Another First

Gagram Air Base, Afghanistan – January 5, 2006 – The first woman to head a U.S.Air Force fighter squadron recently took her A-10 unit into combat. Lt. Col. Martha McSally became the first female in the Air Force to fly in combat in 1994. Just over a decade later, she is the first female to lead an entire unit into combat. McSally said she was honored by the opportunity, but predicted other females would soon follow, according to Aero-News.net. “I realize I’m the first female given that opportunity, but that is only because most of the female fighter pilots are still lieutenants, captains and majors since women have only been flying fighters since 1993,” she said. "There will be plenty more female squadron commanders in combat aviation in the future. That being said, I realize it is a milestone for our country and I am humbled to be the first." The 354th Squadron, known as the “Bulldogs,” has 22 A/OA-10 aircraft and 55 pilots and crewmembers performing combat, search-and-rescue and other missions. The squadron is located at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. The colonel said the women in today's U.S. Air Force are vital to the success of the ongoing Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). "We could not fight this war without them," McSally said. "Women make up more than 14 percent of the active-duty military, and in support of GWOT, women warriors of all services have been fighting and contributing bravely alongside their male teammates." This isn’t the first time that McSally has made headlines. In 2001, she sued the Pentagon over a policy that forced military women in Saudi Arabia to wear Muslim cloaks called abayas when they were off base. The Supreme Court sided with her. About Martha McSally •She is the youngest of five children and grew up in Warwick, Rhode Island. •Her father died of a heart attack when she was 12. Her mother subsequently became a reading specialist to support the family. •McSally graduated at the top of her class at St. Mary's Academy Bayview in 1984 and was awarded a scholarship to the U.S. Air Force Academy. •She graduated from the academy in 1988, and began studying for a master’s degree from Harvard University’s School of Public Policy. •When the Defense Department opened the cockpit to seven women in 1993, McSally was among them. She had to get a waiver to fly because at 5-feet 3-inches, she was one inch under the regulation height. Learn More The Aero-News Network The United States Air Force Lt. Col. Martha McSally. Photo Credit: AP Photo

Lt. Col. Martha McSally. Photo from: Hargrave – The Pioneers In 1994, Lt. Col. Martha McSally became the first woman to pilot a combat aircraft into hostile military airspace. She flew an A-10 attack aircraft, such as the one above, into the no-fly zone over Iraq. (USAF photo by SSgt. Greg L. Davis) Lt. Col. Martha McSally accepts the 345th Fighter Squadron flag from Col. Steven Ruehl, 355th Operations Group commander, during a 2004 ceremony at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Photo by Aaron J. Latham / Arizona Daily Star. Lt. Col. Martha McSally, from the 354th Fighter Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz, fires an AGM-65 Maverick missile during a Weapons System Evaluation Program mission. McSally is the first woman to participate in a WSEP at Eglin AFB, Fla. Photo Credit: MsgtDerek “BO” Harris. From: www2.acc.af.mil/gallery/images/eglin/fi/00000000.htm

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