On February 10, 1994, Air Force Lieutenant Jeannie Flynn became the first U.S. woman to become fully qualified as a fighter pilot in a combat aircraft, the F-15E. Flynn went on to fly more than 300 hours in combat and rose through the ranks to become a general officer. Flynn's experience came after decades of inconsistent interpretations of a law that prohibited women from flying aircraft in combat. Although the military had begun training women as aviators in 1973, by a law of Congress they could not fly in harm's way. Time and again when a woman graduated at the top of her pilot training class, a less-qualified male pilot was sent to fly a combat aircraft in her place. Most of the women who fought for change between World War II and today would never fly in combat themselves, but they earned their places in history by strengthening the U.S. military and ensuring that future women would not be denied opportunities solely because of their sex. This is their story.
