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EXAMPLE BIOGRAPHIES / STORIES Below are condensed examples of three women's stories who are participating in "My Mom Flies." Contact me if you are participating in the book and would like the full version as an example when you write your own story. The highlight of my military career was the day I became a United States Marine. I am a member of the Women Marines Association, Women Military Aviators, Whirly Girls and Women in Aviation International. I have enjoyed being a member of Women Marines Association the most. I have met some amazing women and heard endearing stories about their Marine Corps career. Some were during the era of “Free a Man to Fight”, some were intrigued by the esprit de corps and camaraderie, some fell in love with the Corps by falling in love with their husbands, who happened to be Marines. Whatever their motivation, the dedication and purpose is still die hard some 40 years later. They endured and overcame many of the issues we are dealing with today, some 40 years later. I credit my first Commanding Officer with showing through example how to be a Marine. He never looked at me as a female aviator. I was just another squadron pilot. This was a wonderful thing. Having three daughters of his own, he encouraged them to succeed. He also gave me that chance. I left active duty in July of 2003 just after my daughters were born and along with being a stay-at-home mom over the past few years, I have been actively involved in the Marine Corps Reserves and also have been pursuing a career as a Financial Planner. I want to pass to my children that ‘the sky is the limit’. I hope to inspire my children to be passionate in whatever they pursue. They can achieve and dream big. My husband and I will be supportive of whatever they choose to do. At 18 months our twin daughters could say airplane and loved to spot airplanes and helicopters in the air. So, maybe they will follow in their mom and dad’s footsteps after all. I wanted to attend the United States Naval Academy more than anything else in life. No one in my family had any military experience, and I didn’t even really know what women could do in the Navy. I just wanted a different and challenging college experience. The Academy seemed to be the top academic, athletic, honorable, travel-intensive, patriotic, and prestigious experience. After graduating from the Naval Academy, I attended Flight school and received my Wings of Gold in 1990. My first duty station was in Rota, Spain flying the EP-3. We worked 16-hour days, every other day on deployment. At age 26, I was signing for a $60million aircraft with a crew of 26. The Navy gives you tremendous responsibility when you’re young and teaches you how to handle it. I got out of the Navy in 1988 and got hired by United Airlines. I spent five enjoyable years flying the 737 through-out the United States and Canada, until I was furloughed at the end of 2003. Although offered recall in 2005, I have chosen to remain voluntarily furloughed to pursue my reserve Navy career and family life instead. Becoming a mom has been extremely fun, rewarding, and surprisingly compatible with a flying career. The irregular work hours have often allowed me extra time at home with my two daughters. The drastic differences between the two halves of my life makes me appreciate and look forward to each half even more. By the time my first daughter turned one, she proudly pointed at every airplane, exclaiming "Mommy." The best memory has been her look of awe the first time she saw the C-130 I am now flying and declared "it's so big!!" As my son Wade turned a year old, I decided to separate from the Air Force to keep my family together since my husband was also a pilot, a Navy pilot and it was unlikely we were going to get stationed together. When I left the Air Force, I thought I could look back with fond memories of flying and start a new life as a mom and supportive Navy wife. While I enjoyed extra time at home with my family, I found myself looking towards the sky, longing to be back at work and longing to fly. While accomplishing some civilian flying during this past summer, the same emotions were reinforced, and I learned something about myself…I’m a pilot who needs to fly. I’m a mom and a wife AND a pilot. For me, flying was not something I could just walk away from. During that time, I came across these words from an anonymous source, “To some people the sky is the limit; to those who love aviation, the sky is home.” That summed it up for me. I was missing a whole piece of me. The internal conflict between maternal instinct and my love of aviation was no longer, I decided to go for it all. I’m a better mother and wife when I can be a pilot too.