The 63rd Preservation Society will host a farewell banquet for the 63rd AAF-FTD reunion with special guest speaker, Lt. Col. Christine Mau, on Thursday, October 20, 2016 at the Douglas Golf and Country Club.
Lt. Col. Christine Mau is the first female F-35 fighter jet pilot. A state of the art fighter jet, the F-35 Lightning II is described as one of the most technologically complex planes ever built. Prior to flying the F-35, Lt. Col. Mau completed 14 virtual training missions in a flight simulator. In May 2015, she joined the ranks of 87 other F-35 pilots who have trained at Florida’s Elgin Air Force Base.
Mau was part of the first all-female combat sortie while with the 389th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron. Their mission was to provide air support to coalition and Afghan forces. This entire mission was carried out by women, from the pilots and weapons system officers of the two F-15E jets to the mission planners and maintainers.
While serving as Deputy Commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing Operations Group, Mau was a F-15 fighter pilot prior to making the transition to the F-35.
For more than 20 years, women have served in combat aviation roles. According to a Lockheed Martin Corp. press release, Mau has joked that the only difference between her and her male colleagues is the size of her G-suit and face mask. Taking the controls of an aircraft apparently was a longtime goal for Mau, who dreamed of flying jets as a child growing up near El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in California, as pointed out by the Military Officers Association of America.
For over 14 years, cadets who trained at the Airbase during World War II have returned to Douglas for a reunion. This year, only five of the cadets will be returning with their families.
“It has been an honor to host these cadets and their families for the reunion since 2002,” says Georgia Henderson, City of Douglas Public Information Director. “We will treasure every memory we have made with them and hope that God continues to bless them.”
– Submitted