Smithsonian Identifies First Women to Fly Combat Missions

Decades after flying their combat missions in near anonymity, the women agreed to be named in an article published in the museum's 'Air & Space Quarterly.'

Kimberly Johnson

Thursday, January 04, 2024 at 04:41 PM ET

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Three of the first U.S. women to fly combat missions, including Joy Dean, were Hornet pilots. [Courtesy: Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum]

Key Takeaways:

The names of the first U.S. military female combat pilots, who flew missions in 1994-1995, have been publicly released decades after their service.
These women, including U.S. Navy Lieutenant Kimberly “Face” Dyson who flew the inaugural mission in November 1994, had previously kept their identities quiet to focus on the importance of their missions.
A total of five female naval pilots participated in combat operations in Iraq and Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Department of Defense ended its combat exclusion law in April 1993.

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The names of the first female pilots who flew combat missions for the U.S. military have finally been released, decades after their missions ended.

“The women had kept their identities quiet for that time out of a desire to focus on the importance of the missions and not the individuals,” the Smithsonian National Air & Space museum, which had a hand in identifying the pilots, said in a statement. “The flyers agreed to be named in an exclusive article in the just-released winter 2024 issue of museum’s Air & Space Quarterly magazine, which was based on interviews with the women.”