III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 212 

Commemorating 50 years of women serving as naval aviators in the United 

States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 11, 2023 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, and Ms. 

DUCKWORTH) submitted the following resolution; which was considered 

and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating 50 years of women serving as naval aviators 

in the United States. 

Whereas, while women had officially served in various capacities in the Navy since 1908, prior to 1973, women had 

been prevented from serving as naval aviators; 

Whereas, in October 1972, the Navy announced a program 

to open flight training to women; 

Whereas, on January 10, 1973, Secretary of the Navy John 

Warner presented flight training orders to Judith 

Neuffer, the first woman to be selected for flight training 

in the Navy; 

Whereas 7 additional women were selected for training as 

naval aviators, and the group consisted of 4 women who 

already served as Navy officers and 4 civilians; 


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•SRES 212 ATS 

Whereas, on March 2, 1973, the first 4 women already serving as Navy officers began flight training at Naval Air 

Station Pensacola in Pensacola, Florida; 

Whereas the 4 civilian women selected for flight training were 

commissioned in May 1973, and reported to training at 

Naval Air Station Pensacola on June 4, 1973; 

Whereas, on February 22, 1974, Barbara Allen became the 

first female naval aviator to earn her Wings of Gold; 

Whereas, out of the 8 women to be selected for flight training, 6 women, nicknamed the ‘‘First Six’’ (referred to in 

this preamble as the ‘‘First Six’’), would go on to earn 

their Wings of Gold; 

Whereas the First Six comprised Judith Neuffer, Barbara 

Allen, Rosemary Conatser, Jane Skiles, Joellen Drag, 

and Ann Marie Scott; 

Whereas Naval Air Station Pensacola is the ‘‘Cradle of Naval 

Aviation’’ and serves as the training ground for every 

naval aviator; 

Whereas Naval Air Station Pensacola has played a valuable 

role in the historic milestone of women training to be 

naval aviators; and 

Whereas the First Six became the first women to hold various naval aviation positions in the Navy: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the invaluable contributions that the 

3 first 6 women to earn their Wings of Gold (referred 

4 to in this resolution as the ‘‘First Six’’) made to 

5 naval aviation in the United States; 


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•SRES 212 ATS 

1 (2) applauds the steadfast leadership and cour2 age of the First Six that opened doors for women to 

3 serve in every level of naval aviation in the United 

4 States today; 

5 (3) recognizes 50 years of women serving as 

6 naval aviators in the United States and the roles 

7 that Naval Air Station Pensacola and the Pensacola, 

8 Florida community have played in this milestone and 

9 in naval aviation history in the United States; and 

10 (4) respectfully requests that the Secretary of 

11 the Senate transmit an enrolled copy of this resolu12 tion to the Commanding Officer of Naval Air Sta13 tion Pensacola, Captain Terrence M. Shashaty. 

Æ 


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