My walk today was dedicated in honor of:
Navy Veteran Capt. Rosemary Mariner age 65 of Norris, TN.
Died Jan 24, 2019
Captain Rosemary Mariner, United States Navy, Retired, died on January 24, 2019, in the fifth year of her battle with ovarian cancer, with her husband and wingman of 40 years by her side.
Born in Harlingen, Texas, raised in San Diego, she graduated from Purdue University with a degree in aeronautics at 19.
Captain Mariner was one of the first eight women selected to fly military aircraft in 1973.
After flight training in 1974, she became the Navy’s first female jet pilot flying the A-4C and the A-7E Corsair II. She moved to the Naval Weapons Center in China Lake, then Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 5. For sea duty, in 1982 she reported aboard USS Lexington, where she qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer.
In 1990, she became the first woman to command a military aviation squadron, VAQ-34, based at the Pacific Missile Test Center at Pt. Mugu, CA.
She attended the National War College in Washington, DC, earning a Masters in National Security Strategy, and served on the Staff of the Joint Chiefs in the Pentagon.
Her final military assignment was as the Chairman of the Joint Chief’s Chair in Military Strategy at the National War College, before retiring in 1997.
Throughout her career, Captain Mariner was both willing to serve as a mentor to others and deeply grateful to the men and women who enabled her to pursue her dreams. She was instrumental in the repeal of restrictions on women serving in combat.
In retirement, Captain Mariner was a resident scholar at the Center for the Study of War and Society at the University of Tennessee in the History Department where she taught classes in military history, emphasizing the intersections of war and conscience.
She continued to serve as an advisor on national defense policy and women’s integration into the military for ABC News, PBS and the Department of the Navy.
She lived in Norris, Tennessee, with her husband, retired Navy Commander Tommy Mariner, and their daughter, Emmalee, who attends Duke University.
To honor her legacy, the Navy conducted the first ever all-female flyover that stretched from Andersonville to Alcoa. She was laid to rest with full military honors.
She is buried in the New Loyston Cemetery, Maynardville, Union County, TN.
We had an amazing 10.27 Mile walk today. We headed over by the lake Holiday Hills and walked over by TCAT and then headed up town. We stopped by Boats & Harbors to get a photo and then we walked on out to Miller Bypass and we stopped by the American Legion and got a photo. We then headed up town to the War Memorial Park and then worked our way over by the Post Office and then back to Sparta Hwy. I want to thank my friend Robert for walking with us today and I want to thank all that honked, waved, and saluted in helping me honor this hero. We had 185 honks this morning. Just amazing.
Navy Veteran Capt. Rosemary Mariner will not be forgotten !
NOTE: I want to thank Ace Body & Frame and Best Friends for flying our beautiful colors.
