First Female Marine One Pilot Leads All-Female Crew for Final Flight

A Marine Corps combat veteran, naval aviator, and lieutenant colonel with close to 30 years of service, Jennifer Grieves has earned three Meritorious Service and two Air Medal-Individual Action medals. From 2008 to 2009, Jennifer Grieves served as a Marine One pilot, becoming the first woman in history to fly the President of the United States on Marine One, the presidential helicopter. On her last day in the role, July 16, 2009, she was part of another first — an all-female Marine One crew.

According to Sgt. Harrison Kish, then a chief with HMX-1, the opportunity to have an all-female crew was a landmark achievement for the unit. Many Marines were advocating for it in honor of LtCol Grieves. The idea actually came up in early July, two weeks before LtCol Grieves’ final flight, and once it was approved, many Marines reported from their days off just to participate in it.

The crew that day included LtCol Grieves, Maj. Jennifer Marino as the co-pilot, and Sgt. Rachael Sherman completing the crew. They flew President Barrack Obama from the White House to Andrews Air Force Base. President Obama expressed his pride in having an all-female crew, and gave the pilot one of his presidential coins in honor of her service.