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In 2016, Claiborne co-founded the organization
Sisters of the Skies with pilots Christine Angel Hughes and Nia Wordlaw. Sisters of the Skies' mission is to support and build a more diverse next generation of aviation professionals by offering workshops, mentorships, and scholarships. She flew her
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in the USAF. She became the first
African-American female pilot in the U.S. Air Force after graduating from Laughlin Air Force Base on September 16, 1982 with the class 82-08. Claiborne flew
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Claiborne was inducted into the
Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals Hall of Fame in 2017.
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156:(ROTC). She realized she wanted to be a pilot while in the ROTC program. She completed her
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United States Air Force personnel of the War in
Afghanistan (2001ā2021)
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Theresa
Claiborne having her wings pinned on by her mother
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First
African American woman pilot in the U.S. Air Force
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Claiborne came from a military family and she went to
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260:"Where Are All the Black Women in the Flight Deck?"
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200:in 1988. She served as an instructor pilot on the
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184:On June 20, 1981, Claiborne was commissioned as
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