Lieutenant Colonel USAF. He would be the only applicant to be considered for MOL Group 1 and Group 2/3. He studied at the University of Pittsburgh until 1956, graduating with a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering. Received his Air Force pilot wings in 1957, followed by fighter gunnery training in the F-86 Sabre Jet. While serving at Schilling AFB, Kansas, he applied for and was accepted into the Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS) at Edwards AFB, California. On his return from Vietnam in the fall of 1968 he served in the Test Operations Division at Edwards. Later he was selected to replace the colonel as the Deputy Program Manager for Logistics (DPML) at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Next Tonini was then hired by The Boeing Company as an Engineer and Logistics Specialist.