First female fighter pilot becomes first female wing commander
The woman who became the Air Force's first female fighter pilot in 1993 is adding another first to her list of achievements. Col. Jeannie Leavitt has become the first woman to take command of an Air Force combat fighter wing Friday in North Carolina.
During her 20 years in the Air Force, Leavitt says she's familiar with being in its leading ranks of women, but believes she has earned her position through performance, not favoritism.
"It helped that once we started flying, people began to see that we were there because of our abilities and not our gender," Leavitt said in an exclusive telephone interview with The Associated Press. "I don't see it as a `first' sort of thing. I see it as an incredible opportunity, an incredible honor, to lead a unit with its history and heritage."
Leavitt has logged more than 2,500 hours in the F-15 Strike Eagle, including 300 hours flying in combat primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The 45-year-old from St. Louis, Mo., takes over the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, one of only three units of F-15Es, the service's premier fighter jets. Leavitt will be in charge of the wing's 5,000 active duty men and women, with 12,000 civilians in the base population.
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