Lt j.g. Madeline Swegle, in nearly 110 years after the beginning of naval aviation, has made history as the first Black female Tactical (TACAIR) Pilot. This was announced after she complete her tactical strike training at NAS Kingsville on July 7th.
After being criticized for lack of diversity in its aviation programs, the Navy made an announcement on June 30th that it created “Task Force One Navy”. This special task force’s purpose is to address issues racism, sexism, and other destructive biases within the Navy.
On Friday, July 31st, Swegle was named a naval aviator, and received her “wings of gold” along side 25 of her classmates.
Swegle says “I'm excited to have this opportunity to work harder and fly high performance jet aircraft in the fleet," “It would've been nice to see someone who looked like me in this role; I never intended to be the first. I hope it's encouraging to other people."
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