Capt Vernice Armour Oral History Part 1

title:

Capt Vernice Armour Oral History Part 1

creator:

Armour, Vernice G. (1973 September 22 -

subject:

Marine Corps | Army Reserve

description:

Part 1 of 2. Vernice G. Armour was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1973. Despite her family moving frequently throughout her childhood, her family mostly settled in Mira Loma, California, where Vernice got her first horse and was able to really pursue her love of them, eventually hoping to become a police officer on mounted patrol. During high school, Vernice built a gym in her bedroom out of the weights that her brothers had left at home when they left for college. Vernice graduated from John Overton High School, Creative and Performing Arts in Memphis, Tennessee in 1991. When Vernice went to Middle Tennessee State University, she didn't want to be a starving artist so she was initially an animal science major, but switched to physical education with an emphasis on exercise science. Vernice joined the ROTC rifle team initially because they were going to New Orleans to perform at Mardi Gras, and after joining she realized she belonged in a military environment. Her father had been in the Army and her stepfather had been in the Marines. Because of her ROTC rifle team experience, Vernice enlisted in the Army Reserves at Fort Jackson, South Carolina in January 1993. After basic training Vernice went to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana for AIT, specializing in accounting. She then joined her school's ROTC program as a cadet over the scholarship option, and after finishing her exercise science internship she attended sheriff's and police academy and in December of 1996 became a police officer for Nashville Davidson County Metropolitan. Vernice was the first black woman and second ever woman to serve on their police motorcycle squad. In 1998 Vernice moved to Phoenix, Arizona to work at the Tempe Police Department. Vernice remained interested in the military and, following the advice of a retired Army pilot, she started Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. Vernice graduated as platoon sergeant, second in her class. She rose through the ranks, becoming a platoon commander, and then later second lieutenant. Vernice joined the HMX-1, which is the President’s helicopter squadron. Later Vernice went to Aviation Preflight Indoctrination, where she worked hard to graduate first in her class to get her choice of aircraft. She succeeded and got her first-choice slot: the AH-1W Super Cobra. Vernice was offered a choice of moving to either coast, and moved to Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California. Vernice checked into the HMT-303 squadron in July 2002, becoming the first black female Marine Corps combat pilot. In February 2003, Vernice was assigned to a Marine Expeditionary Unit. She describes her experience as a combat pilot in Iraq in great detail, as well as her warm reception from family, friends, and press on her return. Vernice served from January 1993 to June 1996 in the Army Reserves, and from October 1998 to August 2007 in the Marine Corps. Currently she works as a program liaison officer for Manpower and Equal Opportunity at the Marine Corps headquarters. For her service, as of the interview Vernice had been awarded the Naval Aviation Badge, Air Medal with one star, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with valor device, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Navy Presidential Unit Citation with one service star, National Defense Service Medal with one service star, Iraq Campaign Medal with two service stars, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with one service star. A transcript of this interview is available.

publisher:

Military Women's Memorial Foundation

contributor:

Wilson, Eleanor M.

date:

2006-09-03

type:

Audio

format:

Cassette

identifier:

33.01; 2006.033

source:

MCHC

language:

English

relation:

554588

coverage:

Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq)—2003-2011 | Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan)—2001-2014 | Global War on Terrorism—2001-present | 1993-1996 | 1998-2007

rights:

Unrestricted