thedrifter
03-27-03, 09:08 AM
Ladies' night over Afghanistan
by Capt. Elizabeth Ortiz
376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
02/06/03 - OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (AFPN) -- In one of her songs, country singer Shania Twain croons about all the things women do these days -- they are judges, politicians, doctors and soldiers, to name a few.
Not mentioned in the song, but occurring more frequently as the global war on terrorism continues, is something else: female fliers in combat missions over Afghanistan.
Early on Jan. 31, a KC-135 Stratotanker took off from Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, carrying more than 180,000 pounds of fuel and an all-female crew -- both pilots, a navigator and a boom operator.
The event marked the first all-female crew to fly an air refueling mission into Afghanistan from Ganci.
"We've been really lucky," said 1st Lt. Alison, the navigator on board. Last names are being withheld for operational security. "You don't always deploy with a lot of women. The fact that we have four women on this deployment, and the fact that we make up a crew is amazing."
After living with each other in the same tent for almost two months, the women were eager to fly on the same mission.
"We've gotten along really well living together, so we were very excited to finally be able to fly together," said Capt. Waynetta, one of the two pilots on the mission.
The women, including the other pilot, Capt. Heather, and the boom operator, Senior Airman Lyndi, are all assigned to the 99th Air Refueling Squadron at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. They have been deployed here since Dec. 9.
http://www.af.mil/news/Feb2003/20603250.shtml
Sempers,
Roger
by Capt. Elizabeth Ortiz
376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
02/06/03 - OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (AFPN) -- In one of her songs, country singer Shania Twain croons about all the things women do these days -- they are judges, politicians, doctors and soldiers, to name a few.
Not mentioned in the song, but occurring more frequently as the global war on terrorism continues, is something else: female fliers in combat missions over Afghanistan.
Early on Jan. 31, a KC-135 Stratotanker took off from Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, carrying more than 180,000 pounds of fuel and an all-female crew -- both pilots, a navigator and a boom operator.
The event marked the first all-female crew to fly an air refueling mission into Afghanistan from Ganci.
"We've been really lucky," said 1st Lt. Alison, the navigator on board. Last names are being withheld for operational security. "You don't always deploy with a lot of women. The fact that we have four women on this deployment, and the fact that we make up a crew is amazing."
After living with each other in the same tent for almost two months, the women were eager to fly on the same mission.
"We've gotten along really well living together, so we were very excited to finally be able to fly together," said Capt. Waynetta, one of the two pilots on the mission.
The women, including the other pilot, Capt. Heather, and the boom operator, Senior Airman Lyndi, are all assigned to the 99th Air Refueling Squadron at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. They have been deployed here since Dec. 9.
http://www.af.mil/news/Feb2003/20603250.shtml
Sempers,
Roger