Woman takes charge at Seymour Johnson

Col. Jeannie Leavitt became the first woman to assume command of an Air Force combat fighter wing on Friday when she was put in charge of the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

Posted 7:27 p.m. Jun 1, 2012 — Updated 7:27 p.m. Jun 1, 2012

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AFB — Col. Jeannie Leavitt became the first woman to assume command of an Air Force combat fighter wing on Friday when she was put in charge of the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

Leavitt, who had been assigned to the CIA as Air Force chief of staff, succeeds Col. Patrick Doherty at Seymour Johnson. He is now director of Air Force assignments at Joint Base San Antonio in Texas.

Leavitt was the first woman in the Air Force qualified as a fighter pilot, was the first female fighter pilot to graduate from the Air Force Weapons School and later went on to become an instructor at the school.

During her 21-year military career, she has logged more than 2,500 hours in the F-15E Strike Eagle, including 300 hours flying in combat, primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Suggest A Correction