“Querer es poder...if you can dream it, you can achieve it." --Lt Col Olga Custodio, USAF (Ret.)

Custodio was the first female T-38 flight instructor at both Laughlin & Randolph AFB in Texas. (Photo: Olga Custodio)

by Liz Duca


“Querer es poder...if you can dream it, you can achieve it.” Those words speak to the core of Olga Custodio and it is a mantra that she uses to inspire those around her. The moment Olga decided that she wanted to become a military pilot it became her mission, and she was not going to take “no” for an answer.

Olga’s desire to fly began at a young age. Her father was in the Army and she has many memories of traveling around the world with her family. However, when she first attempted to become a military officer through her university’s United States Air Force (USAF) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), she was told women were not allowed into the program. A later attempt to enter through the USAF Officer Training School was also denied. Despite the obstacles that were placed in her path, Olga continued toward her goal full throttle with grit and determination. When she was 26 years old, already with a family of her own, she decided to make one last attempt to apply to USAF Officer Training School. Her three career choices on her application: pilot, pilot, and pilot. She became all three and then some.

Olga became the first Hispanic female to graduate from USAF Undergraduate Pilot Training, as well as the first female T-38 Talon Flight Instructor at both Laughlin Air Force Base (AFB) in Del Rio, Texas and Randolph AFB in San Antonio, Texas. It was during her time as a T-38 instructor that she was awarded the Headquarters Air Education and Training Command Aviation Safety Award for the superior airmanship she displayed while handling an in-flight emergency when one of her engines failed after a bird strike.

In total, Olga served 24 years in the military and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve. She flew with American Airlines, retiring with over 11,000 hours flying the Boeing 727, Fokker 100, Boeing 757 and Boeing 767. She was recognized on two occasions by the Senate of Puerto Rico as an outstanding and exemplary citizen, and as the first and only Puerto Rican female pilot in the United States Air Force and American Airlines.

Olga continues to hold a number of roles in her community to include being Vice President of the Hispanic Association of Aviation and Aerospace Professionals (HAAAP), a non-profit organization she helped found in San Antonio in 2010, Executive Director and Treasurer of the Women in Aviation International Alamo City Chapter, a member and trustee of the Order of Daedalians, and a mentor with the Aviation Explorers in San Antonio and the School of Aeronautics at the Inter American University in Puerto Rico. She is also the Director and Founder of the Ballet Folklorico Boriken in San Antonio, a Puerto Rican folk dance group since 1992. The group was founded to promote and preserve Olga’s cultural heritage in Texas and has participated in many cultural and educational events.  Boriken is the only group representing Puerto Rico in the annual Texas Folklife Festival.

   As Captain with American Airlines (Photo: Olga Custodio)

Olga Custodio’s accomplishments, like the WASP, are a true testimony to the power behind believing that your dreams can become a reality. “The WASPs laid the foundation for us, the second generation of military aviators,” said Custodio. “We are the next layer of military pilots who continue to inspire more women to know they can do and become anything they dream.”

Querer es poder!

"These women were true patriots. I am absolutely honored to follow in their footsteps." --Lt Col Kristin Wehle, USAF.

by Jess Clackum

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="650.0"] Lt Col Kristin Wehle (Photo: Capt Megan O'Rourke, USAF AETC 479 FTG/PAO) [/caption]

Lt Col Kristin "Howler" Wehle was destined to have a career in aviation. Born in Brunswick, Maine and raised in Randolph, Massachusetts, her father was a Navy pilot and her mother worked in Naval Aviation Support. Growing up around aviation and airshows greatly influenced her life...and her future. When she joined the Air Force ROTC to pay for college, it was at that moment, she realized being an aviator was what she really wanted to do in life.

After four years in the ROTC at UC-Berkeley, where she earned her BA in Physical Science, Wehle joined the Air Force on active duty, where she has served for just over fifteen years. She is a Weapons System Officer on the F-15E Strike Eagle, primarily responsible for the coordination and targeting of air-to-ground weapons.

Lt Col Wehle recently concluded her tour with the 479th Flying Training Group at Naval Air Station Pensacola, during which time she quickly upgraded to become one of the top evaluators in the 479th FTG and was an active member in a local women's mentoring group. The 479th FTG trains Combat Systems Officers (CSO) which is a rated position in the United States Air Force.  CSOs are tactical experts in their aircraft, specializing in weapon systems employment, electronic warfare operations and navigation systems. The CSO career field was previously known as the navigator position, but has evolved over the past decade to compensate for emerging threats around the globe.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="800.0"] The F-15E Strike Eagle, a dual-role fighter designed to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. An array of avionics and electronics systems gives the F-15E the capability to fight at low altitude, day/night, all weather. (USAF photo/Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon) [/caption]

She has deployed twice in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and during that time faced some unique and challenging experiences. She recalls, "My most challenging moment was taxiing past a Fallen Comrade ceremony on the airfield ramp at my deployed location in Afghanistan, and knowing it was for a soldier that I had been trying to save and had not been able to do so."

During Howler's fini-flight (a tradition where aircrew members upon completion of their final flight are met and hosed down with water by their squadron comrades, family, and friends), she and Major Alisha Earls each instructed a student on a military training low level route.  On average, the T-1 flies around 500 feet off the ground at 240 miles per hour.  The instructor's job is to educate the students on visual navigation from the front station and weapons employment and threat reactions in the rear seat of the T-1.  The T-1 is utilized at all Air Force training locations, but the T-1As at NAS Pensacola have been modified to have a CSO workstation in the back which allows them to accomplish advanced threat reactions, simulate dropping weapons, and utilize a simulated ground mapping radar to navigate.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1726.0"] Lt Col Wehle (middle) with her fini flight crew. From L-R,  Capt Mary Guzowski, 2d Lt Nyapaula Washington, 2nd Lt Sarah Graupp and Maj Alisha Earls.  (Photo: Capt Megan O'Rourke) [/caption]

Wehle, who has a Masters in Management from Colorado Techand Master of Military Operational Art, Joint Warfare from Air University, intends to spend at least twenty years in the Air Force and hopes to continue working in Electronic Warfare beyond her military career. Grateful for the opportunities she's had, she wants to be a mentor to other young women interested in science and aviation.

"I would like to teach the younger generation that you have to work hard in order to achieve your dreams. It's not enough just to dream, you have to have concrete goals and then work toward them. Don't be afraid to ask other people for information, advice, or help with working towards your objectives."

Wehle is thankful for the women in aviation fields who paved the way for her and made it possible to have a career that she truly loves.

"The WASP, the WAFS, the ATA, and the many other early women aviators are an inspiration every single day. The opportunities that I have had to serve my country and my fellow service members would not have been possible without their hard work and dedication. The lack of support that our country provided for the WASP after WWII was an absolute travesty, and I could not be happier to see them finally receiving the recognition and appreciation that they deserve. These women were true patriots, and I am absolutely honored to follow in their footsteps."

She's Got Grit: ALL FOCUS with Lt Col Tammy Barlette, Fighter Pilot and Leader

by Shannon Huffman Polson

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="332.0"] Lt Col Tammy Barlette [/caption]

When Tammy Barlette flies at 400 knots with her wingtip just three feet away from another plane, she doesn’t pay attention to her own excitement. “I’m good at compartmentalizing, and focusing entirely on the moment at hand,” says this fearless woman. “It’s easier to keep any emotion out of the cockpit.”

Learning to fly in this kind of a tight formation in the T-38, the aircraft used to train Air Force pilots on the fighter/bomber track, might have been overwhelming, and Tammy admits that at first, it was. 

“I learned to focus on each step and how I would successfully execute it,” she says. “I take things one step at a time.”

At 400 knots, her steps come more quickly than they do for most. Tammy Barlette is an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel. After growing up in the suburbs of Minneapolis, she finished high school at a local college, funded by the state, where one of her classmates encouraged her nascent interest in the military. A Navy veteran, he steered her toward the Air Force. “They treat their people better,” he told her.

When Tammy arrived as a freshman at the University of Minnesota, she headed straight to the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps office and signed up. Since then, she has never looked back.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] Lt Col Barlette with the A-10 [/caption]

In 2000, Tammy completed the Air Force Undergraduate Flight Training Program, and was stationed at Laughlin Air Force Base as an instructor pilot. She flew three assignments in the A-10, including one in Korea. The A-10 Warthog is one of the military’s most lethal weapons, excelling in close combat attacks and known for high speed runs at low-altitudes. On one of those tours, on one of her sorties, things went wrong.

 

“I was twenty five minutes into my sortie when I saw my gauges jumping around a lot,” Tammy says. “I notified flight lead that I’d have to shut an engine down.”

The last A-10 pilot who had attempted a single engine landing in Korea had been forced to eject. Tammy wasn’t thinking about that. She knew focus was key to survival, and she was focused on the single engine landing.

Tammy was closer to Kunsan than Osan, her departure base, so she called for an emergency landing while executing her emergency engine shut down.

Because of the previous pilot’s misfortune, Tammy was greeted on the tarmac with a small crowd and cheers.

“It wasn’t a big deal though,” she insists. “It was a standard single engine landing.”

One of the highlights of her time flying A-10s was friendship.

“When I went through A-10 training,” Barlette says, there was another woman, a lieutenant, in the class just ahead of mine. I followed her through, and then to Korea. She was an excellent pilot with more tactical experience than I had. We became really good friends.”

Barlette learned tactics from her fellow female pilot, and the lieutenant learned about leadership from Barlette. 

“I’d worried about serving with another woman,” said Barlette. “In some places, women can be really catty, but I didn’t find that in the fighter community at all. We were all just there to do our jobs.” In her next assignment, Barlette worked for a female squadron commander, Martha McSally, the first female Air Force A-10 pilot (now a congresswoman for the State of Arizona). 

Barlette doesn’t have any question about a woman’s abilities, but she does think men and women are different. “Women stress themselves out more than men,” she says. Women also tend to underestimate themselves, she found, but once she recognized that, she charged past it.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] Lt Col Tammy Barlette with the Reaper RPA [/caption]

After cervical spine reconstruction, a repair from an earlier flight injury, Barlette found herself grounded for a time, coinciding with her marriage and starting a family, so she transferred to an active guard unit flying the Predator and the Reaper (remote piloted aircraft or RPAs also known as drones used in reconnaissance and remote attacks). 

 

“We flew the RPAs out of ground control stations, which were literally trailers,” Barlette said, “but as soon as I found out I was pregnant, the flight docs grounded me. I asked them why, since I was just sitting in a trailer, and they said the regulations hadn’t caught up to RPA pilots, so they had to use regulations written for the tanker/support pilots.”

Frustrated, Barlette did what she had learned to do well by then: find a way to move through the obstacle. She did the background research and worked with the doctors to change the regulation. By her third trimester, she was back flying the RPAs.

“I shot twice in combat while I was pregnant,” Barlette says. “When you fly the RPAs, you can talk to the guys on the ground from the control station here in the US. After the shot, I messaged the troops on the ground that I was seven months pregnant. I’m pretty sure I might be the first pregnant women with two air to ground combat kills.”

When Barlette was five months pregnant with her second child, her leadership, not fully comprehending the intensity of the Air Force Weapons School, asked her if she was interested in applying. “The Air Force Weapons school is a grueling six month program training the instructors of instructors not only in tactics but in how to teach the tactics as well. She went home to talk to her husband who worked as a federal agent for the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Team. “You have to do this,” he said. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.” Her mom stepped in to help with childcare, too, and she started preparing for the course. 

Somewhere in the midst of her preparation, the squadron leadership was tipped off to the challenge of the Weapons Course, and called Barlette into the office. “They started questioning whether I should go,” Barlette said. “I told them they had offered, I had accepted, and I would go. No questions.”

"I left my 18-month old and 3- month old home with my husband, my mom and a nanny, and went to weapons training for the six months,” Barlette said. “It was incredibly hard to compartmentalize my work from my family, but I had to do it. There were days I couldn’t even get a text out to check in. In Weapons School, you are always doing something way over your head. They push you past your limits. Things are dynamic, and you have to be able to manage change.”

Her participation was questioned externally, too.

“There were guys from my A-10 unit who were there and knew I had very young children at home,” she said. “There were people saying “There’s no way she’ll make it through.” That just fueled my fire. It wasn't easy, but you just don’t quit.” She pauses. “I’ve always been one to ignore what people think.” It has obviously served her well.

Completing Weapons School is one of Barlette’s proudest accomplishments, though she discusses it with reserve. “I wouldn’t take it back, but I wouldn’t do it again, either,” she says. Her critics continued even after she earned her patch. “I got comments about what mother would leave her three month old for a job. No one would ever ask a man those questions.”

Tammy’s hardest lesson came in managing her career. “No one will watch out for you better than yourself,” she warns. “In the military, you transition all the time. It’s important to keep a record of all that you do and it’s your responsibility to ensure your leadership knows about it.”

Her advice to new officers and leaders? 

“Show respect for the senior enlisted corps,” Barlette says. “They are a huge asset to you. Know what steps you need to take to get to the next level of your career, and keep detailed records.” Finally, in advice that echoes across several of our interviewees: “Get your masters degree sooner than later.”

If she were talking to herself as a new lieutenant, Tammy says she would just tell herself the lesson she learned partway through her years flying the A-10: “Have confidence in yourself.”

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] Lt Col Barlette with her children. (Photo: Photo: Scrappy Doodles Photography and Design) [/caption]

Barlette learned from working with both women and men. When I first started out I’d put on my armor and go out drinking with the guys,” she says. “I’d talk like the guys, even though it wasn’t me. I quickly realized I didn’t have to do that. They didn’t want me to do that. I just had to be myself.” 

But her time working with women was more positive than she’d expected. She has relished friendships from her units as well as the informal Chick Fighter Pilot Association, or CFPA, and understanding the value of those relationships and mentoring has stood up a LeanIn circle at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas. 

“Grit is continuing toward a goal even when it’s more challenging than you had anticipated,” she says. “I don’t think of quitting as an option, and I always figure that if someone else has done it before, I can do it too.”

This strength is internal, but Barlette also credits the stories of those who have come before.

“Our society needs to place much more value on the experiences of those who have led the way,” Barlette says. As she is doing for others.

Graciela Tiscareño-Sato: Decorated Air Force Veteran, Aviator, Author, Entrepreneur, and Active Mentor to Latino Youth

From Good Night Captain Mama:

Graciela Tiscareño-Sato is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, School of Environmental Design, where she earned a degree in Environmental Design/Architecture while completing the Aerospace Studies program as an AFROTC scholarship cadet. She was commissioned as a Distinguish Graduate and second lieutenant atop the Campanile on the Berkeley campus. After Berkeley, she joined the active duty Air Force and completed Undergraduate Navigator Training at Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento. She graduated in the top 15% of her class of 25 students as the only woman in the class. She then trained in the KC-135R refueling tanker at Castle AFB in California before reporting to the 43rd Air Refueling Squadron at Fairchild AFB in Spokane.

Her first deployment was to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. On that trip, she was a member of one of the first few aircrews to patrol and enforce the Southern NO FLY Zone in Southern Iraq after the conclusion of Operation Desert Storm. Flying two or three combat sorties a day over and near the city of Baghdad to prevent Saddam Hussein’s air forces from targeting Iraqi civilians earned her crew the prestigious Air Medal.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200.0"] The USAF Air Medal for combat air ops over Iraq during Southern No-Fly Zone enforcement. (Photo: Graciela Tiscareno-Sato) [/caption]

During her military career, Graciela lived on or visited four continents and flew for thousands of hours. As an instructor, she taught GPS systems, navigation systems and more in the classroom and in the cockpit. Her favorite rendezvous for refueling was with the SR-71 Blackbird as it came out of its high-altitude missions over the Earth at supersonic speeds.

Graciela was one of very few women that served on the NATO Battlestaff in Vicenza, Italy during the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Later she led a multi-service group of communications technicians at the U.S. Embassy in Quito, Ecuador in counter-narcotics operations.  Her last mission abroad was planning and leading a two-week CAPSTONE mission to Asia Pacific theater to introduce newly – minted generals to their new posts in Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, Hawaii, Okinawa, Japan and more. She spent almost ten years on active duty as a navigator and instructor, eventually also becoming a wing contingency planning officer. During her active duty service, she earned a Master degree in International Management from Whitworth University in Washington. She speaks English and Spanish fluently.

Graciela is the Founder of niche publishing, marketing and communications firm, Gracefully Global Group, LLC. She is the author of the award-winning book Latinnovating: Green American Jobs and the Latinos Creating Them, which highlights Hispanic entrepreneurs innovating in the green economy. In between military service and entrepreneurship, she spent nine years in global marketing roles at Siemens, where she applied her military career lessons in a global, multicultural, corporate environment. Her thought leadership pieces have published in the U.S. and Europe including American Careers, Huffington Post, Fox News, Hispanic MBA, Communications News and many other publications.

Graciela is a sought-after speaker on entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership, personal branding and the "STEM of Aviation." She speaks to a wide variety of audiences ranging from young children to corporate professionals and university students.  Graciela actively mentors students needing education and career roadmaps. LATINAStyle Magazine named her “Entrepreneur of the Year” in Washington D.C. and the Business and Professional Womens Foundation in D.C. honored her in 2014 with a National Business Women's Week Award.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2x-70lcN10&w=560&h=315]

Graciela is also the author of an Amazon bestselling bilingual children's book titled Good Night Captain Mama/Buenas Noches Capitán Mamá, the first bilingual children's book about why mommies serve in the military. This ground-breaking book was honored at the American Library Association National Convention (2014 International Latino Book Awards) in the category of "Best Educational Children's Book - Bilingual." Since then, it's won awards in competitions among military writers, independent publishers and the prestigious Writers Digest Magazine (1st Place, Children's Picture Book.) Captain Mama and her children will star in a bilingual aviation travel adventure series in the years to come; the second award-winning book in the series (Captain Mama's Surprise) published in summer 2016. It won First Place in the "Most Inspirational Children's Picture Book - Bilingual" category at this month's International Latino Book Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

Read more about Graciela's work at CaptainMama.com

______________________________

FlyGirls the Series is proud to spotlight the achievements of Graciela Tiscareno-Sato.  Through hard work, commitment, and perseverance, Graciela has achieved her dreams and now she lives to inspire others to do the same. We are proud of her accomplishments and extremely grateful for all she has done to make the world a better place!

"I knew I wanted to serve something greater than myself..."

by Lt Col Christine Mau, USAF

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600.0"] Lt Col Mau at Sheppard AFB, 1999. (Photo: Christine Mau) [/caption]

I grew up interested in aviation due to family influences.  My father was a C-130 pilot in the Air National Guard, and also an airline pilot with Continental Airlines.  Additionally, my grandfather served one combat tour in the European Theater flying B-24s during WWII.  So I went to a few airshows growing up and loved them. My earliest memory of wanting to fly was when I was about 5 years old; I remember watching fighter aircraft in the traffic pattern at El Toro MCAS and telling my mom that I wanted to do that when I grew up.  According to her, she said girls couldn’t do that yet, but I only remember her telling me that girls can’t do that at all.

My interest in flying sat somewhere in the back of my mind while I played multiple sports growing up. That is, until my junior year of high school when I needed to decide on what I would do for the rest of my life.  It was then that I remembered I wanted to be a fighter pilot.  It was the only thing that made sense, and the only thing I knew I wanted to do.  Looking back, I find it interesting that I didn’t really know much about being a fighter pilot other than what I saw from watching the movie Top Gun. I knew I wanted to serve something greater than myself, I wanted a challenge and I wanted to have fun doing it.  From that moment on, I was determined to become a fighter pilot.

The Air Force Academy offered the best chance for pilot training so I applied and was accepted in the Class of 1997.  Interesting enough, it wasn’t until after I was accepted that women were even allowed to fly in combat.  The Combat Exclusion Law blew my mind as over 50 years prior, the WASP flew every aircraft the Army Air Corps had during WWII.  But, my timing was perfect as I could follow in the footsteps of women like Jeannie Leavitt (Flynn). 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="550.0"] At the US Air Force Academy. (Photo: Christine Mau) [/caption]

My first flight piloting any aircraft was during the Soaring program after my freshman year, flying sailplanes.  I absolutely loved it and the experience only strengthened my innate determination to become a fighter pilot. The next opportunity to fly was after my junior year during the Flight Screening program.  We flew the Slingsby T-3A Firefly and I performed well enough to be eligible to compete for a pilot training slot at Euro-Nato Joint Jet Pilot Training at Sheppard AFB.  At the time, it meant a guaranteed fighter so that’s where I selected to go.  There weren’t many women there at the time, perhaps just 3-4, which made it hard not to stand out.  If I had a good or bad flight, it seemed everyone knew about it.  So I learned early on that growing thick skin, ignoring those who don’t support you, and persevering was the key to success. I graduated as a Distinguished Graduate in 1999 and got my first choice of aircraft, the F-15E Strike Eagle.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="433.0"] On Deployment. (Photo: Christine Mau) [/caption]

After F-15E training I was assigned to the 492nd Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom.  I was the third woman to be assigned to the squadron, but there was still some resistance to women being there, especially from the older, dinosaur types.  I ended up being the only woman in the squadron shortly after arriving and did my best to keep my nose to the ground and persevere.  While stationed there, I deployed 3 times in support of Operation Southern Watch, Operation Northern Watch, and Operation Enduring Freedom.  It felt completely amazing to actually employ the aircraft in combat since most of what we do is train.  I dropped my first bombs on the enemy in Iraq in 2001.  To this day, some of the guys from the squadron back then still give me grief about being a girl.  However, I was blessed with wonderful leadership and had the same opportunities as anybody with similar performance.

My next assignment was instructing at the F-15E schoolhouse.  Surprisingly, there were 4 other woman instructors there at the time, and we often had classes with 2-3 women going through.  It was a rare sight to see that many women in one squadron of 70, as we only make up less than 2% of all fighter pilots and approximately 5% of all Weapons System Officers (back seaters).  It was during this assignment I started thinking about having children.  Since you cannot fly ejection seat aircraft while pregnant, this desire posed a serious challenge to my career.  At the time, the people who ran assignments didn’t really know what to do with a fighter pilot who wanted to get pregnant.  Thankfully, I had wonderful leadership who supported my wishes and helped make the assignment process work within the existing constraints. This led to my assignment to a non-flying position followed by a year of school at Air Command and Staff College (ACSC).

During these assignments, I was blessed with two amazing daughters.  I considered separating from the Air Force to provide a more stable life for my family, but I’m very glad I decided to stay in.  My children have enjoyed moving around the country every 1-3 years and I have enjoyed continuing to serve our great nation while being a mom.  Balancing work and motherhood is a continual challenge, but with the help and support of friends and family, I’ve managed just fine.

I graduated as a Distinguished Graduate from ACSC and since I had been out of the jet for almost 5 years, I was able to get back to flying the F-15E. My next assignment was to the 389th Fighter Squadron at Mountain Home AFB.  Within a few months of re-qualifying in the jet, I deployed to Bagram AB, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  Times were very busy then and we dropped a record number of bombs during the 6 month deployment.  It was sometimes the most boring, but others the most exciting, and rewarding sorties I’ve ever flown.  Hearing the words “Troops in Contact” with guns firing in the background is a sure way to spike your adrenaline.  Knowing we were protecting and defending coalition troops on the ground was very satisfying.  Despite that, being away from my children was very difficult.  Thanks to modern technology we were able to talk over video regularly and I kept myself very busy outside of those chats. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="499.0"] Taking command of the 4th Operations Support Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB, NC. June 2013. (Photo: Christine Mau) [/caption]

Following the deployment I became the Director of Operations for the 428th Fighter Squadron, which is a US flagged Singaporean squadron that flies the F-15SG.  And after about 7 months in that position, I moved to Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina to take command of the 4th Operations Support Squadron. Being squadron commander was the best job I’ve ever had.  Leading airmen toward a common goal, getting the mission done, and taking care of people is something I’m passionate about.  I am blessed to have led a squadron while flying the F-15E.  I loved every single one of my airmen like family. 





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No one cared at all about my gender.  My superiors and peers were wonderful.  Coincidentally, Jeannie Leavitt (Flynn) was my Wing Commander.  I would still get occasional comments about my airmen’s expectations of a woman commander versus reality once I took command.  I’m happy I delivered in a successful way, but a little bewildered at some of the poor expectations they had. People wondered if I would cry, be too soft, or be bitchy as a commander.  I just did my best and gave it my all. 

To my surprise, following my squadron command in 2015, I was assigned to be the 33 Operations Group Deputy Commander at Eglin AFB, flying the F-35!  I felt like I had won the lottery as I got to fly the Air Force’s newest jet and live in paradise.  Apparently, I was the first, and remain the only woman to fly the F-35 so far.  While I don’t think this makes a compelling storyline, I appreciate the fact that publishing it may encourage more young men and women to join the military and perhaps fly fighters.  And we definitely need them!

The fact of the matter is, women flew fighters over 73 years ago!  Those women, the Women Airforce Service Pilots, are true heroes.  I couldn’t begin to imagine the obstacles they had to overcome with the social norms that existed then, despite the fact that our country needed them.  Nor can I imagine tolerating the treatment they received by our government once they were disbanded.   

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="683.0"] Being mom is the best job of all!  (Photo: Christine Mau) [/caption]

I hold the WASPs in the highest regard and have had their photos on my wall since I entered the Air Force almost 20 years ago.  They have inspired me throughout my career.  I’ve been fortunate to meet quite a few of them on several occasions.  What strikes me is that despite their diverse backgrounds and lives after the WASPs, their love of their time as WASPs, each other, and aviation, is the same.  Each one of them has a spark in their eye, a flair of rebelliousness, and true grit.  I’m so thankful that my daughters have heard their stories and met some in person and developed a respect for these women. Their courage and perseverance are awe-inspiring!

 

Watch as Lt Col Mau takes her first flight in the F-35!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O18UXlE3Bxc&w=560&h=315]

Major Sean Borland, USAF (ret) believes it's time to honor the WASP for their loyal and faithful service!

by Jess Clackum

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] (Photo credit: Sean Borland) [/caption]

Major Sean Borland served 22 years in the United States Marine Corps, Army and United States Air Force. A career Military Aviator with 4,700 hours, he began his career as a Chief Warrant Officer, AH-1 Cobra Pilot and AH-64A Instructor Pilot. He continued his career in the Air Force as an MH-53J/M and CV-22 Osprey Flight Lead, Instructor Pilot and Weapons Officer. Sean served overseas in the Army with two Korea tours and in the USAF with multiple combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He currently flies an EC-145 for Memorial Hermann Life Flight in Houston, Texas.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] (Photo credit: Sean Borland) [/caption]

Maj Borland believes the WASP story is an important part of our history:

"It is essential and long overdue to tell the story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). The evolution of American military air power is incomplete without bringing to life the selfless service these pioneering female aviators provided to our great nation.

The sheer determination of these women is amazing. 25,000 women applied for the WASP program, 1,900 were accepted and only 1,074 earned their wings. They dealt with poor living conditions, the danger of flying early mass produced airplanes, discrimination, and limited or no benefits. However, despite all this, they showed that hard work, determination and skill aren’t gender specific.

The WASP flew some of the most difficult aircraft to fly like the B-26 Marauder and the most dangerous missions towing targets for anti-aircraft artillery.

I’ve had the good fortune as a career military aviator to serve with female combat aviators in Attack Helicopters and Special Operations aircraft. These modern day warriors are equally as capable as their male counterparts and a living testament to the dogged determination of the WASP to carve out a place for women in military aviation.

I’m the father of two daughters and have shared the WASP story with them. I’d love to see the WASP stories told to honor their loyal and faithful service to our great nation."

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400.0"] Sean Borland and daughter Hannah in the Collings Foundation UH-1E (Photo credit: Sean Borland) [/caption]




[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400.0"] The Borland girls and UH-1E 153762 (Photo credit: Sean Borland) [/caption]

Thank you Major Borland for your long and dedicated service to our country and thank you for your support for the WASP, women aviators, and FlyGirls Series!

Former Senior Enlisted Leaders From the Five Branches Come Together To Help Veterans!

by Jess Clackum

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] Jack L. Tilley, 12th Sergeant Major of the Army, Alford L. McMichael, 14th Sergeant Major, US Marine Corps, James L. Herdt, 9th Master Chief Petty Officer of the US Navy, Frederick J. Finch, 13th Chief Master Sergeant of the US Air Force, Vincent W. Patton III, 8th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard. (Photo credit: Pinnacle Five, LLC) [/caption]

Pinnacle Five, LLC is a group of five senior enlisted military leaders dedicated to taking care of military veterans and their families.Pinnacle Five's leadership consists of five men with 165 years of combined military experience:

Their mission is to help veterans and their families transition to civilian life productively by educating the public about the value of hiring veterans and gaining corporate commitment to provide jobs, housing, and mentoring for veterans/families; serving as a bridge between the Veteran community and resources available to them.; and strengthening citizenship by connecting corporate support and veterans in educational outreach targeted to schools where we prepare kids to be citizens.

On the importance of their mission, Vince Patton says,

"The most important thing we can do is help Veterans realize their value in the commercial world.I can say from personal experience that one of the most important stages in the life of a service member is their transition out of uniform and into the civilian sector.

Business needs a seat at the table with Congress, the Departments of Labor, Veterans Affairs and Defense in delivering a responsive, innovative 21st Century solution to our transitioning service members.

Now we have an agenda. We've got to get inside the heads and hearts of Veterans and show them what they're worth. We have to help them translate the valor of their service to the ability to lead in their business lives and careers."

Check out the amazing work they do at pinnaclefive.com