[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 14, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E496]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THERESA M. CLAIBORNE, THE FIRST 
      AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE PILOT IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JENNIFER L. McCLELLAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 14, 2024

  Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lt. Colonel 
Theresa M. Claiborne, who was the first African American female pilot 
in the United States Air Force. Aside from her many accomplishments, 
Clairborne is flying her last commercial flight this month.
  Captain Claiborne was born on May 25, 1959, to Wayne Morris, Sr. and 
Dorothy Claiborne in Emporia, Virginia. She attended California State 
University, Sacramento, where she earned a degree in Communication, 
Culture, and Media in 1981. Claiborne completed the University of 
California-Berkeley Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) 
program and was commissioned as a United States Air Force second 
lieutenant on June 20, 1981.
  Following the completion of pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base 
in Texas, Lt. Claiborne graduated as the first African American female 
pilot in the United States Air Force on September 16, 1982. During 
Claiborne's active-duty years, she rose in rank to Captain and served 
as a KC 135 pilot at Loring Air Force Base, Maine. Captain Claiborne 
credits the Tuskegee Airmen as dutiful servicemen who paved the way for 
her and the Black women and men to follow.
  After 9 years of dedicated service, Captain Claiborne retired from 
active-duty service and Joined the United States Air Force Reserves as 
a flight commander and an instructor pilot, becoming a Lieutenant 
Colonel in November 2001.
  Concurrently, after leaving active-duty service, Captain Claiborne 
Joined United Airlines as a flight engineer, working her way up to the 
rank of captain She remained one of only 15 Black female pilots at 
United Airlines until 2019.
  On January 6, 2003, Lt. Colonel Claiborne retired from the U.S. Air 
Force Reserves but maintained her position as Captain with United 
Airlines, accumulating over 15,000 civilian flying hours.
  However, Lt. Colonel Claiborne's service did not stop there. In 2016, 
she co-founded the Sister of the Skies with pilots Christine Angel 
Hughes and Nia Wordlaw, with the mission of supporting and building a 
diverse aviation workforce by offering workshops, mentorships, and 
scholarships.
  We owe a debt of gratitude to Lt. Colonel Claiborne for her more than 
20 years of service to our armed forces and for paving the way for a 
new generation of Black female pilots.

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