Ashley Rolfe is one of the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
female fighter pilots who qualified to fly
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...
. As a member of the
Massachusetts Air National Guard
The Massachusetts Air National Guard (MA ANG) is the aerial militia of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States of America. It is, along with the Massachusetts Army National Guard, an element of the Massachusetts National Guard.
As common ...
, she makes history at the 104th Fighter Wing as the first female fighter pilot in the wing's 70-year history in Aug. 18, 2016. She served in 67th Fighter Squadron at
Kadena Air Base
(IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a highly strategic United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific" because of its highl ...
. Kadena was Rolfe's first duty assignment, where she also made history by serving in the 67th Fighter Squadron as the only female F-15 pilot. In 2010 she was the only female fighter pilot participating in Exercise Commando Sling that appeared in Air Force TV News "One of a Kind".
Rolfe graduated
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...
. She completed pilot training in 2007, fulfilling her lifelong dream to become an F-15 Eagle fighter pilot. She has served in the active-duty Air Force for 11 years. In addition to serving at
Tyndall
Tyndall (the original spelling, also Tyndale, "Tindol", Tyndal, Tindoll, Tindall, Tindal, Tindale, Tindle, Tindell, Tindill, and Tindel) is the name of an English family taken from the land they held as tenants in chief of the Kings of Engla ...
, she has been stationed as a fighter pilot at Kadena Air Base in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and
Nellis Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloq.) is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in " Military ...
in
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
. She has deployed twice, most recently to
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
for six months. She flew T-38 aircraft in an aggressor role as part of the F-22 Raptor fighter program at her previous duty assignment at Tyndall before coming to the 104th. She is married and has one daughter.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolfe, Ashley
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Female officers of the United States Air Force
Place of birth missing (living people)
Articles containing video clips
Massachusetts National Guard personnel
United States Air Force Academy alumni
21st-century American women