Congratulations!

Another barrier was broken on June 25th, as Conrol McIntosh pinned Coast Guard Wings onto his daughter's uniform. Lt. j.g. Jeanine McIntosh, 26 has made history and become the first black female US Coast Guard Aviator.

"I'm just really honored," McIntosh said to the Caller Times, after the winging ceremony at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. "There's no other word for it."

McIntosh said the experience has been humbling and made her aware that barriers still exist for blacks and women in general. Bobby Wilks became the first black Coast Guard aviator in 1957. Janna Lambine became the first female aviator in 1977.

The path to fulfilling her dream had some rough spots. She was unable to pass the vision test at first because of her 20/400 vision, but photorefractive keratectomy surgery brought her vision up to snuff.

She began her training at Corpus Christi in January and completed it a few weeks ago. She had to overcome fear of the water along the way to learning how to fly in the Coast Guard.

"Overcoming my fear was one of my biggest accomplishments," she said. "Conquering so many personal struggles prepared me for the mental drive necessary to complete the extremely challenging training regimen."

Coast Guard Lt. Jason Flennoy helped McIntosh get into the program and attended the winging ceremony.

"It's beautiful to watch her make history," Flennoy said to the Caller Times. "One, she's an officer in the Coast Guard and two, she's an aviator. She'd always say failure was not an option for her."

Several members of her family flew in for the event, including her uncle, Michael Larrow, from Jamaica.

"Jeanine's story is one of a humble person who worked hard to make something of herself, and we're all extremely proud," Larrow said. "It's an inner drive that made her accomplish this dream and I hope this will inspire the ladies to follow in her footsteps."

Media reports indicate that McIntosh will continue her training at Little Rock, Arkansas before being stationed in Hawaii.

FMI: www.uscg.mil