Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. [3], In 1996, she took time off from college to become a Nashville police officer (her childhood dream). Operation Military Kids was founded to be a resource for teens and young adults who are interested in joining the military, but don't know where to begin. [2], In 1996, she took time off from college to become a Nashville police officer (her childhood dream). After her parents divorced, Clarence Jackson married Authurine. Vernice Armour joined the Marine Corps in October 1998 and was commissioned a second lieutenant on Dec. 12, 1998. . I joined the Marines. All Rights Reserved. She flew the meanest helicopter in the U.S. military, the Super Cobra, which earned her the nickname 'Flygirl.' She . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Armour was commissioned second lieutenant in 1998, She was sent to flight school where she earned her wings in 2001. Foundation for Women Warriors is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity (tax ID# 20-5523954). I view myself as a professional speaker and consultant. A few months later, I decided that I could always be a cop, but I wouldn't always have the chance to fly. In September of 1945 she was honorably discharged, by then holding the rank of Staff Sergeant. In 1998, Armour became the first African American female to serve as a police officer in Tempe, Arizona before joining the U.S. Marines as an Officer Candidate in October 1998. On land, sea, and in the air, blacks have fought to protect our country. 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 former Marine Corps sergeant that served three tours in Vietnam. During an Army ROTC career day, the seed of becoming a pilot was planted when Vernice saw the image of a young Black female in an Army flight suit. In my work with these clients, I pass along the values and techniques that I learned and honed in the Corps. 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. Structural Info Facts Known for movies Tavis Smiley 2007 as Herself Source IMDB With that said, there is actually more to her story than that. Notice, I didn't put the emphasis on permission, but on HAVE. [2] During an Army ROTC career day, the seed of becoming a pilot was planted when Vernice saw the image of a young Black female in an Army flight suit. Vernice Armour. By the time she finished her career she was working as a Secretary in the Pentagon and was even working there during the Cuban Missile Crisis. While at Camp Pendleton, she was named 2001 Camp Pendleton 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. She began to work in the Pentagon, holding various positions of importance until she retired in 1977 with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3, after which she returned home to Puerto Rico. Sha'ahn (Aug 17, 2006). She served two tours of duty in Iraq as a Marine. Veterans Day was celebrated nationally with the Biden administration touting passage of one of the largest health care bills "I knew if I were still alive on March 5, 1968, I could get on the plane in Da Nang we used to call the 'Freedom Bird.' However, while in a ROTC leadership training she saw a black woman pilot wearing an Army flight suit which stuck in her mind. Natasha Smith. Among them is one that is perhaps only legend, but arent legends a part of the Marine Corps? 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. Her grandfather was a Montford Point Marine, the first African Americans to integrate the Marine Corps between 1942 and 1949. A gutsy trailblazer, her resume is an impressive collection of "firsts" including America's first Black woman combat pilot. Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, "Vernice Armour, 1st black female combat pilot, serves in Persian Gulf as family copes", http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_16_103/ai_100111398, http://www.vernicearmour.com/vernice-armour.htm, "First Black female pilot honored in memory of Bessie Coleman", http://www.quantico.usmc.mil/Sentry/StoryView.aspx?SID=416, http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200707/20070723_armour.html, http://www.amazon.com/Zero-Breakthrough-7-Step-Battle-Tested-Accomplishing/dp/B005ZO5LLE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330446664&sr=1-1, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War, Military personnel from Chicago, Illinois, Zero to Breakthrough(TM) Expert, professional keynote speaker, law enforcement officer. By the age of four, she knew she wanted to be a police officer that rode a horse downtown. How did it all start? 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. After her parents divorced, Clarence Jackson married Authurine. Vernice, who had little money for school and relied on student loans and grants, was all over it. [1][3], Armour graduated from MTSU in 1997. Vernice found hers in college while studying at Middle Tennessee State University: a flyer posted on a bulletin board that said, Free Trip to Mardi Gras! He deployed to Iraq in 2008 where he convoyed heavily around the Anbar province with a myriad of units. Vernice "Flygirl" Armour is a former United States Marine Corps officer who was the first African-American female naval aviator in the Marine Corps and the Marine Corps first female combat aviator. In 1998, Armour became the first African-American woman to serve a a police officer in Tempe, Arizona before becoming an Officer Candidate for the U.S. Marine Corps. She received her first pony as a gift on the Christmas day . 20-5523954. [1], In 2011, her book Zero to Breakthrough: The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter was published.[6]. Women Warriors Alene Duerk, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy. What is your job title?DirectorVPC-LevelOther (please specify below). VERNICE FLYGIRL ARMOUR HISTORICAL FLIGHT PATH. Fire Watch talks to veterans -- ones with unique, distinguished or important backgrounds -- and asks them what phrases like Copyright 2023 Proceedings. She received her first pony as a gift on the Christmas day following her fourth birthday and her dream quickly started to have a foundation in reality. From there she went almost straight to a dramatics school and from there to Broadway where she made her mark on the world as a famous actress. My company, VAI Consulting and Training, LLC, in Stafford, Virginia, has a list of clients that includes banks, defense contractors, nonprofit organizations and even the Department of Defense. In 1996, she took time off from college to become a Nashville police officer (her childhood dream). As a Black gay woman and single mom, FlyGirl brings vital experience to her role as a member of the Forbes School of Business & Technology Board of Advisors and COMCAST/NBCUniversal Joint Diversity Council. By signing up for this guide, you agree to receive email communications from VerniceArmour.com. dont give them power. Combat tests you. Following the Iraq deployment, Levi was assigned to various detachments who travelled and worked around Southeast Asia. She was also a diversity liaison officer to the Pentagon for Headquarters Marine Corps. Vernice Armour Vernice Armour has a long list of accomplishments that put her on this list today. She became the Marine Corps' first African-American female pilot. She enlisted on February 8, 1952 at the age of twenty, completing her training in North Carolina. "Do it," I say. [2], Armour's association with the SuperCobra attack helicopter earned her the nickname "Flygirl. Though little is known about this last woman on our list today of famous women Marines, Ruth Wood has earned her place here as the first of the Women Marine Reservists to serve at the headquarters of the Marine Corps in Washington in 1943. The dedication, the commitment, the loyalty, that bond that comes with being a Marine -- you don't find it anywhere else. FlyGirl has two honorary doctorates and has received numerous awards as a pioneering pilot, including honors for her commanding role in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Back in the states at Marine Corps headquarters, I entered a new world as a diversity officer and a liaison to the Pentagon. I'm always urging my listeners to ask themselves, "What is your plan of attack?" "[5], Leaving the U.S. Marine Corps in June 2007, Armour began a career as a professional speaker and expert on creating breakthroughs in life. What changed my mind was a flier offering a free trip to the Mardi Gras for anyone who joined the Army ROTC women's rifle team. Born in Puerto Rico, Rose Franco was a famous female Marine because she became the first Hispanic woman to make it to the rank of chief warrant officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. Just as impressively, Salinas has a bachelors degree in history as well as a masters degree from the Naval War College. Being a beat cop tests you. Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour is a former police officer and America's first African-American female combat pilot who completed two combat tours in the Gulf. [1] She graduated from MTSU in December of 1997 with her B.S. Today, Armour is a motivational speaker and author and one of the faces of a new campaign aimed at recognizing the contributions of women. VERNICE "FLYGIRL" ARMOUR - HISTORICAL FLIGHT PATH How did it all start? Armour was born in 1973 in Chicago, Illinois to Gaston Armour Jr. and Authurine Armour. At the end of the war, Johnson was one of those removed from active service, but she continued to make her mark as a clerk in the War Department until she retired in 1943. Vernice Armour was born in 1973 in Chicago, Illinois to Gaston Armour Jr. and Authurine Armour. I had no interest in the military. Three brothers and being the only girltests you. Vernice Armour: First Black Female Combat Pilot, Disabled Vets Post Stunning Job Gains as Economy Remains Hot Despite Inflation, Troops and Vets Are Running Out of Time to Recoup Cash from Jewelry Swindler, Former Marine Hailed as 'Man of the Year' for Finding Missing Florida Toddler, The Quiet Determination Behind the Navy's Groundbreaking African American Reactor Officer, 2022 Veterans Day Deals, Discounts and Freebies, 2022 Veterans Day Free Meals and Restaurant Deals and Discounts, 2022 Military Travel and Recreation Discounts for Veterans Day, 2022 Veterans Day Retail Deals and Discounts, Veterans Day 2022 Parades, Events and More, Military Appreciation and Giving Back to Veterans on Veterans Day, This Weeks Top Military Photos: Can You Hear Me Now and a Corpsman Shoves Plastic in Nose, 'Veterans Are the Backbone of This Country:' Nation Honors Those Who Served, Listen to a Vietnam Veteran Describe the Reality of Deploying to Vietnam for the First Time, First Lady Hosts Veterans Day Breakfast, Supports Caregivers. Join today and save on your next meal with AARP. As the saying goes, she disguised herself in mens cloths and, giving herself the name George Baker, went undetected through the physical exams to become a member of the Marine guard on the vessel the Constitution. Here she saw some of the bloodiest sea fights of the war of 1812. After her parents divorced, Clarence Jackson married Authurine. Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, "First Black female pilot honored in memory of Bessie Coleman", "Vernice Armour, 1st black female combat pilot, serves in Persian Gulf as family copes", "Black Female Pilot Breaks Racial, Gender Barriers", "Zero to Breakthrough: The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter: Vernice Armour: Amazon.com: Books", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vernice_Armour&oldid=1088417067, African-American female military personnel, United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War, Female United States Marine Corps personnel, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Zero to Breakthrough(TM) Expert, professional keynote speaker, law enforcement officer, This page was last edited on 17 May 2022, at 21:59. Some even made history doing it, like former Marine Capt. FREE GUIDE TO MAKE BOLD MOVES & BIG DECISIONS, The Gutsy Move: 5 Tips to Navigate Challenges and Achieve Your Visions and Dreams, I saw you in person and couldnt wait to bring your high energy, high impact presentation in to my organization! She is a member of famous with the age 49 years old group. The Marine Corps points out the fact that physical examinations are very thorough and that the crew on the Constitution had little privacy at all. Soon though, she had had enough of civilian life, so she rejoined the Marines, this time working in New York, then South Carolina. She went on to attend college at Middle Tennessee State University and enlisted the the U.S. Army Reserve and then the ROTC. Both her father and her stepfather had served in the military - Gaston Armour was a retired major in the U.S. Army Reserve, and Clarence Jackson was a former Marine Corps sergeant that served three tours in Vietnam. In March 2003, she flew with HMLA-169 during the invasion of Iraq becoming Americas first African-American female combat pilot. Her first duties may have only been as a clerk, managing the records of the over three hundred other women that followed, but she was soon promoted to Sergeant in September of that year, making her the first woman to reach that rank and the highest ranking woman in the Marine Corps during her time there. [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. Vernice was born in Chicago, IL in 1973, and moved to Memphis, TN after her parents divorced when she was three. She later married, thereby changing her last name to Gilliard, and has recently passed away due to illness on July 4, 2002. [3] While there she was Camp Pendleton's Female Athlete of the Year and two-time titleholder in their Strongest Warrior Competition. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Enjoy savings on dining, travel and more all year long with your AARP membership! In 1993, while attending Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Armour decided to enlist in the U.S. Army Reserve and later entered the U.S. Armys ROTC. In 1991, she graduated from John Overton High School for Creative and Performing Arts where she was very active in the music program, class vice president, a member of Mu Alpha Theta (mathematics honor society), and The National Honor Society. She was ranked number one in her class and became the first female African-American pilot for the U.S. Marine Corps. [4], 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. I start my lectures wearing a flight suit and end it in a business suit. 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