Aviation for Women is the flagship member publication of Women in Aviation International. Articles feature women who have made aviation history, professional development ideas, and current-topic articles.
Issue link: https://afwdigital.epubxp.com/i/715635
S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 6 Aviation forWomen 25 Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour has racked up an impressive list of firsts. She was the first black female (and only the second female) motorcycle policewoman in Nashville, Tennessee; first black female police officer for the Tempe, Arizona, police department; first African-American female pilot in the Unites States Marine Corps; and the first African-American female combat pilot, flying the AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter during two tours in Iraq. The first hint of Vernice's remarkable passion and purpose was glimpsed at age 4. In downtown Chicago with her parents, she saw a mounted police offi- cer for the first time. She had no idea police of- ficers rode horses. She couldn't get the image out of her mind. "My body vibrated with en- ergy and excitement," she recalled. Several years later, the opportunity arose for her to care for and then eventually own a horse. This was the first in a long line of goals achieved once she set her mind to them. As a college freshman seeking fun and adventure, Vernice scored a free trip to Mardi Gras by joining the women's ROTC rifle team. Even though she had no designs for a military career, she decided that the physical fitness, disci- pline, and military demands would help her goal of becoming a police offi- cer. She first enrolled in the Army Reserves, then the Army ROTC program on campus. On career day during Army ROTC Advanced Camp Leadership Train- ing at Fort Bragg, she was determined to find something involving shooting a gun or blowing something up. When she found herself in the aviation tent with a friend who was on an aviation contract, she fatefully set eyes upon a "black chick in a flight suit." She almost screamed aloud, "Why didn't I think of that?" The idea of flying had never occurred until she saw someone who looked like her. "That instant planted the seed for me," she said. "After that, I didn't need to see someone as a role model to give myself permission. I did whatever I wanted to do. That broke me out of the box. It's not that I didn't think that I couldn't do it before, I just hadn't thought about it." Team Player "I wouldn't say I wanted to be one of the guys, but part of the team." Vernice had three brothers growing up and never shied away from participat- ing in activities that that seemed to be for guys only. She played professional women's football and realized her dream of being a police officer. She then joined the Marines to become a pilot. By 1999, she was on a flight contract and had attended Marine Officer Can- didate School and The Basic School. At that time, there was a wait before flight school started. She was determined to maximize her chances for success. "Instead of going to Pensacola and just hanging out on the beach with all the other flight students, I wanted to be put into a squadron," she said. "They by Beth E. Stanton From an early age, FlyGirl topped a list of firsts including (from top to bottom) at age 3, owning her first horse; as the first black female motorcycle police officer in Mem- phis, Tennessee, and as America's first female African-American combat pilot.