Amy McGrath

Amy McGrath Henderson[1] is a retired combat aviator in the United States Marines who was the first female marine to fly in an F-18 on a combat mission.[2][3] She served for 20 years in Marine Corps during which she flew 89 combat missions bombing al Qaeda and the Taliban.[4]In 2016, she was inducted into the Aviation Museum of Kentucky's Hall of Fame and her military story is described in Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq.[5] She has announced her intentions to run for the United States House of Representatives in 2017.

Biography

McGrath grew up in Edgewood, Kentucky.[6] McGrath was inspired to become a military aviator at a young age, especially after visiting the National Museum of the United States Air Force.[2] She graduated from Notre Dame Academy in 1993.[6] After graduating, she went on to the Naval Academy in the same year.[2] She graduated from the academy in 1997, earning a bachelor's degree in political science.[2] In the academy, she was part of the women's first varsity soccer team.[2] After graduating from the Naval Academy joined the Marine Corps.[7] She later earned a master's degree in International and Global Security at Johns Hopkins University.[8]

McGrath started working as a Weapons Systems Officer for the F/A-18 aircraft in 1999.[9] McGrath was deployed to Afghanistan in March 2002 for a six month tour, during which she flew 51 combat missions in a F-18D[7] in Operation Enduring Freedom[10]. In January 2003, she was sent to fly in Iraq, where she provided air support to ground troops, conducted reconnaissance and air strikes.[7] During her time supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom[8] in Iraq, she was stationed in Kuwait.[11] In 2007, she was promoted from captain to major.[11] In 2010, she served a second tour in Afghanistan with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing in Helmand Provence.[10] McGrath worked at Representative Susan Davis's office in Washington, D.C. as a defense and foreign affairs advisor in 2011.[8] The next year, she worked at Headquarters Marine Corps as a liaison at the Pentagon.[8]

She was inducted into the Aviation Museum of Kentucky's Hall of Fame in 2016.[6] McGrath retired from the armed forces on June 1, 2017.[8] On August 2, 2017 she announced that she was running for the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky's 6th congressional district.[12] The video announcing her run and posted on YouTube, had over million views by August 3, 2017.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Panda Patrons" (PDF). The Notre Damian: 19. Fall 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Kenton native named to Ky. Aviation Hall of Fame". The Cincinnati Enquirer. August 14, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  3. ↑ Kenny, Caroline (August 2, 2017). "Retired fighter pilot announces her run for Congress in Kentucky". CNN. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  4. ↑ de Wind, Dorian (August 2, 2017). "Amy McGrath, a Marine Combat Fighter Pilot on a New Mission". Huffingtonpost. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  5. ↑ Ellis, Ronnie (April 28, 2017). "NKY’s Amy McGrath considering run against Andy Barr? CNHI News reporter Ronnie Ellis has the story". Northern Kentucky Tribune. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 Bucher, Chris (August 4, 2017). "Amy McGrath: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 Steitzer, Stephanie (April 7, 2004). "Marine Pilot Gets Rare View of Opening Day". The Cincinnati Post. Retrieved August 4, 2017 – via HighBeam Research. (Subscription required (help)).
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Bucher, Chris (August 1, 2017). "Amy McGrath: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  9. ↑ Heyne, Mark. "Local Combat Pilot, Marine Lt. Col. Amy McGrath, Inducted Into The KY Aviation Hall Of Fame". Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Meet Amy". www.amymcgrathforcongress.com. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  11. 1 2 Lachmann, John (March 5, 2007). "Local Alum Has Earned Her Wings: Marine Pilot No Stranger to Combat". The Cincinnati Post. Retrieved August 4, 2017 – via HighBeam Research. (Subscription required (help)).
  12. ↑ Kurtzleben, Danielle (August 2, 2017). "Female Retired Marine With Viral Campaign Ad Hopes To Bridge Gap In Democratic Party". NPR. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  13. ↑ Puckett, Jeffrey Lee (August 3, 2017). "Kentucky combat veteran Amy McGrath is going viral with a video announcing Congressional run". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
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