Posted on 03/23/2003 5:20:19 AM PST by Maigrey
The few and the proud produce pioneering pilot
By Bartholomew Sullivan
sullivan@gomemphis.com
March 23, 2003
First Lt. Vernice Armour
Age: 29
Hometown: Memphis
Unit: Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169
Duty: Attack helicopter pilot
Deployed: Kuwait/Iraq
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vernice Armour is flying history.
The 1991 Overton High School graduate, now flying missions in Iraq, is the first African-American female combat helicopter pilot in both Marine Corps and Defense Department history.
The 29-year-old Armour, whose resume includes a stint as a Nashville motorcycle patrolman and a running back in a women's professional football league, has been the subject of glowing profiles in recent weeks.
She made it into the Marine Corps News, got interviewed on Black Entertainment Television last week and was front-page news in Friday's Swedish tabloid newspaper Aftonbladet. Its headline: "Uppdrag: hon ska sla ut Iraks arme'" (Translation: Assignment: She must knock out Iraq's Army.)
Armour's mother, Arthurine 'Rean' Jackson, is sometimes overwhelmed at her daughter's accomplishments, but her safety is uppermost on her mind these days.
Jackson talked to Armour's colleagues in Camp Pendleton, Calif., as the war began last week and heard that Vernice is part of a unit scouting roads inside Iraq to make sure they're secure for advancing ground troops.
"My heart constricted a little when I heard that," said Jackson, 59. "But she says, 'Mom, this is my job.' ''
The last E-mail from her daughter arrived Tuesday with the message it would be the last for awhile as the troops' Internet access was being suspended pending action:
"Mom: Don't worry. The Lord is watching over me with a mighty hand. You're the best Mom I could have asked for. Love, Your Princess."
Born in Chicago, Armour always knew she wanted to be in uniform, even way back in her childhood years in Mira Loma, Calif., where her best friend's mother was a police officer.
Moving to Memphis, she was a member of the National Honor Society at Overton, graduating in 1991.
Garland Holmon, 38, Vernice's brother, said her athletic ability was a product of her environment.
"We always played rough," he said. "She was always high-spirited, competitive and aggressive.''
Cousin Rosalind Graham, 28, said Vernice was always a "rambunctious" comrade but said she was "really cool" as an older mentor.
When Armour appeared on BET news last week, Graham burned up the phone lines urging friends watch her talk about her goals and ambitions.
"I think right about now my chest is really huge," Graham said. "I am so proud of her."
At Middle Tennessee State University, where Armour concentrated on wellness and fitness instruction, she started taking private flying lessons, her mother said. She also joined the Army ROTC program and the Army Reserves. She graduated from MTSU in 1997.
She was a Nashville police officer from June 1996 to March 1998, when she took a job with the Tempe, Ariz., police force.
But while in Tempe, her application to Marine Corps Officer Candidate School was accepted, and she left for training in Pensacola, Fla.
Her dad, Clarence, who'd seen duty in Vietnam with the Marines, was adamantly against her choice of services, knowing how tough it would be.
But Rean Jackson said her daughter was similarly intransigent. "She said, 'Dad, it's got to be the Marines.'"
Upon graduation in July 2001, she won her class's academic achievement award and became the first black female Marine Corps aviator ever.
In March 2002, she was recognized as the lone African-American female combat pilot by the Department of Defense.
Aware of her distinction, she says it hasn't come through any special help. "I haven't been treated any differently or received any more special attention than anybody else just because I'm an African-American or because I'm a woman," she told the Marine Corps News. "The training I've received is the same as my male counterparts, and I've advanced through the (flight training) program just the same as everyone else."
"I'm a Marine Corps officer first, then I try to be the best officer that I can and try to take care of the Marines in my charge the best way I can."
After Pensacola, she took an assignment at the Camp Pendleton Naval Air Station near San Diego and began training on the AH-1W Cobra.
When she wasn't honing her skills with a joystick or laser gun sights, Armour was a running back for the San Diego Sunfire women's football team. She rushed for 22 yards against the Sacramento Quakes and carried the ball four times for 17 yards against the Los Angeles Lasers in December 2001, said the Camp Pendleton newspaper, The Scout.
Armour was named the Marine Corps Community Services 2001 Women's Athlete of the Year. Earlier, she'd won the base bench press competition and was named Strongest Warrior in both 2001 and 2002.
Armour told the Marine Corps News she was "a little nervous" as plans for shipping out proceeded but said she'll be "ready for whatever we have to do."
For youngsters who might look to her as a role model, she said: "Don't let anyone dash your hopes and dreams. Decide what and where you want to be and take positive steps to get there."
- Bartholomew Sullivan: 529-2317
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.