When Pittman earned her wings in 2001, she followed in the path that Cain had blazed twenty-two years prior. Even though Cain didn’t finish her first tour, Pittman admired her work and noted that Cain started a proud legacy of women in Coast Guard aviation.
Cain was part of a group of three officers and six enlisted women who demonstrated the role that women could play in military aviation, opening up the door for countless women in the future to pursue their dreams of military aviation. Known as the First Women of U.S. Coast Guard Aviation, nine women in the Coast Guard became aviators when the Coast Guard opened all aviation ratings to women on January 1, 1976.
In addition to Cain, other pioneering women included Vivien Crea and Janna Lambine (officers) and Erminia Chillon, Andrea Gardner, Dior Lowen Hubel, Kelly Mogk Larson, Robyn Rogers Norvell, and Elizabeth Uhrig (enlisted).
Unfortunately, Cain’s story has a sad ending, as she died much too young. However, it is an inspiration, as she was the Coast Guard’s first female helicopter pilot and a fitting model for future female aviators in the Coast Guard and other branches of the military.
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Guest Contributor: Rachel Basinger is a former history teacher turned freelance writer and editor. She loves studying military history, especially the World Wars, and of course military medals. She has authored three history books for young adults and transcribed interviews of World War II veterans. In her free time, Rachel is a voracious reader and is a runner who completed her first half marathon in May 2019.