Photos And Article By Rene Ekman
Duke, Double, Shotgun, and Dirty – names never given to the daughters of America – are the call signs of four F-16 pilots who just happen to be women.
The world is changing, and the faces of those who fight our wars are also changing. While women have been flying combat missions since the early 1990s, four female pilots in the same squadron at the same time is still rare, if not a first for an F-16 unit. The 36th FS at Osan AB, Republic of Korea, also known as the “Flying Fiends,” welcomes the talent and dedication these four women bring to this F-16 squadron. What has always been the most exclusive of brotherhoods, that of the pilots privileged to fly the world’s premier multirole fighter, is now becoming the brother-and-sisterhood of America’s best and bravest. These females and their male colleagues uphold US commitments to the Republic of Korea and peace in northeast Asia.
