modern medicine, Col. (Ret.) in that group, I felt real hu- Leslie Denend ’63 might have mility.” missed out on many opportunities he’s en- joyed giving back to his community and Unexpected alma mater. Journey In 2008, after his heart began to fail, Born and raised in the San Denend received a transplant at Stanford Francisco area, Denend was in- Hospital that has served him well for more terested in aviation since he was a than a decade. youngster. He built model airplanes “I’d have to go back to my early 40s to and often talked about various air- remember when I’ve had this much energy,” craft with his father. he admits. “I’ve been able to do anything During the 1958 college football I’ve wanted to do. I’ve been very lucky in the bowl season, Denend was watching the sense that this heart seems happy where it is.” Air Force Academy’s first post-season game Sitting in the living room of his Napa Val- on television when an informational film ley home, Denend points to pictures of his about the institution was broadcast. His fa- of the military and airplanes wasn’t a totally grandchildren on the wall and smiles. ther asked if Denend ever considered going foreign idea.” “Just think what has happened in the past to the school. Of all the service academies, decade. My grandchildren have gone from this he told his father, USAFA was the most in- Day One high,” he motions with his hand a couple feet teresting because of its focus on aviation. When he arrived at the Denver airport in the above the floor, “to now they are all in college.” “The next day, my father called our congress- summer of 1959, Denend was anxious to In addition, Denend’s 50th Academy man and asked what needed to happen to ap- get started on his new adventure. He eagerly class reunion occurred since the transplant, ply,” Denend recalls. “The congressman said it hopped on the first bus to Colorado Springs. and that’s when he made a commitment to was very late but to send a letter. So, I did, and “By the end of the day, I had been told become involved with the USAFA Endow- the rest is history.” that they were putting a mark by my name ment and financially support projects to When he accepted his congressional ap- because I wouldn’t be here in six weeks,” benefit the institution and cadets. pointment, Denend admits he had no idea Denend smiles. “I was scared to death. Things “All of these things have been possible be- what he was getting into. had come easy for me, and I had been success- cause of my transplant,” he notes. “My father worked for the telephone ful in most of the things I had done.” Denend also has lived to enjoy the an- company for 46 years,” he says. “But grow- Through perseverance and help from nouncement that he is one of five alumni to ing up in California and San Francisco dur- his roommate Leonard “Lucky” Ekman be honored as 2019 Distinguished Graduate ing World War II, my earliest memory is ’63 — who had attended Georgia Military Award recipients. watching the fire engines race down to the Academy — Denend finished the summer “I was totally taken by surprise,” he shore in San Francisco as I peeked from be- “somewhere in the middle of the pack in says of the honor. “When I found out hind the blackout screens. There wasn’t a terms of avoiding the grief from upper- who the other honorees were, and know- military tradition in my family, but the idea classmen.” Checkpoints · March 2020 · 33 Checkpoints · September 2015 · 33 "I really feel strongly about States, and that’s the president that I what goes on at the Air worked for.” Force Academy. Our service Denend served as an executive assistant to the assistant to the president for interna- academies are really a tional economics. “As an executive assistant, you see every- repository for the values thing,” he says. “You’re not really key on that make our society work any particular issue, but you end up with a wonderful understanding about what the … that make us who we are." issues are and how things come across the president’s desk.” During his year overseas, Denend re- Career Twists searched the recovery of Germany’s economy In 1975, Denend returned to his alma ma- in the years following World War II. He also ter to teach core economics courses and was involved in the study of game theory. econometrics. He also checked out in the Pilot Duty Denend returned to the states and entered pilot training at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona. “I won the academic award, I won the military award, and I won the flying award,” he reports. “I was asked if I would be interested in staying as a T-38 instructor at Williams, as opposed to taking a fighter. My family thought that was a wonderful idea, and so I did.” T-37 and flew with cadets. “Lucky made me a better cadet than I A year later, Denend also became an “One day I’m out over southern Colora- might have been on my own,” he admits. academic instructor, teaching the applied do with a cadet and a radio call says return Once the academic year began and intra- aerodynamics course and other classes. to base and land immediately,” he remem- mural competition started, Denend says he be- Denend then volunteered for duty in bers. “In all my flying experience, I’ve never came more comfortable with his role as a cadet. Vietnam and soon headed overseas. Fol- been told to return to base and land imme- By his second-class year, Denend had dis- lowing check out in the RF-4C Phantom diately … there was a phone call from the tinguished himself academically and was en- II, he completed 196 combat missions in White House.” couraged to get involved in the new gradu- Southeast Asia flying out of Udorn Royal He soon found out that fellow USAFA ate program. He would eventually apply for Thai Air Force Base. graduate Randy Jayne ’66 had recommend- a Fulbright Scholarship and was accepted. “I really enjoyed that time,” Denend ed him for a position on the National Se- “President [John] Kennedy came and recalls. “You suddenly realize that you’re curity Council (NSC) staff with President spoke at our graduation, and I soon fig- doing what you spent all this time learn- Jimmy Carter’s administration. Denend ured out that I was going to get to shake the ing. By then, I had quite a bit of time as a became the special assistant to National Se- president’s hand,” he recalls. “I’m standing in pilot, so I was more confident in mission curity Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. line and I’m ninth and I didn’t know exactly accomplishment.” “It was kind of the high point in my life,” what I was going to say.” he says. “You’re very privileged to work at The president asked Denend what his Continuing Education that level.” plans were after graduation. The new second In preparation for a faculty assignment During his time with the NSC, Denend lieutenant said he was headed to Germany. at USAFA, Denend earned a master’s in worked on three key policy issues — nucle- “It took him a little bit by surprise, business administration and a Ph.D. in ar proliferation, conventional arms trans- and he came back and very quickly said ‘I economics at Stanford University. fers and global human rights. think that’s wonderful. Air Force officers As he completed his degrees, Denend “I ended up spending a lot of time on should be educated broadly for the kind was selected as a White House Fellow. refugees,” he says. “At the time, boat people of responsibilities you’re going to have,’” “As we drove across the country from were escaping from Vietnam and ending Denend remembers. California … President [Richard] Nixon up all along the Thai Peninsula. We were “Yes, sir, and thank you,” Denend re- resigned,” Denend recalls. “So, Gerald trying to figure out what to do.” calls responding. Ford became president of the United In 1981, Denend became the Air Force 34 · usafa.org COL. (RET.) LESLIE DENEND 1963 member of the Colonel’s Staff Group — the leader of almost any organization I ever Lessons Learned serving under Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair- joined,” he smiles. “Maybe I’m competitive Denend attributes much of the success he’s man General David Jones — working on to an extreme, but that’s been a character- enjoyed to his time at the Academy. the budget and intelligence matters. istic. If it’s out there and it’s challenging … The Cadet Honor Code helped him es- He then returned to the White House for then I wanted to do it.” tablish a professional code of ethics that a third tour to serve on President Ronald With every new career challenge, Denend stayed with him his entire life, Denend says. Reagan’s economic policy staff. says his ultimate goal has always been to help “Character is more than just the idea of the business or organization he was working not lying or cheating or stealing,” he ex- Transition Time for strive for excellence.