2nd Lt. Kayla Freeman Black Female Pilot In Alabama National Guard
2nd Lt. Kayla Freeman Makes History As First Black Female Pilot In Alabama National Guard
via BCNN1:
When 2nd Lt. Kayla Freeman wore her wings for the first time on the stage of Fort Rucker’s Army Aviation school, she didn’t consider how historically impactful the moment was.
Freeman, whose June 21 graduation made her the first black female pilot in the Alabama National Guard, said she “didn’t think about making history when I started this journey. I just wanted to do the best that I could do and hopefully inspire a few people along the way.”
That’s a goal she has also accomplished, with Freeman being inundated with congratulations, well-wishes, and messages of appreciation in the few weeks after her achievement.
Freeman said she was honored to have her wings pinned by a longtime hero and fellow history-maker, retired Col. Christine “Nickey” Knighton.
Knighton was the second black woman in the Department of Defense to earn her aviator wings, the first from Georgia, and the first woman in the U.S. Army to command a tactical combat arms battalion.
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