FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. –
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Heather Oglesby, a flight instructor at Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Allison Moser, also a flight instructor at EAATS, and Sgt. Victoria Glasgow, a Black Hawk crew chief with the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, crewed a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in recognition of Girls in Aviation Day.
March for the Fallen is an event for the military and civilian communities to join annually in honoring the memory of all fallen service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our nation. Oglesby, Moser and Glasgow said they hoped to honor the fallen during their flyover as one of the state's few all-female flight crews.
“I’ve been in the Army for nearly 25 years now and it’s amazing to me how many friends, or acquaintances or classmates even just in the aviation community that I’ve lost, and I think it’s really important to remember them,” said Oglesby.
She and Moser said they hoped to provide a morale boost and motivation to participants in the march’s very challenging events as they flew over the start of the 5k race and then continued over the ridge and followed the path of the 28-mile ruck march.
“More meaningful for me is when we’ll fly over the path of the march,” said Moser. “It’s extremely important for us to remember those that came before us and that didn’t get to go home.”
Moser noted that the National Guard, and Pennsylvania in particular, played a significant role during the Global War on Terror following 9/11.
“We were both a little apprehensive because I think we both feel like we’re just part of the team, just part of the crew,” said Oglesby.
They both said that the stigma of being female in Army Aviation has mostly gone away, though it took a long time and the efforts of many pioneers in the field. Fifty years ago, on June 4, 1974, 2nd Lt. Sally Murphy became the first female U.S. Army helicopter pilot to graduate from flight school and receive her wings and in 1994, a female fighter pilot flew a combat mission for the first time.
“We’ve worked our whole careers to not be seen as different,” said Moser. “We’re still a small part of the population but I think that’s what we’ve worked for is to not be seen as different.”
Females represent approximately five percent of instructors at EAATS and 19 out of 200 warrant officer pilots in the state.
“I feel like as a female in aviation sometimes you were the outlier, or the exception and not the rule, and that you had to prove yourself before you were given the benefit of the doubt whereas your male counterparts would have been given that benefit of the doubt initially,” said Oglesby.
The plan for this flyover began to come together during the Pennsylvania Female Veterans Day lake walk June 12, according to 1st Sgt. Marleigh Bogumil of the EAATS Medical Company, and vice chair of the Female Special Emphasis Group of the State Joint Diversity Council. Events like this flight that highlight the service of female Guard members and veterans build bonds with the wider community and help grow the force by showing what talented and ambitious potential recruits from all backgrounds can achieve.
“I love flying, period,” said Moser. “My first flight was a morale flight in a Cobra when I was 18, and from that moment on I decided that was awesome and something I want to do.”
“Anybody who’s just kind of wandering, flailing, not really sure what they want to do; this has been a great life,” said Oglesby.” I’ve been a lot of places; I’ve seen a lot of things that I may not have done if not for the United States military.”
The opportunities for a meaningful and adventurous career are not limited to the pilots in the front cabin.
“I enjoy being in the back more, I feel like we get to do more of the fun stuff like sling loads, pick up humvees, artillery, water buckets, and move people around and get to see the smiles on their faces,” said Glasgow.
Glasgow said she had family members in military aviation who inspired her to join and that there are good opportunities for professional growth in Army aviation.
“You have to step up and show you can do this or do that without anyone’s help,” she said. “Once you get that respect, they have your back no matter what.”
Moser and Oglesby agreed that for females now, the sky is the limit and there’s no reason young women and girls can’t achieve their goals. They both agreed that things are very different for new Soldiers now than when they joined before 9/11, and that the military is constantly changing and always presenting new challenges.
“It’s not just a job, if you’re looking for purpose in your life this is a place you can find that for sure,” said Moser. “Male or female, don’t let people tell you no.”