Lt. Amanda Lee participated in the first ever all-female flyover Feb. 2 in Maynardville, Tennessee. Officially referred to as a “Missing Man Flyover,” the tribute was part of the funeral service for retired Navy Captain Rosemary Mariner, who passed away on Jan. 24 following a long fight with cancer.
 |
| Lee, Top Right |
“I had an incredible opportunity provided to me to earn a commission while serving as an active duty Enlisted service member,” Lee said. “I am truly humbled to have come full circle, and now fly the very aircraft that I used to work on as a maintainer.”
While attending the University of Minnesota in Duluth and working at UPS, Lee decided to enlist in the Navy, graduating from Recruit Training Command in 2007. Her enlisted career as an Aviation Electronics Technician encompassed a sea tour at the VFA-136 Knighthawks, advancement to Second Class Petty Officer, as well as selection into the Seaman-to-Admiral (STA-21) Commissioning Program. LT Lee received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at Old Dominion University, and earned her commission in August 2013. She reported to Pensacola, Florida that year to begin flight training and was designated a Naval Aviator in April 2016 in Kingsville, Texas.
After completing flight training in 1974, Mariner was designated a naval aviator and received her Wings of Gold to became the Navy’s first female jet pilot, flying the A-4E/L “Skyhawk” and the A-7E “Corsair II”. She also was the first female military aviator to achieve command of an operational air squadron. During Operation Desert Storm, Mariner commanded Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron Thirty-Four (VAQ-34). In 1982, she reached yet another milestone by being among the first females to serve aboard a U.S. Navy warship, USS Lexington, and qualifying as a Surface Warfare Officer.
Mariner retired from the U.S. Navy in 1997 after obtaining the rank of Captain and logging seventeen carrier arrested landings, or “traps,” and completing over 3,500 flight hours in fifteen different aircraft.
The Missing Man Flyover is a special tribute honoring the service of aviators who have died serving their country. The maneuver features four aircraft flying above the funeral service in formation as one of the aircraft leaves the formation and climbs vertically into the heavens.
All of the aviators who participated in the flyover are from squadrons based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana flying F/A-18E/F “Super Hornets.”
While attending the University of Minnesota in Duluth and working at UPS, Lee decided to enlist in the Navy, graduating from Recruit Training Command in 2007. Her enlisted career as an Aviation Electronics Technician encompassed a sea tour at the VFA-136 Knighthawks, advancement to Second Class Petty Officer, as well as selection into the Seaman-to-Admiral (STA-21) Commissioning Program. LT Lee received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at Old Dominion University, and earned her commission in August 2013. She reported to Pensacola, Florida that year to begin flight training and was designated a Naval Aviator in April 2016 in Kingsville, Texas.
After completing flight training in 1974, Mariner was designated a naval aviator and received her Wings of Gold to became the Navy’s first female jet pilot, flying the A-4E/L “Skyhawk” and the A-7E “Corsair II”. She also was the first female military aviator to achieve command of an operational air squadron. During Operation Desert Storm, Mariner commanded Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron Thirty-Four (VAQ-34). In 1982, she reached yet another milestone by being among the first females to serve aboard a U.S. Navy warship, USS Lexington, and qualifying as a Surface Warfare Officer.
Mariner retired from the U.S. Navy in 1997 after obtaining the rank of Captain and logging seventeen carrier arrested landings, or “traps,” and completing over 3,500 flight hours in fifteen different aircraft.
The Missing Man Flyover is a special tribute honoring the service of aviators who have died serving their country. The maneuver features four aircraft flying above the funeral service in formation as one of the aircraft leaves the formation and climbs vertically into the heavens.
All of the aviators who participated in the flyover are from squadrons based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana flying F/A-18E/F “Super Hornets.”