Maj. S. Rochelle Kimbrell

2012 Honoree - First African-American woman to become a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force

Maj. S. Rochelle Kimbrell, the first African-American woman to become a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, is often asked what triggered her desire to fly.

Her response is always the same. Her parents were not in the military and there were no books or television shows that sparked her interest to fly at lightning speeds. Kimbrell said that, while in kindergarten, she yearned to be an astronaut. By fourth grade, plans to fly fast planes had taken hold.

"Really, it was always about the flying," said the 35-year-old pilot, who took her first flying lesson at age 14, and received her pilot’s license at age 16. "I absolutely loved it," she said, recalling the Cessna 152 in which she learned to fly in her home state of Colorado.

The list of aircraft Kimbrell has flown includes the F-16, T-38, T-37 and T-3. She has more than 1,110 hours in the F-16, including 176 hours of combat time. Obtaining such status took a combination of desire, training, foresight, and the support of her parents.

After Kimbrell received her pilot wings in 1999 at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas and completed Fighter Fundamental training, she graduated from F-16 training at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.  From that point, she literally soared, with her first operational assignment in Misawa, Japan. Between 2001 and 2003, she was deployed to Turkey and Saudi Arabia for Operation Northern and Southern Watch.

Her flights in Northern Watch marked her as the first female pilot to fly combat missions for Misawa’s 35th Fighter Wing, and the first African-American woman to employ ordinance in combat. While serving in the 8th Operations Support Squadron in Korea, she flew with the 80th Fighter Squadron, Juvats.  Kimbrell also served for three years as the A-Flight Commander, 1st Brigade Air Liaison Officer, and as 2nd Brigade Air Liaison Officer in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Her military recognitions include medals for Aerial Achievement, National Defense Service, Armed Forces Expeditionary, the Iraq Campaign, Global War on Terrorism Service and the Korean Defense Service.

Kimbrell, who is married and has two young children, is currently based in Las Vegas as a course manager and instructor for the Air Liaison Officer Qualification Course.

Kimbrell expresses these words of wisdom, "You have only one chance in this life so dream big, be true to yourself and don’t let anything stand in your way."