Hillary Clinton (hillaryclinton / 07.02.2019): Captain Rosemary Mariner's career was full of firsts. She began flying planes at just 15 years old and was the first woman in Purdue University's aeronautics program. She wanted to become a commercial airline pilot, but that career wasn't an option for women in 1972. She heard there were opportunities in the U.S. Navy, and a career was born. She became the Navy's first female jet pilot in 1975 and one of the first women to serve on a Navy warship in 1982. Eight years after that, she became the first woman to command a military aviation squadron. As Captain Mariner broke down barriers, she helped forge a path for other women to become aviators. She organized her fellow women servicemembers to put pressure on Congress to end restrictions on women flying combat missions, an important milestone in ending institutional discrimination against women. Captain Mariner died in late January at the age of 65 from ovarian cancer. At her memorial service this past weekend, she was honored with a flyover honoring her legacy: all the pilots in the formation were women. What a tribute to a pioneer." Supplied by Instagram.com/face to face