photo by: MICHELLE CHRISTENSON/Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Jeanine McIntosh, a 26 year old Jamaican, is awarded the title of first black female aviator in the 215-year history of the U.S. Coast Guard.
As a junior grade lieutenant, McIntosh received her wings last Friday, June 24 at an awards ceremony at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station in Texas. McIntosh began her training in January of this year when she learned about instruments, flight patterns and going on missions. She is currently training in Little Rock, Arkansas until her new assignment in September.
McIntosh hails from Kingston, Jamaica where she attended Vaz Preparatory. She is a graduate of Miami Killian High and earned a Bachelors degree in International Business from Florida International University(FIU). After graduating from FIU in 2001 she decided to pursue her dream of flying and occasionally visited the North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines before beginning flying lessons.
In an interview with JIS, McIntosh spoke proudly of her passion for aviation from an early age when she resided in the Portmore community of Jamaica and watched the airplanes soaring closely overhead.
As a flight instructor at Opa-Locka Airport McIntosh said, “I observed the U.S. Coast Guard carriers there regularly and I felt a deeper fascination to fly one of those planes.” Her tenacity helped her to pursue her life’s ambition and today, she has been able to accomplish that dream.
Jeanine said that she was honored to have earned this achievement after a challenging schedule and encouraged other young persons to follow their inner drive.
