VERNICE ARMOUR (b. 1973)
Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour is used to breaking barriers and challenging the status quo. She was the first Black woman combat pilot, the first Black woman on the Motorcycle Squad for the Nashville PD, and was the first Black woman on the Tempe PD in Arizona. She also served as a diversity liaison officer to the Pentagon.
Born in Chicago, IL in 1973, Armour was raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She was a member of the mathematics honor society, the National Honor Society, and class vice-president in high school. Armour enlisted in the Army Reserves and Army ROTC while in college at MTSU (Middle Tennessee State University).
In 1996, during her last year of college, Armour took time off to become a police officer. She was the first female African-American on the motorcycle squad at the Nashville PD, something she had dreamed about as a child. After graduating, Armour moved to Tempe, AZ and became the first Black woman to serve as a police officer there.
In 1998, Armour enlisted in the Marines with the goal of becoming a combat pilot. Armour earned her wings in 2001, becoming the Marine Corps’ first black female pilot. In 2003, she flew with HMLA-169 during the invasion of Iraq becoming America’s first African-American female combat pilot.
Armour decided to leaving the U.S. Marine Corps in 2007 to begin a career as a professional speaker and author, sharing her story and as an expert on creating breakthroughs in life.
Outside of her military career and speaking tours, Armour also played for the San Diego Sunfire, a professional women’s football team. When asked about how she continued to push forward and blaze a trail in her life, Armour said that “[c]hallenges and obstacles are inevitable. How you navigate and manage those challenges and obstacles, that’s the key.”
Sources:
- Vernice Armour’s website
- Foundation for Women Warriors
- Coastal Carolina University
- The University of Texas at Dallas
Where to purchase:
To see more of the Trailblazing Women series, you can find it here. Or you can follow along in real time on Instagram.