Vernice Armour
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Vernice Armour | |
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Born 1973 | |
Capt. Vernice Armour and NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson receiving award from the Bessie Coleman Foundation |
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Place of birth | Chicago, Illinois |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
Years of service | 1993-2007 |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | HMLA-169 |
Battles/wars | Iraq War *Operation Iraqi Freedom *2003 invasion of Iraq *Battle of Najaf (2004) |
Awards | Air Medal with 13 Strike Flight awards and Combat "V" Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal |
Vernice Armour (born 1973) is a former Captain in the United States Marine Corps who was the first female African-American naval aviator and combat pilot in the United States military.[1] 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.[2]
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[edit] Biography
Vernice Armour was born 1973 in Chicago, Illinois to Gaston C. Armour Jr. and Authurine Armour. After her parents divorced, Clarence Jackson married Authurine. Both her father and her stepfather had served in the military - Gaston Armour was a retired major in the U.S. Army Reserves, and Clarence Jackson was a retired Marine Corps sergeant.[3] Her grandfather, too, was a Marine.[4]
Raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Armour graduated from Overton High School, where she was a member of the mathematics honor society, the National Honor Society, and class vice-president.[2]
In 1993, while a student at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Armour enlisted in the Army Reserves and later the Army ROTC.[3]
In 1996, she took time off from college to become a Nashville police officer (her childhood dream). She became the first female African-American on the motorcycle squad.[4][2]
After graduating MTSU in 1997, Armour served as a police officer in Tempe, Arizona before joining the U.S. Marines as an Officer Candidate in October 1998.[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. 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 became the Marine Corps' first female African-American pilot.[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. While at Camp Pendleton, she was named 2001 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.[1]
In March 2003, she flew with HMLA-169 during the invasion of Iraq becoming the Marine Corps' first African-American female combat pilot. She completed two combat tours in the Gulf.[2] Afterwards, she was assigned to the Manpower and Reserve Affairs Equal Opportunity Branch as program liaison officer.[3]
Leaving the Marine Corps in June 2007, Armour began a career as a motivational speaker.[2]
[edit] Military awards and decorations
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Walker, Nicole (April 14, 2003). Vernice Armour, 1st black female combat pilot, serves in Persian Gulf as family copes. Jet. Retrieved on 2007-10-06.
- ^ a b c d e f Biography - Vernice Armour. Retrieved on 2007-10-06.
- ^ a b c d Williams, Lance Cpl. Sha'ahn (Aug 17, 2006). First Black female pilot honored in memory of Bessie Coleman. Quantico Sentry OnLine. Retrieved on 2007-10-06.
- ^ a b Vernice Armour. Tavis Smiley - Late Night on PBS. PBS (July 23, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-06.
[edit] External links
- VerniceArmour.com official site