Originally Posted by vagabond

The U.S. Navy celebrated a historic moment this week as it announced Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle was set to become its first Black female tactical fighter pilot.

Swegle has earned her wings as a U.S. Navy fighter pilot and will receive her "Wings of Gold" in late July, according to a tweet posted on Thursday by the Chief of Naval Air Training.
MORE: Navy videos spark renewed interest in UFOs from enthusiasts and CongressThe Chief of Naval Air Training congratulated Swegle with a "BZ," or "Bravo Zulu," a naval term meaning "well done."

"BZ to Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle on completing the Tactical Air (Strike) aviator syllabus," wrote the Chief of Naval Air Training. "Swegle is the @USNavy's first known Black female TACAIR pilot and will receive her Wings of Gold later this month. HOOYAH!"


MORE: US General confident Iraqis will ask American troops to remain in IraqThe announcement comes more than four decades after women first received their wings in the Navy. Capt. Rosemary B. Mariner, the first woman to command an operational naval aviation squadron, earned her wings in 1974, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command website.

Brenda Robinson, who earned her wings in 1980, became the first African American female graduate from the Navy's Aviation Officer Candidate School, according to the nonprofit organization Women in Aviation.

Lt j.g. Madeline Swegle, assigned to the Redhawks of Training Squadron (VT) 21 at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, exits a T-45C Goshawk training aircraft after completing her final... more
Lt j.g. Madeline Swegle, assigned to the Redhawks of Training Squadron (VT) 21 at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, exits a T-45C Goshawk training aircraft after completing her final flight of the undergraduate Tactical Air (Strike) pilot training syllabus, July 7, 2020.Anne Owens/U.S. NavySwegle, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, is receiving an outpouring of praise and support for her achievement.

"Very proud of LTJG Swegle," wrote Rear Adm. Paula D. Dunn, the Navy's vice chief of information, via Twitter on Thursday. "Go forth and kick butt."

"Congratulations, LTJG Swegle!" tweeted Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Saturday. "You make the @USNavy and our country stronger."

Pioneering athlete Billie Jean King, comedian D.L. Hughley, Sen. Kamala Harris and former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly were among those who also congratulated Swegle.

The Navy did not immediately respond to requests for further details on the achievement.

Swegle's achievement comes as Black Lives Matter protests continue nationwide against racial injustice and police brutality, incited by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody on May 25.

Originally Posted by rickair7777

Smoking is on it's way out in the mil, and smokeless is not far behind, although I'm not sure if a total ban is in the near-term cards given the demographics and attitudes you mentioned. It's pretty much already banned indoors or inside ships, which means people on small ships or subs have to go smokeless since you can't be outside the hull during certain operational conditions.

Although smoking (and screwing) in fan rooms has always been a thing, although nothing inside a big metal fan box should burn.

Also alcohol abuse went from encouraged to tolerated, to discouraged, to actual mild institutional disapproval of any alcohol consumption. The tides are shifting for sure, the USN gyms used to be fairly open, mostly a few muscleheads and whatever divers, marines, firemen, etc. were stationed nearby. Now (pre-covid) they're full of junior and mid-grade enlisted plus their spouses. Sat AM used to be a great time to have a mil gym to yourself, but not any more. I'm not complaining though, glad to see the younger folks enjoying a healthy lifestyle.

Was your brother in prior to 2010?

Originally Posted by badflaps

When I was at DFW, I ran into a Miramar NFO going through twin Beech school sim. (Navy sponsored)

Originally Posted by METO Guido

Noticed the communiqué also tags a little item from Gen. McKenzie, senior US Middle East commander, that his meeting with new PM Mustafa al Kadhimi indicates continued support for maintaining the 5,000+ troops Iraq is relying on to root out Shiite extremism. The desired outcome of which is a smaller presence as Iraqi security forces 'get better at what they do.' HOOYAH!

Originally Posted by rickair7777

I kind of like the current model. We got out in 2011, but did not abandon them. When ISIL (and the inevitable counter from Iran) popped up in 2014, back we went. Looks like we can get out again for a while having sent the message that we'll stand by them, hopefully deterring future incursions (especially from the east).

Everybody with any experience or insight into that problem set knew somebody (likely more than one somebody) was going to press-to-test on that. Maybe they learned, or maybe we'll have to do it again in a few years.