Interesting that all of the women profiled for this piece are white when the military is known for being diverse. How have the struggles of women of color differed?
6
The common thread in all of these stories, as others have said, is the energy spent trying to fit in and not draw attention to themselves. What this means is that they were simply tolerated in a man's world.
8
It's worth noting that women did fly during WWII. Check out the history on the Women Air Service Pilots (WASP). I am not sure if the author was aware of the contribution these women pilots made.
Over 25,000 women signed up to join the WASPs and only 1074 earned wings. The WASPs flew over 60 million miles in every aircraft the Air Force had: small trainers, B-26s, B-17s, UC-78s, P-51 fighters, and the B-29 Super Fortress. By the time the WASPs were disbanded on December 20, 1944, 38 of the pilots died in airplane crashes. The first B-29 flight by the WASP’s was to show men who balked at flying it that this was a plane “even women could fly.”
26
What about Kara Hultgreen?
She was the first female carrier-based fighter pilot in the US Navy. Her career and death were very controversial.
7
Heck, any enlightened person knows women can drop bombs on unsuspecting
civilians just as effectively as men.
3
It would have been good if this story about women military pilots had included a Latino or African American female. This would have shown the rainbow of Americans serving their country and a great example for young girls of color.
4
Why anyone would think that the ability to fly a high performance aircraft has anything to do with gender is mind boggling and can only be rooted in prejudice.
As far as flying commercially for me...just put the most talented person in the front seat.
12
Why the omission of Kelly Flinn?
Just wondering.
https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/22/us/air-force-chief-has-harsh-words-fo...
2
There is no one cockier than and few as sexist as a male fighter pilot. That's why all these highly skilled, daring, exceptional women "kept their heads down."
I've always wondered how the 6.5 percent do it, not the flying part; the hostile environment part.
13
In this context, it's worth noting the "Mercury 13" female astronaut candidates of the early 1960's. A documentary was just released about their story. Essentially, they were female pilots who passed all the tests undergone by male astronauts, but of course the political climate of those days "prohibited" female astronauts. "Putting a man in space" was the primary objective.
9
A wonderful piece to confirm for all time that true nerves of steel need not come sheathed in testosterone.
17
As the US didn't begin training combat pilots until 1993, the Soviet Union formed 3 regiments of women combat pilots that flew night missions and the Germans called them Nachthexen or night witches.
Yekaterina Budanova and her close friend Lydia Litvyak were both Air Aces that perished in combat in defense of their homeland in service of the 586 Fighter Regiment. Budanova was shot down by German ace Emil Bitsch of JG-3 fighter wing.
12
Some years ago I was on a flight with a female cockpit crew and a male cabin crew. I was thinking how far we've come and how far we have yet to go. One of the best "sticks" I know is a woman. Teach you daughters to reach for the sky and learn to fly.
18
I did a Captain upgrade course paired with an excellent pilot who happened to be a woman. Her flying skills and systems knowledge were excellent; she was probably better prepared for the course work than I was. We both had a lot of hours as First Officers on the DC-9.
We went on later to train on Airbus 320s, but I had a First Officer for my 320 conversion course.
5
When I personally saw the women going thru the exact same training and difficulties we were going thru in training and in the field, whatever concerns about toughness anyone whispered on the sly disappeared and were quickly recognized for the hogwash it was. For all of you who are uninformed, welcome to the world, and salute the rank and the person performing it. Any additonal words are an insult to the medals, decorations, awards, rank, and achievements assembled, and the risks they represent.
30
Kudos to these women, we need more of them. Consciously or unconsciously cutting anyone (male, female, purple people eaters) out of a role because of their inherent traits (chromosome, skin color, personal preferences for cannibalism (I kid, I kid)) is at best ludicrous. And at worst, blatant discrimination. I am glad to see the armed forces now truly welcoming (with little subconscious or conscious bias) women into the fold.
But, as someone who is high up in a male dominated field (IT Consulting) 'keeping your head down' and doing your work is not necessarily the best way to succeed. If you simply want to do your job and stay in your current position, then heads down will suffice. If you truly want to succeed in your job, be seen as a leader, as move up the ranks, you must be savvy enough to understand that in our US culture (and in most US workplaces), you must ensure that those around and above you are aware of your value. Do you have to be a swaggering idiot and overconfident? No. But you must refuse to be overlooked. And for women, that often means speaking up more, clearly communicating your history of strong delivery, and that you want more. Not asking for more as a favor, but asking for more because you have proven your worth and are ready for more responsibility. And that type of behavior is best learned as a child...but adult women can learn it to. And learn it we must, if we want a seat at the table'.
29
The the Military services have three tiers of professional schools for officers. Officers can claim credit for completion via correspondence courses, local seminars or by attendance. Since I retired from the Air Force, I describe the Air Force schools. For junior officers, there is Squadron Officer School. I attended the course in 1965, when the duration was 14 weeks. All such Air Force schools are located at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Alabama. I had over 900 classmates of which just one one was female. When I attended Air War College for senior officers, a ten month course in 1973-74, 360 classmates, zero females. When I stationed at HQ Air Weather Service in 1977, we had all female aircrews flying weather recon missions into typhoons in the Pacific. When the Air Force sent me to MIT in 1962, I took a course in aerodynamics taught by a female TA named Sheila Widnall. She became the first female in MIT’s history to be awarded tenure as an engineering professor. During the Clinton era, she became the first female Secretary of the Air Force. We now have females of four star rank in all the services. All I can say is, “You’ve come a long way, Baby, and it was well deserved and long overdue”.
32
Why was no more than one person killed when the Southwest Airlines engine broke apart? Tammie Jo Shults, a woman with "nerves of steel," who had served her country as a military pilot.
I always feel better when the plane is being flown by a veteran and not a pilot from a for-profit school - no matter the gender.
I must say, Ms. Shults' photograph looks like a composed still from the movies. She's a pilot, a veteran, a hero, and a lady.
25
It took 20 years of advocacy for these women to even get their shot as pilots. Hearing their comments about isolation, lack of mentors, excessive modesty about their accomplishments (the complete opposite of men), and the stupid things people said to these fearless women, reminds me of why we need the #me too movement. The deck is still stacked against women (6.5% pilots when women are 51% of the population. "Me too" may be about sexual exploitation but it has brought to light societal inequities for women and how power is wielded by men.
18
I am not surprised at all. The most sucessful fighter pilot in the history, Eric Hartman, was taught how to fly by his mother.
15
I am proud to list myself among the troglodytes who still believes that women have no business serving in active combat roles in the military.
4
Why?
2
Can you explain why?
1
Do not forget Marie Rossi - ch47 pilot who was killed flying missions in Iraq in 1991.
9
Marie Therese Rossi Cayton
Major, United States Army
3
Another that should be Mary Louise Jorgensen. Joined the USN in 1972 and became the 2nd woman to be qualified flying jets and the first woman to be carrier qualified in an F-14. She couldn't fly in combat but she could ferry planes out and be an instructor. I've also heard she could hold her own in mock dogfight.
12
I am a little surprised that Kelly Kennedy missed to mention Kara Hultgreen
"REVLON" - she was actually the fist female F-14 pilot. Here's Kara's story:
Kara Hultgreen - Lieutenant US Navy - was the first female carrier based fighter pilot - on October 25, 1994 - she was killed just a month after she was certified for combat. When her F-14 A Tomcat - BuNo 160390 - crashed into the sea on final approach to the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN - 72) - at the time REVLON found herself overshooting the center line - attempted to correct her approach by yawing the aircraft - the left - hand engine suffers a compressor stall and lost power. She aborts landing and selects full AFTERBURNER. The situation worsens. This, combined with a high angle of attack, caused an unrecoverable approach turn stall and rapid wing - drop to the left. The RIO in the rear seat initiated ejection as soon as it was apparent that the aircraft was becoming uncontrollable. First in the automated ejection sequence the RIO survived. However, by the time Hultgreen's seat fired 0.4
seconds later, the plane had rolled past the horizontal. She was ejected into downwards, into the water and was killed instantly. The only remains found was her smashed helmet. On November 12, 19 days after the crash, the Navy recovered her and her boy, still strapped to her ejection seat. She was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
12
Although not a political supporter of Martha McSally ( R.AZ) I was surprised she was omitted from this list. She was the first Commander of a USAF Fighter Pilot squadron, and served in Iraq.
14
Are the women who have served as military aviators really a "sisterhood"? They are clearly a small and exclusive group who have distinguished themselves in a formerly all-male field. But do the men who have won the Nobel Peace Prize constitute a "brotherhood"? You would have to ask them. And similarly you should ask Capt. Shults whether she considers herself a "sister" before you bestow an ideological title on her.
4
Bless them all. They are all heroes.
5
I am impressed by fighter pilots of any gender. It is not the “role” of DOD to make them more well known. That’s why we have Hollywood, PR agencies and The NY Times.
1
Hey - women did a great job in other supposedly male areas. We had some of the first women in our Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician class. They were great - they knew their stuff, they knew how to lead, and they shut up all the naysayers.
That was 1981.
I am proud of the fact that for all its faults, the military has done the right things to include all.
21
I’ll get up and celebrate when women are forced to sign up for the draft. Until then, borrowing a bit of parlance, stow it.
1
That's not any woman's fault. More so each day, I regret that the US does not have a national service requirement or at least strong inducements to national service for all young Americans. (Full disclosure: I was drafted when I graduated college in 1966, attended OCS, and served in the US Air Force for 4 years and two months.) My 75 years on this Earth strongly suggests that individual young women would serve just as well as any young man, and that the equal opportunity for both sexes would enhance our military.
6
I have a female cousin who flew cargo planes in Afghanistan. That too was a very dangerous job. Its pretty dangerous landing a cargo plane when you know that enemy rockets may just ring the runway. I am very proud of her. We are finally getting to the point that we accept that there are no professions that women can't excel at.
11
Snow storms and female commercial pilots: In the late 90's, grounded by a snow storm in Cincinnati, I found myself sitting next to a female captain in a coffee shop. We started chatting and I told her that I was in a predominantly female profession and wondered how it was on the other side of the street. She told me how hard she had to work to get where she was. Ever since, I've always felt a tad more comfortable when a female captain's voice comes over the intercom. Rightly or wrongly, I think her gender is in some way a proxy for excellence in that position.
In the early 2000's, flying from Dallas to Boston on a late snowy (in Boston) Friday, during the flight we had been getting updates from the male pilot who was second in command. When it turned out that Boston was so snowy that they asked us to make a long circle out over Massachusetts Bay while they did some more plowing, the female captain's voice gave us that information. A male in the seat behind me: "There's a woman flying this plane??!! His female companion: "Calm down. She got us this far, hasn't she?" As you may have guessed, we did just fine.
15
I support equal rights and opportunity but the error of identity politics is seeing the fact that women can be mass murderers and bombers too as progress.
No one sees that as progress. Mass murderers and bombers are not individuals that any group of people would want to claim as their own.
Why do some people insist that equal rights and opportunity be called "identity politics"? Shouldn't all people have equal rights and opportunity? The only "identity" that these entail is membership in the human race.
2
Where’s the part about Amy McGrath running for senator in Kentucky?
What a strange omission in an article about women trailblazers.
2
I pointed it out in my post ,................. and now we can add Mikie Sherrill from New Jersey and Elaine Luria to the list of USNA grads running for Congress.
1
P.S Amy is running got the House seat.
1
Geez! And I thought war was a guy thing.
Has anyone asked (or published} her pay and working hours?
1
How about publishing the pay of her male peers? Let's find out if female pilots, like the rest of working females, are being discriminated against in wages.
1
I understand the desire to not be denied opportunity, but is aspiring to rain death and destruction other human beings a truly progressive activity?
1
Nobody, male or female, joins the military because they want to kill other human beings. They join the military to defend their country. They come from all races, religions, ethnic groups, and political persuasions, and they deserve our gratitude for the sacrifices they make for us and the nation.
3
You forgot Kara Hultgreen. She was the first female carrier combat certified naval aviator. She died in a landing crash. According to public reports, the best explanation is an engine stall followed by a misread from landing signal officers. My understanding is the LSO thought she was slow and signaled for acceleration. With a stalled engine, Hultgreen spun out and crashed into the sea. Sad mistake but Hultgreen was also a landmark in female aviation.
4
You sound like you may be former Navy. So, let's mention Carey Lorenz. I know that both were certified Tomcat and although Lorenz may have first been NAS based in Texas, she too was in a carrier squadron during her flying days.
5
Bravo Zulu to them all!. Just for the record, Amy McGrath is running for Congress in her Kentucky district. If you want honor, courage and commitment, let's elect her. Of this I am certain. The first female President of the United States will be a graduate of the Naval Academy. I want to stick around long enough to see it.
8
Thank you for this article. These women are titans. Full stop.
7
In any culture, humans fulfill their designated roles. 'Woman', 'wife', 'mother' are cultural roles, described in modern American English with Anglo-Saxon terms that go back to the husbandry needs of pre-Norman England.
Pilot, navigator, bomber, flyer, fighter, warrior are also designated roles. They transcend the biological sex of the person in the role.
In combat, we need highly trained warriors, loyal to each other above all, led by officers of impeccable conduct. One for all and all for one. It's a matter of honour. It's a matter of valour. It's something that a heel-spurred draft dodger and his minions could never hope to understand.
10
Response to Mr. Micocci follows. First, pervasive sexual assault and harassment still are barriers for women who may want to join the military.
Second, there are powerful cultural forces, which we label “patriarchy”—that may explain why there are more male than female pilots. Biological factors have little, if anything, to do with it. I agree that our dreams “are forged” in childhood, but they are to some degree affected by the cultural forces around us, including implicit or explicit gender biases and stereotypes. Think of the praise we lavish on boys for getting dirty, taking physical risks, excelling in sports, while girls receive constant positive reinforcement for being pretty, thin, smelling good, and behaving calmly. A boy throwing a tantrum is “strong-headed”; a girl doing the same is “hysterical.” These gender stereotypes limit the horizons of our potential by affecting our self-image and often determining from an early age what kinds of dreams we can believe in.
Girls can be teachers or nurses; boys can be astronauts or fighter pilots. I know so many men and women who discovered their gifts after 50. The lucky ones can change course later in life and meet their potential. There are also political, policies and legal obstacles that limit women’s opportunities, but perhaps that's another conversation. Thank you Mr. M for opening the discussion on this topic!
9
I have a relative who was training to become a Marine fighter pilot at about the same time Tammie Shults would have have gone into training. I recall at the time the negative comments from certain people (not him) about how these women were taking spots that could have gone to a man because they would just have kids and quit. Tammie Shults, if I recall correctly, has two children, and I bet they are enormously proud of their mom.
10
their accomplishments are commendable, but
in another era many women piloted B52s
Actually the same era. The first was Kelly Flinn, Lt. USAF.
4
When I saw the headline - "What It Was Like To Be One of the First Female Pilots," I wondered how much of the story would involve Arizona Rep. Martha McSally. I was surprised that her name didn't appear at all.
In January 1995, McSally became the first woman in U.S. history to fly a combat aircraft into enemy territory when she flew into Iraq in support of the United Nations no-fly zone enforcement.
She flew the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the "Wart Hog," an aircraft specially designed to provide close air support for grunts on the ground. It began flying in 1976. It is quite effective and many an infantry grunt was glad to see it come on the scene. (Naturally, the Air Force is continually looking for ways to kill it in favor of an inferior aircraft, the F-35.)
When promoted to Lt. Col., she became the commander of the 354th Fighter Squadron (A-10s) at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona.
In Afghanistan, under Operation Enduring Freedom, she flew combat patrols and provided close air support for U.S. ground forces.
It's unfortunate she was overlooked in an otherwise good story.
14
Not to take anything away from the extreme bravery shown by Capt. Shults and the others featured, but I scrolled the list expecting to see Lieutenant Paula Coughlin included. It would have illustrated the connection between these women's struggle to keep their jobs and get ahead and the MeToo movement of today. Or would that just have been another "distraction"?
5
Lydia Litvyak, 12 kills in WW2, killed in combat in 1943.
And that was when fighter planes didn't have assisted controls; it was all muscle.
7
This article is both thought-provoking and inspirational. I wish it were longer and the magazine's cover story.
30
100% - great topic but needs more meat!
Which is more likely to occur first: female head coach of pro sports team or President?
1
I agree totally. The pilots are so insightful and articulate that the article could easily have been four times as long and I would have gladly absorbed every word.
By the way, Amy McGrath is running for Congress in Kentucky as a Democrat and if you want to see some truly positive and inspirational campaign videos look her up on YouTube. Here’s a link to her announcement and it knocked my socks off: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pPHaW2775Bg
6
Women should have every opportunity in the military, as in all workplaces.
They should also, of course, have equal responsibility.
Currently, only our young men are required to register for the draft. If they fail to do so, they can suffer legal penalties, and also be ineligible for many state and federal jobs, grants, scholarships, etc.
And, of course, they can be required to serve in combat if there were ever the need for a military draft.
Why should these burdens be placed on only one gender?
23
Currently there is no active draft, and service in the military is voluntary.
If the law is changed, and women are required to register for selective service, I have no doubt that they will do so. There is universal military service in Israel, and Israeli women have proved competent and willing, in large numbers, to defend their country. I believe American women would do no less.
1
As a male private pilot who places supreme value on fairness and really wanted a woman president (not a sexist, really), I've been bewildered by the low participation of women in flying. By various accounts, the percentage of pilots who are women was comparable in the 1930's...mid to high single digits. And I've heard from several women in the field that there are no barriers any more...in fact, women are usually welcomed with open arms. You cannot find an ad for a flight school that doesn't depict a high representation of women.
It seems it's not just a matter of opportunity or environment...there are other differences between a broad section of each gender, even if they don't apply to every individual. For many, it starts when you're a kid...what toys did you choose to play with? Who looked up to watch when a plane flew over?
I've seen similar numbers in motorsports. A common thread; a passion to master a machine in a feat of derring do. Corny, yes, but that's really about all there is to both activities, different as they are. Apparently, this is a bigger deal for X% of boys than for X% of girls (dreams are forged in childhood, right?).
I welcome responses from anyone who has actually thought about or has information on this subject. Perhaps there is value in understanding this that extends beyond aviation.
28
Just yesterday my not-married, thirty-something year old, daughter and I had a conversation about the positive/negatives of wearing a band on her left ring finger when traveling, for job interviews, and various social events. Of course we Googled it. Before the phrase was finished Google's algorithm completed it. It is not about her marital status, it is about our culture. Ads have nothing to do with what young women have come to understand about the culture of, what's the word I'm looking for, that puts women in a self-limiting box. "It" works your brain, becoming a subconscious toxin, at a very early age.
3
Mr. Micocci,
Let me assure you that this has nothing to do with aviation. As to thinking about, or information on, the subject of female participation in any number of activities -- including flight and race-car driving -- there is a plethora of research across a spectrum of approaches concerning gender/sex, their meanings, interpretations, the difference that difference does or does not make. If you Google "gender research" you will find treatises in every field from biology to sociology to psychology, and so forth. Ultimately, while you will form whatever conclusion is most compatible with your particular biases, blind spots, and internalized prejudices -- as is true for us all -- I assure you there is enough material available to the general public to keep you supplied with information for the rest of your lifetime. Happy studying!
1
Why don't you ask Capt Penny, who wrote her response only 4 hours before yours?
1
Thank you for a long-overdue article on these tough, courageous women.
Having gone through the academic ranks in the 80's I can hardly imagine how much better they had to be than the rest of the field to attain their goals.
20
Actually - despite what this hagiography suggests - it was the exact opposite. Many were pushed through for political reasons despite significant concerns about their abilities. It was covered by 60 Minutes among others: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DYQejO_wRQ
The good news is that the modern fighter pilot - male or female - have all been judged similarly along their training arc and the lesson was and should always be - females need to be held to exact same standards as their male peers.
1
It's refreshing to see women in all aspects of aviation and know that they are welcome. Just as I've experienced with CEOs and senior executives who are women, the largest barriers are not the capabilities of the women, but the insecurities of the men.
Many organizations, such as the Experimental Aircraft Association's Young Eagles program, purposefully seek to offer kids 8-17 a free first flight in a private aircraft. Most of the time they get the experience of controlling the plane for a few minutes. The Young Eagle pilots want to pass along the joy of flying to kids of all backgrounds.
Those 20-40 minute flights literally expand the horizon for kids - and their parents! "Wow! If I can do something this exciting for a living, I'll spend more time on math and science," is a frequent comment.
I'm a general aviation pilot whose severe myopia 50 years ago prevented any career in military or airline aviation. Demonstrably capable women would have been far more frustrated at the unfairness of merely being a different gender.
Subsequently, I've been fortunate to be around, and learn from, many female flight instructors, flight club leaders, experimental aircraft builders, aerobatic pilots, corporate pilots, military pilots and aspiring military pilots. C'mon and join the fun!
25
Outstanding article. Very inspirational.
19
A wonderful profile of these women.
Thank you.
The Southwest pilot was honored the other day by the POTUS in the Oval Office.
It was telling that she made an extra effort to showcase her fellow flight officer - a man.
Kudos to these women.
37
Like another commenter says, any male pilot would walk around, chest pumped out. We can't forget the women, even this woman, fast enough.
And it is a such a dilemma that you need to keep your head down to succeed, but I have never seen this behavior modeled by men. More often, I've seen men complaining about not having enough time, enough notice, enough help. Any women fortunate enough to get ahead in this environment is unlikely to mentor women; doing so would undermine their position.
I think as a woman, to work in a field dominated by men, just breathing the same air and being there has to be enough. To expect to be able to really expand and use your talents is too much; get in, do your job, and get out.
These strong women prove the point; they all did their jobs and got on to the next thing.
18
With all due respect (and I agree with your general direction), generalizations like "any male pilot would..." are not helpful, I think. I don't know whether this has been scientifically tested, but from personal experience - at 57, men and women, as groups, seem to have more or less the same variations of personality and interests. Most boys seem to like cars, but not all, just as most girls seem to prefer dolls, but some prefer to play with toy-cars in the dirt :)
4
“Any male pilot” you say.
Now who is being sexist?
Pot, meet kettle.
But what could they have done... if they were acknowledged in the air force and fostered to train up the next generation of exceptional female pilots? It's the military's loss and the airline industry's gain to hire these women. What a waste of talent by our military. Our military needs to do better, Stop wasting talent because of decrepit stereotypes and a macho culture.
3
Proud to have served with many competent and calm women pilots and aircrew. Including the first African American fighter pilot in the Air Force, "Lex" Kimbrell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawna_Rochelle_Kimbrell
Still, sat next to a man on a commercial aircraft about a year ago who couldn't stop laughing about "a woman pilot, har har har!" when the pilot came on to give the routine flight info.
24
You mean the first Female African American Fighter Pilot don't you. The "Tuskegee Airmen" in WWII were the first African American Air Force Pilots. They had the distinction of being the only group of American fighter pilots that never allowed an enemy fighter to shoot down any of the bombers they were protecting.
5
Okay, let's go over it again what history has taught us about this story.
1 All people should be given equal opportunity to go into any job that they want.
2-Whenever a new group goes in they prove that they can be just as good (in this case) or just as bad as the majority in there now.
What not to do is to socially engineer the profession so that everything like percents, salaries, promotions etc. etc. must be 100% equal in thought, word and deed.
If you do that you get a group of damaged, not qualified, dependent on the state welfare cases that hurt society.
This was last done after the great strides we made on civil rights in the 1960s. Extreme liberal elites in major cities built up a class of minorities dependent on the welfare state, some till this day.
I know. I witness it in NYC.
2
This is an oversimplified account of feelings, but not facts. If equal opportunity started in pre-school, many of the left-behind would be just as capable as those who were raised in a better environment. Bringing out the best in ALL people is not an "Extreme liberal" bias.
54
@Paul
By your logic, the 1.6 million US farms that receive direct payments must be severely damaged.
Our tax dollars even subsidize those large landowners, the real Cadillac Welfare Kings, based on historical harvest records of a property, regardless of whether the land is still being farmed or the owner has suffered income or yield loss.
My uncle, a college educated white conservative, never turned down that support check and was dependent upon it. Must have been the fault of extreme liberal elites in major cities, right? I know, I witnessed it in rural Wisconsin.
70
Thank you for your reply toom. Let me first say that extreme conservative bias is just as bad as extreme liberal bias.
You don't know how close you are to your opponents.
Either extreme is no good. Lincoln taught us that. He saved the union and ended slavery with moderation never losing sight of his goals. The extremes on either ends accomplished nothing today or through history.
4
I'd be interested to know how many women served as ship commanders in the Navy and Coast Guard. Similar percentages especially in vessels such as carriers, cruisers and submarines?
12
"... and whether the armed services have done enough to make the history and the roles of these women publicly known."
Good read and good timing, thank you. The Women Airforce Service Pilots' (WASP), have their 75th anniversary this Memorial Day weekend at their Sweetwater, Texas, WWII Avenger Field training base. Stories from these first female military pilots are as fresh as those within your article.
28
Enjoyed the small but moving tribute to the WASPS at the Aeronautical Museum at Pearl Harbor. They served their country proudly and with courage. Then they were cast aside. It was a bittersweet display.
5
Women in all male-dominated fields learn to keep their heads down. These pilots are tough in more ways than one. Thank you for your service and for excelling at what you love.
80
Doesn't everyone, male or female, black or white feel the need to put their head down, to fit in, to not make waves at some point?
At my job, theoretically, I am encouraged to speak my mind, to question things I don't agree with, etc. After 21 years, I see that those who put their heads down, who just do the work, who don't make waves, who don't stick out are the ones that end up with the respect of their peers and bosses. Whether this is fair or right, I don't even care anymore. I'm done speaking up and it is not because I am a woman, it is because I want to survive.
31
Years after leaving the Air Force while interviewing for a job my future boss put the list down he was asking me questions from and said "so what was it like to be one of the first women working on the flight line fixing fighter aircraft?" I so appreciated his asking me because no one had ever asked that before. It was hard work thank you very much in the 70's and 80's. Like any minority you find the that those who came after you never appreciate what you had to do to make something possible for them......
68
I think a picture of Tammy Duckworth flying her Blackhawk and a summary of her combat story would be an appropriate component of this story. Not only an early woman combat pilot, but a double amputee from combat wounds, U.S. representative and senator and, now, first senator to give birth while in the Senate. Mildly impressive I would say.
92
Thank you for this long overdue article. Almost no one in Americais aware of the work our female pilots are doing—I didn’t know and I tend to keep up with things military.
These women are not able to tell their own stories, for the reasons they give—they are in close-knit squadrons, so it is imperative for them to NOT stand out because of gender.
Big thanks!!
27
living in Pensacola Fl near Pensacola NAS since 1982, I watched the progression of women in flight training. Until recent years, it was uncommon to see more than 2 or 3 females in training in a yr period.
My friend, Brenda Robinson was the first African American pilot in the Navy.
In 1998ish I tried to produce a documentry on women in flight school and on active duty flying jets. Not one active duty female would give me an interview because they said it would cause more problems for them.
My friend, retired Capt Bob Stumpf who was the Boss on the Blue Angel Flight Demonstrations Team in the 90 s was against females in the cockpit in combat at the time.
I often wonder if Bob has changed his mind.
Trader Jon loved the fact that female pilots were growing in the military before his death in 2000.
Now, it is common to see several women in each flight training class. IT IS ABOUT TIME.
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I believe Brenda Robinson was the first female African American Naval Aviator.
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The recurring comment from all of these women? "I kept my head down."
they didn't want to call attention to themselves or the job they were doing.
In contrast: our picture of the male military pilot: Jock, braggart, Hot Dog, Look at me."
This says volumes about our perception of the ability of gender and the issue of violence we as a civilization face. When was the last time the newsnfeatured a female mass murderer??
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Women were flying in WWII...non-combat as WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots).
An article by Michael Barnes about Susie W Bain's experiences in WWII was posted in January 2015 in the Austin-American news paper. Her obituary in February 2017. Susie was also determined to 'help with the war effort' and quit college, worked to save money for flying lessons so she could qualify for the WASP trainee program.
From the article: "The last WASP class graduated on Dec. 7, 1944. Thirteen days later, the service was disbanded, with "no honors, no benefits and few thanks.” They paid their own way home, Bain confirms."
My wife introduced me to Susie Bain in 1998. Susie had landscaped her Austin home. What a lady!!! (both of them)
Thanks for the article about women pilots ... all us guys need to be more appreciative of God's second greatest gift to man....woman! (Salvation is the greatest but it is for all humankind)
John Michaels
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Thank you, John Michaels.
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I don't mean to be foolish but this is sort of a stupid story and I don't mean the article or reporting. I mean stupid in terms of the policy it discusses. Women have been in aviation and the military since the beginning. Think of the WASPS and Ninety Nines. They flew hundreds of large bombers across the Atlantic in WWII. They've been flying in huge numbers ever since. Not letting them into combat was such a huge waste of talent, training, and personnel.
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I think your calling attention to the WASPs and Ninety Nines is right on but don’t see why their not being noted makes this fine article stupid. It merely has a contemporary focus. I wish it had been much much longer, in which case devoting some column inches to that broader historical perspective might have worked.
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It is not a stupid story, and I think you missed the main point. Yes, there were female pilots playing fill-in backup roles for years, but now female participation is mainstream. We still have religious fundamentalists making the silly claim that the male must always be the patriarch based on Bronze Age fairy tales.
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