/rant
Some of this has been addressed but for emphasis here it is again.
Is this a serious question? We have had black men serving as tactical carrier based aviators since 1946. Women have been flying jets for the Navy since 1974, and carrier based combat roles since 1994. You don't find it shocking that this is the first black woman to fly jets off carriers based on US demographics? Statiscally she shouldn't be the first. Someone else should have pursued it and been successful by now.
Are the black and female pilots in the community well integrated with the other pilots? I certainly hope that they are just as qualified as the others.
Again, are you serious? "I certainly hope they are just as qualified as the others." You really think Navy/Marine TACAIR in 2020 is going to compromise on who can fly tactical jets and who can't for publicity? They didn't even know she was going to a first until a few days before she was done with the syllabus. Do you think females or minorities in our community are only passed because of demographics? A. No, that's absolute bullshit. Most of the women I've met while flying jets have been absolute savages at flying/fighting, and if they aren't they are told they suck just like anyone else in a debrief. B. Stop taking away from their accomplishments. They met or surpassed a standard, and that standard is uncompromising.
Yeah...so, what happens if she turns out to be a lousy fleet pilot? I most certainly do not wish that on her or anyone else, but it is possible, correct? Would that not then be a public relations disaster for the navy?
Stop. Stop right there. Guess what? People turn out to be lousy fleet pilots no matter their gender, race, orientation, or any other definition. Also guess what? There's great fleet pilots out there and their gender, race, orientation or any other definition doesn't contribute to that. You know who are some of the lousiest fleet pilots I know? White dudes.
There is also a woman now who has become the first Special Forces soldier in the Army. I wonder how the male candidates who dropped out must feel that a female was able to complete the training.
So, can we expect the first female SEAL soon?
Are you implying that the dudes that sucked are butthurt because a woman was better than them? That makes them a sexist asshole that didn't meet the standard.
Haha, nailed it. The other side of that coin is that she's a perfectly capable fleet pilot who's normal progression is lauded while her non-minority brethren fight the same fight, which could also negatively single her out amongst her peers.
Our business is not one of public spectacle. The public during WWII championed fighter pilots and kept count along with them as they tore through the skies with bullets flying and metal tearing around them. Much different public back then. Different kind of pilots too.
Dude, don't encourage this. If this isn't a question you're asking about any of the kids you're winging out of the training command, then it isn't something you should be wondering about her. She will most likely go on to have a normal career like the rest of us. I highly doubt this will have any implications (which it shouldn't if TACAIR is the meritocracy everyone claims it to be) positive or negative on her career.
@Charles Edward I seriously cannot tell if you're a troll. Graduate student? Reservist? These are the questions you're asking? If you want to be an officer you need to ask yourself, "Can I ask these questions in front of/to all of my Sailors?" If the answer is no, then its probably not a question you should be asking, or issue you should be commenting on.
Swegle, if you're on this board I hope you go on to have a good career and trust that your accomplishments aren't due to anything other than you're own commitment, intelligence, and hard work. Ignore the doubters, celebrate this with your community, you will be an inspiration to the next generation of the Naval Aviation Enterprise.
/endrant