The First Women To Fly Combat Missions For The U.S.

In November 1994, Aviation Week sent Defense Editor Dave Fulghum to Saudi Arabia to report on U.S. efforts to secure airspace in response to a buildup of Iraqi forces near the Kuwaiti border. But his story did not zero in on another historic development that was quietly unfolding: On Nov. 15, 1994, a female fighter pilot flew a combat mission for the U.S. for the very first time.

A report out in Smithsonian’s Air & Space magazine talks to that woman—U.S. Navy Lt. Kimberly “Face” Dyson—and four others who followed her. Dyson was soon joined by fellow F/A-18C pilots Lt. Sharon “Pinto” Deegan (Cummins at the time) and Lt. Junior Grade Joy “Trigger” Dean (Adams at the time); Grumman E-2C Hawkeye pilot Lt. Lisa “KP” Kirkpatrick; and Sikorsky SH-3 helicopter pilot Lt. Lynne Fowler.

Serving on the first U.S. aircraft carrier to operate with a gender-integrated crew, the USS Eisenhower, these women flew their combat missions in 1994 and 1995, starting with Southern Watch in Iraq and continuing into Operation Deny Flight over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Read the fascinating account of why their anonymity at the time was seen as a sign of success.