Vernice Armour
The First African-American Woman Combat Pilot
By Howard Mann
 Vernice Armour follows a long line of military
achievers. Her stepfather and one of her grandfathers were former
Marines. Her father was in the Army. But she didn't receive a rousing
round of applause when she opted to follow their trail.
"My stepdad didn't want me to go in the Marine
Corps," said Armour, who years earlier spent some time in the Army. "He
thought it would be too hard and he didn't like the way they treated
women. He was in Vietnam for a couple of tours, but I told him it'd be
different. I was going in as an officer – 30 years down the line – and
going into aviation.
"The biggest thing was, ‘If I don't do it, who
will?'"
Armour read about "it" in an article by Lt. Col.
Charles Boyd, USMC, who issued a call for the first African-American
female pilot. Boyd stated that the Marines were looking for "a special
woman who possesses the attitude of a winner, the self-confidence of a
dreamer, and the commitment of a pioneer."
Armour embraced the idea right away.
"It was a challenge," she said. "I didn't believe it
at first. ‘I'll be first? No one has done this already?' For me, it was
even more important. It's a legacy. We're standing on so many shoulders,
and that was just a promising opportunity."
She earned her wings on July 13, 2001, ranking No. 1
out of her class of 12 and of the last 200 to graduate from flight
school. The Marine Corps' first African-American female pilot, she also
become the first in any branch to see combat, serving two tours in Iraq
between 2003-2004.
 "It was intense," she said. "It was exciting. It was
scary. Fearful sometimes. There were real people trying to shoot at
you."
Armour piloted the famed AH-1W Super Cobra attack
helicopter. One of her most memorable experiences involved her sector
being called in to support Marines and soldiers being held down on the
ground by indirect mortar fire. Several months later, she was at a
hospital talking to a young Marine who told her about a Cobra that
helped them out when they were pinned down.
 "We paired it up and discovered it was the same
mission," she said. "He looked at me and said, ‘Ma'am, you saved my
life.' Everybody over there is watching each other's back. I'm
there to protect men and women on the ground. That's what it's all about
for me.
"Everyone's flying and providing air support,
protecting people on the ground who are under attack," she said. "All
that political stuff we're talking about over here doesn't matter. We're
just concerned about staying alive."
More than just staying alive, Armour has focused on
living her life to the fullest. Prior to joining the Marines, the former
Army reservist and ROTC member at Middle Tennessee State made history in
Nashville. Armour was the first African-American woman and just the
second woman overall on the Nashville Police Department's motorcycle
squad.
While stationed outside San Diego at Camp Pendleton,
after flight school, Armour exhibited her athletic prowess. She was
named Camp Pendleton's Female Athlete of the Year in 2001, and was a
two-time titleholder in the camp's annual Strongest Warrior competition.
She also played running back for a women's pro football team, the San
Diego Sunfire.
Armour knew she was setting a precedent as a Marine.
But she didn't realize the extent of her history-making experience until
she got a surprise phone call from the Oprah Winfrey show while
stationed in Iraq in 2003.
"When Oprah wanted me to be on the show, I thought
it was just for being the first (black female pilot) in the Marine
Corps," she said. "Turns out I was the first in American history out of
all the branches of service.
 "I was on the show via the phone, and my mom and dad
were actually there," she said. "I was surprised, but not completely.
Legislation (allowing women to fly in combat) had just been changed in
1993, and we hadn't had another war with combat since then."
Armour has moved on to fight a different sort of
battle, helping women and minorities learn how to excel. She departed
from the Marines in June 2007 to focus on instilling others with same
goal-oriented passion that's driven her for so long, serving as a
speaker, trainer and coach.
"I'm not a motivational speaker," she said. "I like
to call myself your leadership coach for the 21st century leader, a
catalyst for change. I want to share my message of ‘EXCELERATED'
passion. You acknowledge your obstacles but stay focused on your goals.
Acknowledge your obstacles but don't give them power.
 "When you fall off that horse, fail that test, or
don't make it, you get up and do it again right now,'" she said. "You
have to harness that emotion – which is raw energy – and focus on your
goal."
Armour said her experiences and "firsts" give her a
unique platform, and she's been called to inspire others. She also wants
to help corporations, businesses and organizations learn to appreciate
diversity, learn to let individuals strengthen the team without leaving
their identities at the door.
She said it's important to realize and recognize the
"outrageous legacy" of forebears who made a way for her generation and
today's youth. "That I'm able to represent for ancestors and give back
just a little bit, is a blessing in itself."
 Her company, VAI Communications for Change (www.vernicearmour.com)
is located outside Washington, D.C., near Quantico Marine Corps Base.
Armour's Website features pictures of her on magazines, books and TV, a
list of previous engagements, and a number of testimonials, including
one from noted motivational speaker Les Brown.
"I've shared the stage with hundreds of great
speakers over the past 20 years and they all better take notice because
Vernice Armour is a force, a powerhouse and I highly recommend her to
you," Brown says. "She will change your life."
Just like joining the Marine Corps changed her life.
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