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One of the select few to qualify for and successfully complete Navy SEAL training, Anthony Lanzillotti embarked on an illustrious career that spanned 37 years and included five deployments, tours of duty in 10 countries and an assignment at the Pentagon.
The older of two children, Anthony Lanzillotti was born in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago to Carmen and Ann (Corbin) Lanzillotti. The family moved from the North Side to Deerfield, where Lanzillotti grew up. His great-grandparents emigrated from the Calabria and Abruzzo regions of Italy.
Lanzillotti’s father, proprietor of Carmen’s Restaurant in Edgewater, worked six days a week. Sunday was his only day off and the family spent it together. “It was church, sports and a big dinner,” Lanzillotti says.
The family gathered with Lanzillotti’s paternal grandfather, aunts, uncles and cousins in Berwyn for every birthday and holiday. Lanzillotti notes that Uncle Joe served as mayor of Berwyn from 1981 to 1993, in addition to being one of the founders of the Italian American Civic Organization of Berwyn. Lanzillotti’s father, Joe’s twin, eventually opened Count Braciole Restaurant in Berwyn.
Lanzillotti graduated from Holy Cross Grade School, Deerfield High School and St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education.
A college buddy enlisted in the Navy and asked Lanzillotti to accompany him to the office to verify his signature. “I knew he was kind of lying to me and this was a recruiting pitch,” Lanzillotti says. “I said, ‘I’m not joining the Navy or any military but I’ll go with you as your friend.’”
A recruiter asked Lanzillotti if he was interested in any programs and he replied, “No, not really.” Further questioning revealed he might be interested in Special Forces, and he was handed a pamphlet on the U.S. Navy SEALs. “I was immediately interested and the following week I joined the U.S. Navy,” says Lanzillotti.
In 1985, Lanzillotti enlisted for four years active and two years inactive. He attended Boot Camp at Great Lakes, followed by Corpsman “A” School. He volunteered to become a U.S. Navy SEAL and was only one of 10 to pass the SEAL/Diver Physical Screening Test. He then received orders to attend Basic Underwater Demolition School in Coronado, California.
He graduated in Class 140 from the rigorous six-month training in November 1986; only 20% of the participants passed the course. Lanzillotti explains that he didn’t join the U.S. Navy to be on a ship. His goal was to be a part of the SEAL Teams. “That was my calling,” Lanzillotti says. “I had the mindset going in that I wasn’t going to quit, unless I got terribly hurt.”
Lanzillotti completed Army Jump School in Fort Benning, Georgia, and was assigned to Seal Delivery Vehicle Team 2 in Little Creek, Virginia, serving as Corpsman for his platoon. He was appointed to the Dry Deck Shelter (DDS) for submersible submarines, training in Virginia and Puerto Rico to do underwater missions. “I was launching submersible submarines off of a submarine for Navy SEAL Special Operations,” says Lanzillotti.
A Seal Delivery Vehicle is a miniature submarine able to carry up to eight SEALs. “They launch off the DDS into the water undetectable and complete their mission,” Lanzillotti says.
The launch preparation process can take up to eight cold, dark hours underwater as pressure in the DDS is equalized. “It was very arduous and that’s the kind of person they’re looking for, who can withstand this sort of stuff,” Lanzillotti says. “That’s the whole idea of SEAL training, to see who can be able to withstand the harsh elements.”
Lanzillotti completed his active-duty commitment in 1989 and joined the U.S. Navy Reserves in May 1991 while attending the University of Illinois at Chicago and graduating with a master’s degree in exercise science.
The young college graduate who had no intention of joining the Navy ended up with a successful career in the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserve, spanning nearly 37 years. Lanzillotti served five deployments, four overseas and one in Coronado, California. His tours of duty took him to 10 countries: Thailand, South Korea, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Germany.
Lanzillotti began his U.S. Navy Reserve commitment assigned to SEAL Team 8 Reserve Unit at Great Lakes and was direct commissioned as Ensign in 1993. He earned a second bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from UIC in 1996 and worked as a physical therapist while assigned to the SEAL Reserves.
In 2004, Lanzillotti transferred to Naval Special Warfare Headquarters Support 1 (OST-1) in Coronado, California, after SEAL Team 8 Reserve Unit was decommissioned. He deployed to the Middle East for one year in 2005, stationed with Naval Special Warfare Unit 3 (NSWU-3) in Bahrain as an Assistant Operations Officer. In Qatar, Lanzillotti served as the NSW Liaison Officer to the Combined Forces Special Operations Component Commander. As the Task Unit Manda Bay Commander in Manda Bay, Kenya, he coordinated Kenyan Maritime Interdiction Operations for the Kenyan Navy, Wildlife Service and National Police Personnel, while providing operational and logistic support for more than 600 personnel and six combatant crafts in support of Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Horn of Africa.
Upon his return, Lanzillotti reported back to OST-1 and served as the Executive Officer from 2006-2009. In mid-2009, he mobilized for six months to serve as the Command Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula, Night Joint Operations Center Director, Camp Syverson Balad, Iraq. Leading a staff of more than 20 officers and non-commissioned officers, he coordinated operations and logistics for a force of 2,600, providing situational awareness and understanding of the operational environment, which helped commanders make decisions affecting future military strategy in Iraq and throughout the U.S. Central Command Theater. Lanzillotti worked with intelligence and legal personnel, calling for assistance and air support when necessary, as well as informing the generals of the situation. “I had to communicate with all different entities as a director at night during operations,” he says. Lanzillotti also compiled nightly situation reports. “These reports tell you on maps who’s where, doing what, and how many bad guys were captured or killed,” he says.
The atmosphere was intense as Lanzillotti and his team watched the turmoil unfold. “I was proud to be there,” he says. “Not too many people have an opportunity to do something like that.”
Lanzillotti then deployed again to Kenya for one year, serving at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi as the Special Operations Forces Liaison Element between the military and State Department. He coordinated all Special Operations Forces Theater Security Cooperation-related activities with the Embassy Country Team, Kenyan Ministry of Defense and other Department of Defense organizations. He was key to establishing the Kenyan Special Boat Unit and Ranger Strike Force.
Lanzillotti then completed tours as Commanding Officer for SEAL Team 17 in Coronado, California, and Seal Team 18 in Little Creek, Virginia, before being selected to work at the Pentagon National Military Command Center (NMCC) supporting the Chief of Naval Operations in OPNAV N3/N5.
All military personnel who are injured or killed are tracked, as are ships throughout the world that are involved in any mishaps, with that information being given to the NMCC. “We were part of doing all the data collection and monitoring of Navy operations worldwide, and coordinating this information with the chain of command at the Pentagon,” Lanzillotti says.
After his assignment at the Pentagon, Lanzillotti remained with Seal Team 18 and was selected as the Commanding Officer for NSW Task Force 18 preparing operational-level Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force battle staff C2 forces in support of the Geographic Combatant Commander’s requirements. He then deployed to Coronado at Headquarters, Naval Special Warfare Command, for a six-month tour. Lanzillotti was an Action Officer for the Admiral in charge of all the SEALs. As such, he collected weekly situational reports from the Group and SEAL Team commanding officers. “We would put all this information together and create a weekly report that the Admiral would use for planning, strategic messaging and actions,” he says.
Next, Lanzillotti was appointed for a one-year tour in Kuwait as Deputy Commander of Sustainment for Special Operations Joint Task Force-Levant, going after ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The Task Force included Jordan, Lebanon and Israel. “We had communication throughout all five countries and we were in charge of anything that involved our guys going after ISIS,” he says.
Lanzillotti’s leadership and expertise enabled the “planning, resourcing and sustainment of more than 480 operations while reducing ISIS leadership, finance and recruiting capabilities,” he explains. “It’s just working sustainment, whatever the situation happened to be.”
He returned to the States and after one year retired in October 2022 as Captain. Lanzillotti and his wife, Susan Kangas, have three children. He is part-owner of the clinic FYZICAL in Gurnee, where he is a physical therapist specialist in neurological and orthopedic therapy.
His favorite assignment was working for the Admiral in Naval Special Warfare Command. “You’re looking through the lens and you could see everything, how all operations of Navy SEALs are occurring,” Lanzillotti says. “It just gave me a lot more visibility and understanding of how the SEALs were being used and what the strategic plans were for future operations.”
Lanzillotti received numerous awards and medals during his military career. Among those were Defense Superior, Defense Meritorious (2) and Defense Meritorious Service.
Reflecting on his military career, Lanzillotti says, “It was just a great experience serving my country, something that I had a passion to do.”
The article above appears in the May 2025 issue of the print version of Fra Noi. Our gorgeous, monthly magazine contains a veritable feast of news and views, profiles and features, entertainment and culture. To subscribe, click here.
