Major: Man Or Woman, It's An Honor To Serve
Women have served in the
Air Force for years, making valuable contributions... but gender
and race differences have never been an important factor in
accomplishing the Air Force mission, the first woman pilot on the
Air Force Thunderbirds said during a recent speech at the Women in
Military Service for America Memorial, at Arlington National
Cemetery.
"What we need to concentrate on is what we have in common, which
is that warrior spirit that's in all of our hearts, that has
created us the way we are -- to choose to be a part of something so
much bigger than ourselves," said USAF Major Nicole
Malachowski.
Malachowski has been with the Thunderbirds for a year. A
performance by the group Saturday at the dedication of the new US Air Force
Memorial in Arlington, VA was her 55th
demonstration.
Being the first woman Thunderbird pilot is an honor, Malachowski
said, but the more important thing for her is the opportunity to
serve with so many talented men and women and share the Air Force
story with the public.
"We are a team whose job is to go out there and represent the
United States Air Force and the 530,000 men and women who wear Air
Force blue with the honor, the respect and the dignity that they
deserve," she said. "We're out there to represent what we know to
be true -- the fantastic hard work, dedication and professionalism
of the men and women in our Air Force that we have the privilege to
work alongside."
For all of their high-flying antics, the Thunderbirds spend a
majority of their time doing community outreach. As part of that,
they speak to a lot of children, Malachowski said. Meeting with
these children, especially those who are part of the Make-a-Wish
Foundation, is a blessing for her, she said, and gives her a
healthy dose of humility. She recalled meeting one young boy who
had only a month to live and whose wish was to meet a Thunderbird
pilot.
"People talk about our military people being so courageous and
heroic, and they are, and I'm very proud to be a part of the Air
Force, but you look at a kid like this and you think, 'What is
courage? What is heroism? It's standing right in front of us,'" she
said. "This is why we wear these uniforms and why we go out and
defend our nation."
Malachowski first became interested in flying at the age of
five, when she saw an air show in her native Las Vegas. She set her
sights on becoming an Air Force pilot and never looked back. She
started flying with the Civil Air Patrol when she was 12, and by 16
was doing solo flights. After high school, she attended the Air
Force Academy and has since seen various assignments as an F-15E
pilot, including a tour in Iraq. She said she hopes her service in
the Thunderbirds is an example to young girls and to all children
that they can achieve their dreams.
"The message to all young Americans is that it's great to have a
dream; it's great to have goals," she said. "Pursue something that
you are passionate about, and then pursue excellence in that. And
surround yourself with a positive team. I hope that when they see
the Air Force Thunderbirds, they realize they can achieve any
dream, and that a great team to have is certainly the Air
Force."
Women have served in the Thunderbirds since 1974, just not in a
pilot capacity, Malachowski said. Of the 130 officers and enlisted
personnel on the Thunderbird team, 15 are women. Besides the six
demonstration pilots, the Thunderbirds are made up of support
personnel from about 25 different career fields.
The Thunderbirds have a grueling schedule, as they are on the
road about 220 days during their eight-month air show season, but
every team member considers it a privilege to serve and share the
Air Force story, Malachowski said. For her part, she said she is
just glad to have been born into a time of opportunities for women
in the military.
"Women love their country too, and there are a lot of us who
choose to do that by wearing a military uniform," she said. "I have
seen and traveled the world, and it is just a wonderful thing to be
a woman living in a country that provides you so many wonderful
opportunities and freedoms that are unmatched anywhere else in the
world. And the Air Force simply takes that to another level."
(Aero-News salutes Sgt. Sara Wood, USA American Forces Press
Service)