Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Hesling 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.
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| Hesling, Third From Left Top Row |
“I knew I wanted to serve my country after watching the Twin Towers fall on September 11, 2001,” Hesling said. “This desire to serve my country steered me toward attending the Naval Academy. As a Midshipmen, I had the opportunity to fly in an F/A-18 Super Hornet, and I was immediately hooked. I am thankful for all of the women who came before me who made this dream a possibility.”
Hesling attended the United States Naval Academy graduating in 2008 with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. She completed flight training earning her Wings of Gold June 2010. After initial F/A-18 training at VFA-106, she reported in August 2011 to the Swordsmen of VFA-32 and deployed aboard the USS Harry S. Truman in support Operation Enduring Freedom, executing 40 combat missions.
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.”
Hesling attended the United States Naval Academy graduating in 2008 with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. She completed flight training earning her Wings of Gold June 2010. After initial F/A-18 training at VFA-106, she reported in August 2011 to the Swordsmen of VFA-32 and deployed aboard the USS Harry S. Truman in support Operation Enduring Freedom, executing 40 combat missions.
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.”