After her graduation from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelors of Science in Aerospace Engineering in 1990, 2nd Lt. Jeannie Flynn-Leavitt joined the United States Air Force. At the time, women were not allowed to serve during flying combat missions or aboard most Navy warships. On April 28, 1993, Defense Secretary Les Aspin ordered service chiefs to drop these restrictions.

Following the repeal, the U.S. Air Force named the first seven women to fly combat aircraft in the USAF. 2nd Lt. Jeannie Flynn-Leavitt was among these women and later became the first woman to actually enter fighter lead-in training.

Flynn completed training in 1994 in an F-15E Eagle and went on to log more than 2,000 hours in the F-15E by 2003.  This included 200 hours of combat time in Operation Allied Force. She was the first female fighter pilot to graduate from the USAF Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nevada, and was an F-15E instructor at the school, making her, once again, the first woman to hold this post.

ASE Alumni Jeannie Leavitt Becomes First Female Wing Commander

UT Aerospace alumna Col. Jeannie Leavitt (BS ASE ’90) has made history by becoming the first woman to take command of an Air Force combat fighter wing in North Carolina. Read the Fox News story.

After Col. Leavitt graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 1990, she joined the United States Air Force. At the time, women were not allowed to serve during flying combat missions or aboard most Navy warships. On April 28, 1993, Defense Secretary Les Aspin ordered service chiefs to drop these restrictions.

Following the repeal, the U.S. Air Force named the first seven women to fly combat aircraft in the USAF. Col. Jeannie Flynn-Leavitt was among these women and later became the first woman to actually enter fighter lead-in training. Now, she has made history once again by becoming the first female wing commander.