Navy To Launch First All-Female Flyover To Honor Pioneer Fighter Pilot Rosemary Mariner | HuffPost
For the first time in military history, the Navy is deploying a ceremonial flyover with only female jet pilots to honor the death of retired Capt. Rosemary Mariner, the Navy’s first woman to fly a tactical fighter jet.
The flyover will take place during Mariner’s funeral service in Maynardville, Tennessee, on Saturday. The aeronautic display is known as a missing man flyover traditionally held in honor of pilots or military personnel.
Mariner, 65, died Jan. 24 after a five-year fight against ovarian cancer.
Kate Sharp Landdeck@katelanddeck
My friend Capt. Rosemary Mariner has died. Naval aviator wings 1974, first woman to fly tactical fighter jet 1975, first woman command ave squadron 1991 Gulf War, pres of @WomenMilAv8rs, fought combat exclusion, Mentor and Friend to countless. Irreplaceable.An aeronautics graduate of Purdue University, Mariner joined the Navy in 1973 after being one of eight of the first women to be admitted into military pilot training. During her military career, Mariner made history as the first woman to fly a tactical fighter jet, specifically an A-4C and A-7E, according to her obituary and the first woman to command a military aviation squadron.
Source: Navy To Launch First All-Female Flyover To Honor Pioneer Fighter Pilot Rosemary Mariner | HuffPost
Category: Historical, Politics
First.
As long as they are all smokin’ hot and the best pilots … I am all for it!
BTW … she deserves only the best, she was and will always be the First, best and most fully qualified.
It has nothing to do with her persuasion … her selection process was no doubt the toughest during the not so glory days of the military in the mid to late 1970’s.
It was a men’s club!
Good way to honor a pioneer.
Safe to assume this group of aviators is not going to draw a sky penis.
A fitting farewell. Fair winds and following seas, Capt. Mariner.
“Purdue University with a degree in aeronautics at 19”
She wanted to fly.
Captain Mariner’s obituary notes she graduated from Purdue University with a degree in aeronautics at 19! She was leading the way in STEM education decades before the term was even coined. She lived a truly remarkable and inspirational life in and out of uniform. The all-female pilot flyover is a well deserved honor for this true pioneer.
RESPECT. Hand Salute, fair winds and following seas Captain Mariner (My God…is that a NAVY name if i’ve ever heard one). Got a degree in aeronautics at 19 and pursued a career in service.
Meanwhile youve got AOC stumbling through life and into Congress at 29. How have we fallen so far so fast?
Not usually in favor of gender specific honors, but this one makes all the sense in the world. She earned her accolades back in the day when they were earned, not given away. Very nice to see the younger generation of gals she set up for success remember her appropriately.
She you on the other side, Capt. Mariner.
Godspeed and Farewell CPT Mariner. His Peace and Comfort to the Family. Valhalla will welcome another Warrior.
Read Her obit attachment. Just…WOW. 9 days younger than me, a girl, early 70s, and still accomplished all of that. These whiners that blame everything and everyone for their shortcomings. I left a note on the Funeral Home pages for her. Wonder how they figured out how to pick thru that multitude of Naval Aviators that wanted to be a part of the flyover?
Much Respect….Slow Hand Salute
A fitting tribute to a leader…
Rest in Peace, CAPT.
Rest in Peace, Captain. May you have fair skies, calm seas, and a clear deck for landing.
I think I crossed paths with Captain Mariner when I was in flight school in Kingville TX back in late 1975 or early ’76. One of the first women to get their wings was in an abbreviated program get qualified in jets, having been trained in the prop pipeline. Her name is vaguely familiar, as is her appearance. She would have been assigned to one of the Advanced Jet Training squadrons. I was in Basic Jet at the time I think – at least I know we were not in the same squadron so I had no contact with her. The officer I’m thinking of did live in the BOQ but kept very much to herself – which was wise, considering the complete and total chaos, foolishness, doofus-osity and generally bad behavior most student pilots at that time indulged in. And drinking… can’t forget that.
Interesting to read how young she was at the time. If this is the same officer, no wonder she kept to herself – to think, a qualified US Naval Aviator, obviously a brilliant intellect based on her college graduation age, breaking into a totally new field for women, surrounded by woefully immature young men, most of whom she outranked… and who were all at least 2 years older than she was. I never heard more about her career, and I left the Navy myself in 1980. It’s wonderful to hear she had command of a squadron – what a life well lived.
The pool was pretty durned small in those first groups.
A complete list of those early groups can be found starting on pg 14 here:
https://www.ninety-nines.org/pdf/newsmagazine/19780102.pdf
Yaaaawwwn….wake me when they’re nekkid and being female matters.
So, they gonna rename where they rest their collective pundenda in flight the “Clitpits”
RIP Capt. Mariner
I see what you did there, IDC SARC.
“Box Car.”
Thank You for posting this, Dave.
Salute. Rest In Peace, CAPT Marine.
Quit fitting I think.
I wonder, however, if Capt. Mariner wanted to be known as a the first female fighter pilot or just a fighter pilot.
BTW: RIP Capt.
Well, in Naval Air parlance, technically, Capt. Mariner was an attack pilot. As in, a pilot who flies an airplane designed to throw large heavy exploding things at the ground, ideally with an enemy at that spot where said object lands.
As opposed to a fighter pilot, who flies an airplane designed to shoot down other planes, and preferably those of the enemy.
This is not the time to describe the details of the caste system of Naval Aviation, between fighter, attack, helo, AEW, patrol, and, yes, maintenance crews, only to say each and every member of each community is absolutely positive their community is the most capable, professional, and superior to all other branches of humanity.
I mention this only to say that the attack pilots I knew would never want to be considered a fighter puke. I am presuming Capt. Mariner would feel the same.
Thanks for the lesson. I’ve never heard of a difference between the two and had no idea they were called different things but that makes sense. Article says “fighter plane” so to my non-aeronautical ass that meant “fighter pilot”!
RIP, Captain. Relatively young lady, at least from my perspective. Kinda sad.
Mad props and much respect. Thank you for everything you did, Captain.
Definitely knew what she wanted to do, and let nothing stand in her way. RIP CAPT Mariner!
We will see you on the high ground!
Wonder if the flyover ladies are members of the “Tailhook Society?”