I spent Memorial Day 2023 surrounded by family and reflecting on my military service, what it means to me, and the brave people who have paved the way for me to be able to pursue my dreams in the land of the free.

As a child, I talked a lot (still do) and I loved storytelling and making people laugh (still do). People always said to my parents, “Wow. She never meets a stranger” (still don't). I grew up in a small town on an even smaller farm. Around the age of five, I remember asking my mom over and over why I couldn’t travel everywhere on the planet and speak to every single human being and learn their story. I argued that I should be able to put my foot on every inch of land in the world and meet everybody. After a drawn-out explanation of property rights, trespassing, language barriers, war, etc from my mom, I was still disappointed that it wouldn’t be possible and insistent that I would find a way to make it happen. I am not sure why this was such a concern of mine, but it was. It was something that kept me up at night worrying. After all, why can’t I see everything and meet everybody? Why can’t people all get along and share? These were the things that plagued my mind as a little girl.

At the same time, my granny Louise was constantly pointing towards the sky and making up fun stories of where the airplanes and people were traveling and who they would meet along the way. So, naturally, I was drawn to airplanes and the idea of becoming a pilot. However, I didn’t know any pilots and certainly didn’t know any female pilots. Unfortunately, my teachers would try to squash my dream by telling me that “girls didn’t fly” and that the “only” way to become a pilot was to join the military and that “girls shouldn’t join the military.” I think they meant well, but sadly I believed them until I got to college and met a friend who was taking flight lessons. After flying along with him and his instructor on a cross country, I mentioned that I would love to fly but that I was a “girl so I couldn’t.” They both laughed and my friend said, “you hunt, fish, and drive tractors… what makes you think you can’t fly?” When I explained, and they realized that I seriously didn’t know women could fly, they quickly started naming all the female pilots they knew. After I got home, I started researching and read every book I could find about female pilots and when I read about the Women Airforce Service Pilots, WASP, of WWII, I became overwhelmed with emotion and decided at that moment with an immense amount of clarity that I would become a professional pilot, serve in the military, and would thank and shake as many WASP’s hands as I could.

Within a few weeks, I started flight training and eventually received all my ratings. After receiving my commercial certificate, I flew for a couple different aerial survey companies to build flight time and then got hired by a regional airline. During this time, I had an overwhelming feeling that I needed to serve in the military and after talking to recruiters from every branch and my mentors, I decided the Air Force Reserve or Guard would be the best path for me. However, it took many years to finally land the coveted interviews. So, in 2015, I joined the Air Force Reserve which was a little more than 5 years after being first inspired by the WASP to pursue my dreams of flight. I attended OTS and UPT and in 2017 I earned my Air Force wings. Decked out in my flight suit and with my silver wings on my chest, I made my way to Avenger Field in Sweetwater, TX to attend the 75th annual WASP Reunion as an official military escort to the WASP. During this trip, I was blessed to meet and shake the hands of five WASP’s, listen, and share wonderful stories with the ladies and their families, and had the honor of taking part in the spreading of the ashes of one of my heroes, Mrs. Muriel, as she took her last flight and made her final landing at Avenger Field while the poem Celestial Flight was read aloud. To this day, that is my biggest accomplishment and one of the most profound moments of my life. During that trip, I also had the five WASP sign my Fifinella scarf which lives in my Air Force flight suit and accompanies me on each flight.

Shortly after the reunion, I embarked on my first deployment where I earned my official Air Force leather jacket. This jacket is extra special to me because I had the liner custom designed with famous photos of the WASP and a few photos that were shared with me by Mrs. Muriel’s family. I also had the WASP wings added to the inside of the collar on the right side with my Air Force wings on the inside of the left side to signify that I could have never earned my wings without the WASP’s paving the way for women to not only fly, but to serve in the military as pilots.

If you spend any time on my website, you will see that the name, logo, and mascot were all inspired by the WASP. I can never thank them enough and I will always remember them and share their stories.

Another large part of my aviation journey has been the Abingdon Co. When I first became a student pilot in 2009, I only knew two other pilots: my friend and our instructor. Neither of them was looking at aviation as a career, only as a hobby. So, I learned a lot about how to pursue my dream through research. Within a few months, I met other student pilots and instructors, but I had yet to meet a female pilot. However, I saw the pilot watches that the guys wore, and I wanted one too. But… they were HUGE on my tiny wrist and got in the way of flying. Soon after, I heard about a female pilot who had made a watch for US. For the first time, I saw a group of female pilots and I was thrilled. After reading the story behind Abingdon Co., I immediately fell in love and after completing my private pilot certificate, I received my first Abingdon Co. watch from my mom. I was ecstatic! Since then, I have celebrated each large milestone in my career by purchasing an Abingdon Co. watch. I love the community of women, support, and empowerment that this brand stands for and I am honored to call myself a part of the Abingdon Crew. So, when I saw that Abingdon was working on a Legends collection, I knew in my gut that she would create an amazing watch to honor the WASP. Before I even saw the watch, I knew I had to have one and I purchased it immediately. This is my 8th Abingdon Co. watch and by far my favorite! Abingdon only created 1,102 of these watches, one for each WASP who served. The details in the watch are amazing. The face features the WASP silver wings and hints of the blue which makes up the WASP uniform. My favorite feature is the number 38 as a reminder of the ladies who stepped up when our nation needed them and died in service to our country. The watch also has rivet marks for the hour markings and a special engraving on the back. I love that Abingdon also included a wheat penny from the years of the WASP (1942-1944). The penny is a tradition where the ladies would toss a penny in the Wishing Well, which served as their solo tank before each flight (photos above and still a tradition today). The penny now lives in my flight suit alongside my signed Fifinella scarf and the WASP challenge coin that I was given during my first time escorting the WASP at the annual reunion.

I am forever grateful to the WASP and to the wonderful crew of women (and men) that I have met through this career field and amazing companies like the Abingdon Co. The WASP shattered the glass ceiling so that we could soar through and dismantle it. I may not be able to fulfill my childhood dreams of stepping on every inch of the earth and talking to every single person, but because of the WASP, other amazing pioneering women (and supportive men), and superb support networks that have allowed me to pursue my career as a pilot, I get to knock a dent in it.

To learn more about the WASP visit the WASP Museum in Sweetwater, TX and their website www.waspmuseum.org.

To learn more about the Abingdon Co. visit their social media and www.abingdonco.com/pages/about-us.

Additionally, I created a free eCourse to help aspiring pilots find affordable and efficient paths to pursue a career in aviation. It is available at www.bogidope.com/affordable.

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