She graduated from MTSU in December of 1997 with her B.S. Three brothers and being the only girltests you. [2][3], After flight school, Armour was assigned to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton near San Diego, California for training in the AH-1W SuperCobra. Clarence Jackson married Authurine. in Physical Education: Emphasis in Exercise Science. She graduated from MTSU in December of 1997 with her B.S. Often, we returned to our base in Kuwait with bullet holes in our helicopters. During an Army ROTC career day, the seed of becoming a pilot was planted when Vernice saw the image of a young Black female in an Army flight suit. Vernice Armour is the first African-American female combat aviator in U.S. history. Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour has been tested her whole life. And sure enough, this ambitious lady achieved it, becoming the first African-American woman to work on the Nashville Police Department's motorcycle squad. We scour the universe for the best military travel and recreation discounts to celebrate veterans and Veterans Day. Before she joined the Marines, Opha Mae Johnson worked for the Interstate Commerce Commission. She wanted to join the toughest outfit, so she called a Marine recruiter and told them she wanted to be a combat pilot, joining as an Officer Candidate in October 1998. Vernice was born in Chicago, IL in 1973, and moved to Memphis, TN after her parents divorced when she was three. [2], Armour's association with the SuperCobra attack helicopter earned her the nickname "Flygirl. Both her father and her stepfather had served in the military. First of all before she even joined the Marines she was the first African-American woman to be on the Nashville Police Motorcycle Squad, something which had apparently been a childhood dream of hers. Vernice was born in Chicago, IL in 1973, and moved to Memphis, TN after her parents divorced when she was three. In June of 1996, after a brief stint as a Nashville Sheriffs Department correctional officer, Vernice took a break from college to accept an invitation to the Nashville Police Academy. Salinas retired from the Marine Corps in 2012 after serving for 39 years and has since continued to stay active as the CEO of the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas. She completed two combat tours in the Gulf. I asked myself. While at Camp Pendleton, she was named 2001 Camp Pendleton Female Athlete of the Year, twice won the Camp's annual Strongest Warrior Competition, and was a running back for the San Diego Sunfire women's football team. She flew the AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and eventually served two tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Armour graduated from MTSU in 1997. She was also a diversity liaison officer to the Pentagon for Headquarters Marine Corps. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Levi served in the Marine Corps as a heavy equipment operator from 2007-2011. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox. Both her father and her stepfather had served in the military - Gaston Armour was a retired major in the U.S. Army Reserve, and Clarence Jackson was a former Marine Corps sergeant that served three tours in Vietnam. In my work with these clients, I pass along the values and techniques that I learned and honed in the Corps. She became the first female African-American on the motorcycle squad. She served for three years without being detected and at the end of that time was honorably discharged, at which point she resumed her real name and attire, eventually settling down to married life. In 1993, the future combat pilot enlisted in the Army Reserves and joined the Army ROTC program while at Middle Tennessee State University. Vernice Armour was born in 1973 in Chicago, Illinois, and later lived in Memphis, Tennessee. Thanks to Grahams example many other black women were able to join as well, including Annie Grimes, third to join and the first black woman officer to spend a full twenty years in service. Born in Puerto Rico, Rose Franco was a famous female Marine because she became the first Hispanic woman to make it to the rank of chief warrant officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. If anyone deserves to be on our list of famous women Marines it is Angela Salinas, the first Hispanic woman to rise to the rank of General. Vernice FlyGirl Armours story has been featured in the media including on CNN, MSNBC, The View, FOX News, Oprah Winfrey and many more, along with being a running back for the San Diego Sunfire professional womens football team and two-time title holder of Camp Pendletons Strongest Warrior Competition. She later married, thereby changing her last name to Gilliard, and has recently passed away due to illness on July 4, 2002. 1 out of both her class of 12 and of the last 200 to graduate. List of aircraft of the Malaysian Armed Forces. I had to wait until I became a decision maker in the organization and could impact the budget! After her parents divorced, Clarence Jackson married Authurine. As a Black gay woman and single mom, FlyGirl brings vital experience to her role as a member of the Forbes School of Business & Technology Board of Advisors and COMCAST/NBCUniversal Joint Diversity Council. Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour is a former police officer and America's first African-American female combat pilot who completed two combat tours in the Gulf. Her first job was as a typist at Marine headquarters in Washington D. C. and over the following two years she continued to work as a typist and also as a truck driver in both Virginia and North Carolina, a year into her enlistment marrying a fellow Marine by the name of Robert Aurthur. In 1993, while attending Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Armour decided to enlist in the U.S. Army Reserve and later entered the U.S. Armys ROTC. The first African-American female naval aviator in the Marine Corps and America's first African American female combat pilot in the United States military. In 2011, her book Zero to Breakthrough: The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter was published. [1] Afterwards, she was assigned to the Manpower and Reserve Affairs Equal Opportunity Branch as program liaison officer. How did it all start? As her newest business venture, in 2020 FlyGirl started FlyGirl Construction, a General Contracting Firm in the Atlanta, GA area. And I wanted to join the toughest outfit. [2] Afterwards, she was assigned to the Manpower and Reserve Affairs Equal Opportunity Branch as program liaison officer. In 1993, while a student at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Armour enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve and later entered into the U.S. Army's ROTC. Combat tests you. She became the Marine Corps' first African-American female pilot. Learn How rich is She in this year and how She spends money? In 1998, Armour became the first African American female to serve as a police officer in Tempe, Arizona. She became the first female African-American on the motorcycle squad. Deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, Vernice was recognized by the Department of Defense as Americas first African American female combat pilot. FREE GUIDE TO MAKE BOLD MOVES & BIG DECISIONS, The Gutsy Move: 5 Tips to Navigate Challenges and Achieve Your Visions and Dreams, I saw you in person and couldnt wait to bring your high energy, high impact presentation in to my organization! Vernice flew above the deserts of Iraq in her missile-equipped attack helicopter, engaging the enemy and scouting the roads from her cockpit, making sure they were safe for her fellow Marines and soldiers on the ground. [2], Armour was born in 1973 in Chicago, Illinois to Gaston C. Armour Jr. and Authurine Armour. https://www.military.com/veterans-day/vernice-armour.html, https://www.dvidshub.net/image/618243/americas-first-female-african-american-combat-pilot, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernice_Armour. Soon that dream changed and she was entering the Marines with the goal of being a pilot. In 1998, Armour became the first African American female to serve as a police officer in Tempe, Arizona before joining the U.S. Marines as an Officer Candidate in October 1998. From there she went almost straight to a dramatics school and from there to Broadway where she made her mark on the world as a famous actress. She completed two combat tours in the Gulf. Streeter became the first woman to become a Major in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1943, and was also the first director of the Marine Corps Womens Reserve. VERNICE ARMOUR: My thoughts on those that came before is I'm standing on their shoulders. Earning her wings in July 2001, Armour was not only number one in her class of twelve, she was number one among the last two hundred graduates. She received her first pony as a gift on the Christmas day . Gaston Armour was a retired major in the U.S. Army Reserve, and Clarence Jackson was a former Marine Corps sergeant that served three tours in Vietnam. As a gay, Black woman she brought valuable personal experience to her work, driving diversity policy for a 200,000 personnel organization. With the aviation seed in full bloom, Vernice was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps on December 12, 1998, and on her way to flight school. Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, "First Black female pilot honored in memory of Bessie Coleman", "Vernice Armour, 1st black female combat pilot, serves in Persian Gulf as family copes", "Black Female Pilot Breaks Racial, Gender Barriers", "Zero to Breakthrough: The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter: Vernice Armour: Amazon.com: Books", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vernice_Armour&oldid=1088417067, African-American female military personnel, United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War, Female United States Marine Corps personnel, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Zero to Breakthrough(TM) Expert, professional keynote speaker, law enforcement officer, This page was last edited on 17 May 2022, at 21:59. I had no interest in the military. Her grandfather was a Montford Point Marine, the first . After her parents divorced, Clarence Jackson married Authurine. She completed two combat tours in the Gulf. [1], Commissioned a Second Lieutenant on December 12, 1998 Armour was sent to flight school at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas and later Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. She went on to attend college at Middle Tennessee State University and enlisted the the U.S. Army Reserve and then the ROTC. Some even made history doing it, like former Marine Capt. She made the Naval Air Stations prestigious Commodores List, received the Academic Achievement Award, was the top graduate in her class, and went on to make history as the Marine Corps first African American female pilot. in Physical Education: Emphasis in Exercise Science. All rights reserved. Her incredible journey - from police department to the Marines and becoming America's first Black female combat pilot - was filled with challenges, adventures, successes, and ultimate triumph. You clearly understood what our objectives were and worked collaboratively with our media team to setup the event and get the most out of the material and delivery. racism, and I said people have tension all the time, whether you're married and you have an argument with your spouse or one of your friends, tension . However, that has since been revised to allow women to choose any MOS (IE jobs) they would like, including Combat MOS like infantry. Armour graduated from MTSU in 1997. Williams, Lance Cpl. What clients are saying. While there she was Camp Pendletons Female Athlete of the Year and two-time titleholder in their Strongest Warrior Competition. What changed my mind was a flier offering a free trip to the Mardi Gras for anyone who joined the Army ROTC women's rifle team. Shauna Upp Pellegrini & Upp A Tree Photography, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Mother-Daughter Duo Spotlight Black Women Who Made History With Powerful Photography Project. Armour was born in 1973 in Chicago, Illinois to Gaston Armour Jr. and Authurine Armour. [1] She graduated in December 1996 and later became the first woman of color on the Nashville Police Departments motorcycle squad. Discover Vernice Armour's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. In 1998, Armour became the first African American female to serve as a police officer in Tempe, Arizona before joining the U.S. Marines as an Officer Candidate in October 1998. 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