First Female Harrier Mechanic Retires

Her name is Major Lou Ann Rickley. Rickley recently retired from the United States Marine Corps after 30 years of blazing a trail of firsts. She became a legend in the Corps as the first female Harrier engine mechanic. According to an article by Sgt. Michael T. Knight on the Marine Corps News website, Rickley joined the Marine Corps in 1977. She became an aircraft mechanic and soon realized it was her dream job when she landed with a Harrier unit -- Marine Attack Squadron 513 Flying Nightmares. There she became the first female qualified as a plane captain on the AV-8A Harrier. Rickley says, "I suspected that the Corps made a mistake by assigning me to this unit because it was a deployable unit and females were not yet allowed to deploy." But Rickley overcame that and many other obstacles as she advanced in her military career. In 1986, she graduated drill instructor school and became a senior drill Instructor after one training cycle. Before leaving Parris Island, she was promoted to gunnery sergeant and was the first to fill a newly established position of Series Chief Drill Instructor, 4th Recruit Training Battalion. While stationed at Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro, CA, Rickley was selected to become one of only two female Warrant Officers  in the Marine Corps. As a Chief Warrant Officer, Rickley applied for the Limited Duty Officer program and was the only aircraft maintenance officer selected and promoted to Captain in 1999. That same year, she was assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364 to turn the unit around (the unit had failed its maintenance inspection). Within eight months, she dismantled the unit and rebuilt it the right way. It passed its next inspection with flying colors. We wish Rickley the best in the next phase of her professional life. You can read the full article by clicking here. Thanks for reading. Joe Escobar