Women's History Month - 1st Female Fighter Pilot

Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Jennifer Shirar | Former Team Kingsley Airman, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Carol Kohtz joined the Kingsley family in 2016, becoming our base’s first female F-15 Eagle pilot as well as our first female Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander. (U.S. Air National Guard photo illustration by 173rd Fighter Wing Public Affairs office)  

KLAMATH FALLS, OR, UNITED STATES

03.15.2021

Story by Senior Airman Emily Copeland 

173rd Fighter Wing

In honor of Women’s History Month, we want to highlight yet another historical achievement by our female Airmen.

Major General Jeannie Leavitt was the U.S. Air Force's first female fighter pilot in 1993, and was the first woman to command a USAF combat fighter wing. She has more than 3,000 flight hours, including over 300 combat hours.

Former Team Kingsley Airman, Lt. Col. Carol Kohtz joined the Kingsley family in 2016, becoming our base’s first female F-15 Eagle pilot as well as our first female Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander.

As of 2021, the Department of Defense Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, released the number of female officers holding a tactical operation position – 6,986.

The National Women’s History Alliance selects and publishes the yearly theme. The theme for Women's History Month in 2021 captures the spirit of these challenging times. Since many of the women's suffrage centennial celebrations originally scheduled for 2020 were curtailed, the National Women's History Alliance is extending the annual theme for 2021 to "Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced.

• Date Taken: 03.15.2021
• Date Posted: 03.15.2021 17:50
• Story ID: 391402
• Location: KLAMATH FALLS, OR, US