Female Pilot on the Highs and Lows of Gender Integration

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Loree Draude talks about her experiences as one of the first female pilots to be integrated into a carrier air wing.

[@mariannegallagher400]

"Not every man can fly a fighter jet onto an aircraft carrier. Not every woman can either. But there are some who can and who do it really well." Sums it up.

[@williambudd2850]

Yes some can and some cannot. What is being overlooked is that most of the ones who cannot are the women.

[@vivek27789]

@@DemonratsRevil And men haven't done that ever in nearly 100 years of naval aviation?🤦

[@lordraydens]

@@williambudd2850 thank you, captain obvious

[@joelbashore5658]

Fascinating how many men are threatened by a woman achieving

[@semosancus5506]

@@DemonratsRevil yes indeed some men have crashed. But let's not go back to WW2 to tally them up. Instead let's look at modern aircraft. Do you think men or women have a higher rate of accidents?

[@stephenmurphy7754]

Hats off to you Mooch. Your interview skills are outstanding. Murph ‘83

[@hardware1197]

Ward - it's a masterful ability to get the guest comfortable enough to drill down on uncomfortable details....you continue to impress. What a great piece.

[@SgtMjr]

Note the emphasis on how things went in her career due to good leadership. The key, IMO, to all things going in the right direction.

[@tehpw7574]

This is true. I enjoyed my MOST of my tours of service because of the leadership i worked under. It was only when i was either placed in "challenging" locales (Bahrain in 1998-99 with ONE power steering belt for 3 POS A-42's, all three with leaky water pumps & the A-30A that nearly exploded from a runaway engine), unhelpful command climates (legacy NAS civilians holding the good positions) or just your average CVN lifestyle (when you arrive, then they try to send you TAD before you even finished checking in?).... There's a reason i compare Carriers to The Bronx or Compton...

[@petepeterson4540]

but most of the time the key gets lost. leadership is non existent oh too often. I am seeing the rise of mental staff at the VA the rise in lawyers and it really took off yesterday. "New sexaul harrasment law." Can't maintain this course currents to strong.

[@ronhudson3730]

Never been in the military but the best work I ever did in my career was for the best leaders I ever had. True in any walk life - military or civilian.

[@livingadreamlife1428]

That’s the truth for any employee, both male or female

[@badgermike1231]

Very true. I was only active duty a little over 4 years, but I saw first hand both very get and very poor leadership. Of course it's also true that leadership is much easier when you don't have a flock of s**t birds to lead. Lol

[@zeroyum1473]

I (white male, middle-upper middle class) grew up in the time of the Womens Liberation movement. I also had three older sisters and a brother (14-20 years older). Given this, I ended up with the attitude that my sisters were just as capable as my brother and in many ways more capable. My brother ended up as a top executive in a multi-billion dollar company... My sisters ended up being house wives. My oldest sister when she was first married was working as a controller for a large cold storage company. Her husband decided to move to a small town and become a pastor. My sister ended up submitting and going with him. A few months later the CEO of the cold storage company ended up sending her a signed blank check (literally) and begged her to come back as the CFO. She ended up bowing to social (religious) pressure and stayed with her husband. She spent the rest of her life working jobs well below her capabilities since her pastor husband did not earn enough to keep the kids in clothes. This experience convinced me that rights need to be tied to responsibility, not gender, race, local, etc.!

[@trentvlak]

But she raised children in a committed way, thus creating some of the most valuable things in the known universe.

[@oldgoat142]

Another outstanding, and very insightful episode. She is honest, forthright, and a delight to listen to. Excellent. As always, I enjoyed every minute of your content.

[@N34RT]

Mooch, in a world where there is so much "crap" on the internet, it's refreshing to watch your insightful and thought-provoking videos wherein you explore the various aspects of naval aviation, past, present and future. Kudos to you, sir!

[@JR-kc8jx]

Damn right. I know a female fighter pilot, and needless to say seems to have her shit locked in pretty tight and she’s flying a super hornet. Academy grad and all around badass who’s father was a naval aviator. Leadership is such a big thing.

[@gregknipe8772]

I agree. the first thing I do is look down here at the comments, and I know someone is thinking and internalizing the content and doing so in a thoughtful way. -myself excluded- - I sense the intellectual and social IQ here is favorable to dialogue, and critical thinking is the norm.

[@lancet.346]

Mooch, I really appreciate the manner in which you approach any topic that might be a bit touchy. This interview, as well as your Kara Hultgreen video, are great examples.

[@WardCarroll]

Thanks, Lance. I think these things are part of the narrative along with pulling Gs and going supersonic.

[@davidsmith8997]

@@WardCarroll Yes, very well done. You still see too much sexist crap in many aviation comments sections. The standout line for me was when she said "I want to be measured on my own skills on my own merit, on a level playing field." Hard to disagree with that or with someone who was capable of admitting their weaknesses, finding help, working hard, and getting to the point of being an instructor/LSO.

[@christianvulpescu1398]

Wonderful episode! I love it. As a male gynecologist-who is used to deal with women every day- to me it stands out that Rowdy doesn't weare some flight jacket etc. She just doesn't have to for her ego! She doesn't expose what she is - she will show show you any time, it's needed... This is real self confidency in my eyes! Deepest respect. We can learn a lot from women!😅 As a matter of fact, I served as a privat in the German Bundeswehr in a medical unit. We were the first ones, who had women in our troops. The were seen as less reliable and more like a challange, who gets them. This is so embarissing from these's day perspictive! Thank's God, times have changed.

[@darrylr.4983]

I went thru C-130 Training with a Female Navy Pilot. This was around late 1982. She was limited to support flying so was going to fly the EC-130 out of Barber's Point Hawaii. She told me that when she was in training at Pensacola and was scheduled for a checkride that the Check Airman called her at home and flat out offered to guarantee a pass if she'd sleep with him. She declined and still passed. Very sharp lady.

[@gerryp9717]

As a Training LSO at VT 7 1981-83, I took several of the first women in A4s to the boat for CQ. Some of those were prop transitions. What an honor and privilege to be part of that! They were awesome people who went on to do great things. They all did well in CQ too, so I was very proud of them all. Thanks so much to this lovely and professional lady for being willing to share her experience! Bravo Zulu!

[@gerryp9717]

PS.. While CAG LSO I got to fly the S3A with VS 29 enough to appreciate the handling characteristics of it… that was at Cubi Point while we were in port there on Carl Vinson. What a privilege that was too!

[@nexpro6118]

I'm sure u did lol 😆

[@johnwallace4408]

Rowdy is a great representation of Naval Aviation! Thank you, Mam!

[@sgt.grinch3299]

I have only 1 regret in my life. I was accepted to attend the Naval Academy and I declined the appointment and enlisted in the Marine Corps. Every time I see Golden Wings I dream about what might have been. Thanks for another fabulous interview, Sir.

[@williamturner1517]

Coulda. Shoulda. Woulda. Welcome to life.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Appointments are rare. Why did you turn it down?

[@Jon.......]

My regret is that I didn't apply. It seems the Colonel of my Army JROTC program &/or the local Congressman must have had some pull since for 4 years straight (that I know of) at least 1 senior went to an academy. In MY senior class, two cadets were appointed ... one to West Point and the other to Annapolis. I had no interest in college and had already signed-up for the USMC. I ended up as an Enlisted Aerial Navigator in KC-130's out of California and Japan, which is kind of ironic as the USMC is/was the only air force in the world to have enlisted aerial navigators. Then I took too long to get thru college ... I went to apply for the Navy but I was 6 months too old at graduation ... Doh! I really had my heart set on jets ... didn't want anything to do with helicopters ... probably could have gone Army but I was too set in my ways. Lesson learned.

[@dahawk8574]

I won the lottery. I decided to tear up my ticket, and got a job at McDonald’s instead. Looking back decades later, I’m thinking this might have been a mistake. - Op might as well have told us this.

[@dohc22h]

@@Jon....... I'm a Former Marine too... What Bases on the West Coast and Japan were you stationed and what Squadrons were you with? Just curious.... I was at Camp Hansen 9th ESB Bulk Fuel Company in 96. Were you a part of a MAW? I was at 3rd MAW at El Toro before my Tour in Japan. What was you're enlisted rank and what MOS in the USMC is an Enlisted Aerial Navigator? I'm curious because I've never heard of such assignments in the USMC

[@timscherrer9924]

My girlfriend (a few years after the fact) was at “The Tailhook.” She was a Navy Reserve officer and worked for a contractor. Her take on it was the third floor was out of control and a woman who went there knowingly was going to to have trouble. She was groped on an elevator and went on the third floor looking for her friend but had to fend off a few assaults. She was in the Tailhook report (like victim 82 or something…one of the higher numbered ones). She was called by a congressional rep to come testify on a Monday. He called her on Friday. She asked him about orders to travel and he stumbled a little. She didn’t want to travel without orders in hand. She never testified.

[@Skank_and_Gutterboy]

Makes sense to me. A permissive TAD isn't good enough on this one, I want orders and the govt. is paying my couple of grand in travel expenses. If you can't swing it, call the CNO and tell him to get whoever moving out and getting it done. If the congressman was travelling, he would show up for the three-hour meeting and then spend the next day-and-a-half playing golf before coming back. I'm not expecting to be treated like a congressman or even an O-5 (I'll eat the hotel breakfast and have lunch at Subway, that's all good) but you damn well better give me the bare minimum. I'm not independently wealthy like your boss.

[@miguelservetus9534]

Could you expand? Was the reason no orders were cut due to poor planning of the part of the aide? Was the Navy dragging its feet?

[@Skank_and_Gutterboy]

@@miguelservetus9534 First off, if you're military and you're traveling without orders and you're not on authorized leave, you're AWOL. That is not good! She did right to not accept that, that's just being smart. Second, I think the congressional staff just didn't understand military travel. "My boss leaves town on a few hours notice, a military member can't? We use the same travel system." Well, yes and no. When a congressman goes down to his travel office and needs a plane ticket and hotel reservations for this afternoon, people jump. When a lieutenant walks into the base travel office, nobody jumps. If her commander doesn't know up-front and isn't making phone calls to seriously grease the skids, it'll be treated as routine and take a few days at best.

[@brainfreeze44131]

@@Skank_and_Gutterboy Staffer probably didn't have a clue how things in the military work.

[@markhowells13]

This was a fantastic interview, but i didnt love the way Ward brushed off the shit that went at Tailhook as 'oooo not us' or 'not like us' .....that sounds like hundreds of people, multiple commands and groups and a sausage fest that was completely out of control. If that was at a Tailhook conference....it was Tail hook that let the situation get that way

[@geoffreytudor5674]

Hey, Mooch, Rowdy was a fantastic interview! I really appreciated her honest reflection and self-deprecating sense of humor. You can tell she's rightfully proud of her achievements, but comes off as modest and funny. I'm very glad to have had the chance to "meet" her.

[@dmutant2635]

Really enjoyed hearing her take the Navy. Another insightful interview and why we keep coming back. It's inspiring to listen to smart people tell their stories.

[@2008warriors]

Mooch, another awesome insightful video. Rowdy was great! As a retired SWO, we had our own struggles with integration, but they stayed "inside the lifelines". My DDG XO tour was my first integrated tour; a crew of 310 Sailors, of whom 60 happened to be female, did an amazing job as a true team/crew. Keep up the great work!

[@nexpro6118]

Yeah I'm sure lol

[@richardcheese4722]

I still have my Hook 90 t shirt. One of our JO's was the artist. While on med cruise 88 we seen our first lady aviator. COD driver out of Sig. One of our JO's who was a very likeable fella had graduated with her. He told me she had strong skills and really should be in VA VF community. He also put the word out to a few of us that if we witnessed anyone giving her a bad time that we were cleared hot to take any enlisted "behind the line shack". Never did see any problems. 0 banter in the shop. If anything she had 100 big brothers guarding her.

[@johnhoffman8203]

Yes, it would be a hairy legged, flea infested, low life enlisted that would be the problem. Not some high and mighty perfect gentleman officer. Martha McSalley (colonel/former senator) was raped by a general.

[@AA-xo9uw]

@@johnhoffman8203 McSally has never publicly identified her attacker saying only that it was "a superior officer." How do you know it was a general officer?

[@johnhoffman8203]

@@AA-xo9uw AT the time she was an O-6, you do the math.

[@archerpiperii2690]

Ward these interviews are a great addition to your channel. Thank you for all that you do. Phoenix, AZ.

[@davidnash6081]

Enjoyed this interview. I served twenty years in the Army from 1968-88 when the WAC's were still a separate branch. Integration occurred somewhere in the 1970's, I believe and it was interesting to watch the transition. My hat is off to every woman that I served with and how they handled much of the nonsense from the men at the time. Your comment about the Hooters screen saver brought back a funny story. I was the supply officer in a Chinook unit in Germany, 1982-84. Forty pilots and only one of them female. There was a pilot's lounge in the basement and when she arrived there were several cheesecake posters on the wall of bikini-clad women. After failed attempts to have them taken down, this woman posted a beefcake poster of a muscular guy with oiled skin on the back of the door to the lounge. Everyone had to look up close and personal at it as they reached for the door knob to leave. Complaints to the company commander fell on deaf ears. Good for the goose, good for the gander. Leadership does make a difference.

[@alandaters8547]

Great interview! Besides hearing her story for its sake, the interview helped me, as strictly an armchair aviator, to have a better idea of the extraordinary level that all naval aviators function at. Her simply comment that not all men (or all women) can do this said a lot in only a few words- you are in a special group!

[@williampeck6881]

Well done, again. Her story is reassuring and her poise is compelling. I suspect her stage presence is even better. Many thanks.

[@markhowells13]

That part of the problem, if she had of expressed her views about her treatment with any form of anger or blame for the guys who were discrimating around her, or harassing her (notice how she blew that question off?) men here would have lost their mind. She has to be so poised and generous and non confrontational before anyone with testicals will listen before they black out in rage

[@jeravincer]

What a talented women. Thanks for the interview to both!

[@luacreskid]

Great interview. As a ship's company officer on a carrier (CVA-42) in the 1960s I am amazed how well women have integrated into Naval Aviation. Jet pilots are a special breed.

[@plawker]

I am glad I have lived to see women make it so far. Excellent program, I really enjoyed !

[@harolddavies1984]

After watching this interview I ordered her book. It's great seeing anyone doing anything well.

[@nbt3663]

Amazing person. Don't take "NO" for an answer. She is amazing.

[@ericlietsch994]

Ward, What an amazing candid interview with an amazing pilot! I am very impressed with her honesty about double standards, discrimination, and harassment. I am glad that the leader in her doesn't care about her past. That's what makes a good leader. It is sad facts facing not just women, deaf people or disabled people, especially the disabled veterans. One disabled veteran called his disability his problems, I told him no, I think of my disability as a speed bump at Walmart parking lot. I would say that pilot certainly has some speed bumps in her career but it didn't hinder her at all.

[@markhowells13]

It was amazing, but im not sure it was that 'candid' per se. It was well interviewed (to a degree) But you could tell at multiple points she was trying so hard to have to be non confrontational about the men she was around. Because she knows that she cant hurt guys feelings

[@olsondavid1084]

Difficult times, pros adjust and adapt, many of these people are a credit to naval officers in general, and these pioneers in particular.

[@soonerfrac4611]

I’ll never forget a female PV2 in my MP OSUT company telling a male PV2 to quit being a pussy during a ruck march because of his stress fractures in his shins. She was 17 & from Guam, he was 19 and a college athlete before he enlisted. She even carried his ruck and her own for a short time!

[@peteschiavoni]

I totally agree with Loree that having good leadership makes all the difference in the world. I was fortunate to have Spider Nyland as our CO in 232. The entire squadron morale was boosted under him.

[@nexpro6118]

Yeah I bet lol

[@charlesberlemann8831]

I like Lorrie's comment about "staying calm in stressful situations" 24 years of Naval Aviation Maintenance taught me that the ability to function when the "stuff" is hitting the fan is a common character feature of the folks who wear the gold wings on their uniforms. Some of the stories I have heard of the debrief table scared the crap out of me.

[@xpatsteve]

Best interview yet, I really appreciate Rowdy's insight and candor. I was on the Enterprise (MM2-Nuke) from 1982-1986 and during that time we were a test bed for female integration on carriers. During one of our pre-deployment work-ups (1985, I think), the airwing included all of its female squadron members. Aside from some basic information regarding sexual harassment and fraternization, the only difference to our normal routine was designating certain heads and berthing areas as female only. To be honest, it seemed like a disaster at first. Not because of the women, but because of how most of the men behaved around them. On one hand it was like some of these guys had never seen a women before, and on the other, some thought they didn't belong there. I'm sure it hasn't been easy, but I'm glad that the US military continues to strive for gender equality in all areas. As far as I'm concerned, being male, female, or non-binary has absolutely nothing to do with job performance. It's all about good leadership and the determination to perform to the best of your abilities. By the way, Rowdy is an awesome call sign, how did she get it?

[@thomashimstreet3019]

Because it sounds like 'Drowdy', and we didn't want to piss her off.

[@markturner1672]

I was an Enterprise sailor in 85. I remember hair pins showing up during FOD walk downs.

[@williammrdeza9445]

Great episode Ward! Loree's story has to be inspirational for not only females, but anyone who aspires to follow their passion and has to confront and overcome obstacles along the way. We are most fortunate that she didn't give up and agreed to share her journey with you and with us. You have such interesting friends!

[@MikeJamesMedia]

Ward, you are consistently a gracious host, who presents people and events with the honor they deserve. Thank you so much for having Loree on, and for letting us hear a part of her story. Excellent.

[@barrygrant2907]

I had one of the first women in my AF avionics shop. She fit in well, giving as good as she took. She said it was easier to be "one of the guys" than the only girl in the shop.

[@czoom51]

I'm glad the experience went well but still the unfortunate sacrifice of being yourself so that you are able to fit in.

[@soonerfrac4611]

I think you misunderstand. In reality even the male service members have to adapt or be left out. And I assure you that in female dominated career fields it is the same when a man enters the arena. We make far too much of this idea that it’s only men that are this way. Women are often much more aggressive, overly sexualized, & more. The stories I’ve heard from women that they say about us men when we’re out of earshot is enough to make 50 Shades of Grey look like a child’s novel!

[@colin5577]

@@soonerfrac4611 My wife owns a childcare business, it has 42 female employees and in 25 years it has employed one guy. Employing him was only possible because he was gay and as was pointed out by the OP, is able to fit in as “one of the girls”. There are many reasons that a male employee wouldn’t fit into the business - all of them pretty self-evident. This whole being yourself business is great when it doesn’t involve the rest of us not being able to be ourselves so that you feel comfortable. Edit…that reads a bit like I’m having a go at you. I’m not. I’m just agreeing with you by way of a rant. 🤗

[@TurboHappyCar]

Absolutely amazing interview. Thank you Rowdy for all of your hard work! 👍I worked in the Oil and Gas industry as a tech rep going out to customer sites fixing their equipment and we had a few female reps. They were as smart and hard working as the best of em, and (from what I understand) did face some challenges working with the Gas and Construction companies. And this was only 3-5 years ago. It's sad to see this kind of bias persist, but I think/hope it will improve. I always did what I could to help with technical training and for one of the gals, how to drive and park pickup trucks. Keep up the good work!

[@Palanthon]

I was a P3 aircrewman. I never recall any issues when they integrated our crews. We'd had female maintainers for years so it really wasn't that big of a jump adding them to our crews.

[@sidv4615]

the problem comes when they start choosing people based on their race, gender etc. and not merit.

[@Palanthon]

@@sidv4615 the only time I ever saw that take place was one semester at the Naval Academy when "they" kicked back the entire upcoming midshipman leadership cadre because it didn't reflect what "they" wanted to see diversity wise.

[@scenepointjudge]

Same. I flew with plenty of female PPCs and TACCOs who were pretty shit hot.

[@nickhimaras9331]

Another homerun Interview Commander. We got to meet another great carrier aviator with her own, rich, interesting story! Semper Fi, Rowdy.

[@hawgbreath]

Great interview with Rowdy (a great call sign BTW) she is competent, confident, not above taking criticism and shouldering the mission first and foremost. Most importantly she recognizes her needs and weaknesses and takes action to remediate where necessary. Wish she was still flying for U.S.N. We need ladies like her.

[@TheMilwaukieDan]

Mr. Carrol, Sir. As I have commented before. We all thank you for the professional, life experienced interviews and journalistic commentary. I can’t help but feel these documentation interviews will have a major influence in future research. Thank you for your skill, honesty, evaluative skills and reasoning. Well done Sir and Ma’am.

[@howardskinner3405]

Excellent interview. I served in VS-29 in the early 80's as the third chop assigned to the squadron after transition to the S3A. Happy to hear her integration into the squadron went reasonably well. VS-29 was my best assignment in 20 years of active and reserve Navy time. Her comment about 35 big brothers rang true to me as well ... I was a chop and junior to every other officer for 20 of my 24 months. Again, excellent interview. Thanks.

[@SaviorCross]

A great interview!!!!!!! Thank you for introducing us to Ms. Draude...

[@cloudshe]

Thank you WC and Rowdy. this is good insight into the student/instructor problem that might occur when you are assigned a female student. seems apparent that things have (hopefully) changed for the better in the last 40 years. i was in VT-21 when we got our first female tactical jet (transition) naval aviators in the late 70s. i think because they already had their wings (prop pipeline), the unsat/"down" hammer was not allowed to be used. we had a list of instructors that were prohibited from flying with those students. what bothered me and others was how a few bad eggs that were there made us wonder who was doing well in the program thru ability and work and who was squeaking thru or had gotten there by playing their gender card in various ways. we certainly didn't want to be called on the carpet because of an excuse given for a bad grade was that there was an unfair bias against having female navy pilots or some other situation relating to mixed genders. btw i was also in VAQ 34 for two years watching similar scenarios play out. there were many exceptional women in EA-7 and ERA-3 cockpits at the time, but again the male/female issues definitely made for some interesting and not necessarily healthy situations as far as the FRS is concerned, when i went thru 125 in '72-'73 the only thing that sucked was holding in marshal at night waiting for your shot at the rounddown. we had great leadership, great instructors, and zero co-ed problems

[@W7LDT]

Thank you, Rowdy, for your service. You did for female naval aviators what my wife did for petroleum engineers in the oil fields of Oklahoma.

[@Pusserdoc]

Thanks to you both for this episode as well as your service. At around that time, I was serving in the first RAN ship with 35 women (as opposed to the onesie-twosies over the last decade or so) on board for a Red Sea deployment after Gulf War 1, enforcing UN sanctions against Iraq. The two things I recall was the 'normalisation' (for lack of a better word) of the atmosphere compared to the boy's locker room crap in a male-only ship some time previously, and how steep the learning curve was for everyone: the women because most if not all had never been to sea before, and the blokes who I would generalise as 'wanting to get it right but not sure / utterly clueless as to how' . Getting women to sea during the 90s was very much a 'learning by doing' experience for the RAN, with quite a few stuffups along the way (ultimately due in most cases - funnily enough - to leadership failures) while we worked it out. Question for Loree please if it's not too forward: why 'Rowdy"? Best wishes for Edinburgh :-)

[@craigdillon3974]

Really good to hear she had experienced no harassment, very cool story. I think it goes to the professionalism displayed by most Naval Officers.

[@markhowells13]

Just dont think her story is representative of women who have .......

[@alankaye4382]

She didn't say she didn't. She specifically said that part of her training time was "no fun at all". She didn't go into details, but I think you can assume she was harrassed. Maybe not as badly as some others. It seems that once she was out of training and actually flying, she had good people to work with.

[@fortheloveofsauce5612]

Thank you Mooch for having Rowdy share her story. Again, a great discussion. Cheers!

[@Alex000113]

Excellent interview, impressive editing. Great subject, I liked "We used our words". Wow TailHook was over 30yrs ago.

[@kenjackson5685]

1st class Ward....excellent watchable interview. Thankyou for sharing

[@aaronlopez3585]

She has a great personality. Humor, well spoken and very entertaining. Good get Sir.

[@knoahbody69]

Could you be imagine that happening while you're waiting to land? Someone crashes before your turn?

[@alanholck7995]

As they were just off San Diego at the time I suspect everyone still in the air was sent to the beach. But if you were out in the middle of the ocean, yeah, pucker factor.

[@davidkruse3424]

This lady stands on her own. She's done more in 10 years with the military, then many men doing their whole lives. She's good-looking but her daddy's a Marine! You better be worthy. Don't think you'd have it any other way!

[@tracytrawick322]

Many descriptions of her and her experiences as a USN aviator come to mind; smart, resilient, talented - but perhaps more than anything, Tough. Don't let her appearance or voice fool you, boot leather tough! Proud & thankful for her service. Thank you ma'am & best wishes on your future endeavors. Great lessons taught by her during this interview. Thx Mooch!

[@patgiblinsongs5]

Excellent interview! Thank you for sharing a much more nuanced conversation about male and female warfighters. Having spent my entire military service in all male combat arms units, It’s tough for me to imagine being a true minority in a such a demanding, high stakes environment!

[@davefellhoelter1343]

Love The JOY! In this Woman's FACE! when she recounts "Flight!"

[@LTVoyager]

Nice interview. This was right up there with the “Spike” Booker interview that C.W. Lemoine did recently.

[@jimdzomba9968]

Really enjoyed this interview. Thank you and your guests for your service

[@Smokey2-2016_USMC]

Thanks Mooch. Wonderful interview. A real insight to females in Naval aviation. (VMA 223 here, a long time ago)

[@AvgeekJoe]

Very nicely done interview Mooch! Keep 'em coming! BRAVO ZULU to Rowdy also!

[@bobandbally88]

A super professional interview with an incredible person as the interview subject. Hope in the future this one lady show goes on the road with enough audience interest to make it commercially feasible. Ready to reserve my tickets with my daughter and granddaughter. KUDOS TO YOU BOTH.

[@billtimmons7071]

Effective leadership creates effective professionalism. I've seen it done right and I've seen it done wrong in the Navy. Fortunately it mostly gets done right. It's comforting - and safer - to be around good leadership. I'm alive, I have both arms, and I have both legs. Bravo to all the effective leaders and their success stories. I love this interview.

[@Jonnoh64]

Excellent interview - a credit to you as the interviewer, and to Rowdy and the candor she brings to relating her experiences. Bravo Zulu.

[@user-gabriel90]

I’m 50 and admit as a younger man I didn’t think woman had any business flying jets or being in combat but as I’ve matured and am now a father of a young lady of 24 i wouldn’t want anyone telling my daughter she could not do something especially if it’s her passion and has the aptitude to do so and I have a very different perspective on life and it was a wonderful story hearing how this young lady was able to navigate through some rough seas and persevere and eventually thrive She paved the way for female fighters of tHe generation flying now. Now I do have reservations about females being in combat as a regular infantry who is on the ground fighting for a few reasons. First I have to say I’ve never been in the military so these are jUst my speculative options and would be open to hear what actual combat veterans have experienced. First I think combat forges a brotherhood and warrior type of bond and men naturally and have it in bedded in them from a very young age to be protectors of woman which runs through are veins and in combat as a man you might do Things differently to protect the female that you might not do otherwise. Another scenario say I’m a soldier and I’m injured and need to be carried out on my buddies back a few hundred yards most woman are not physically capable to do and I’ve s was watched shows on bootcamp and woman had lower standards then the men when it came physical test like pushups there allowed to use there knees and not have to do it the same as a man same goes for pull-ups I know they have a lower standard as far as how many they have to do and why would they allow this if they want to be soldiers they should be able to complete all the same physical tests with the same amount of time to finish . If they want to be equal in these arenas I agree 100% they should have the chance to go through the exact same rigorous tests as the men and if they qualify with the same standards then absolutely they belong same goes for the men if a man can’t make the cut he is gone so I believe whoever is the best man or woman for the job and the playing field has to be even same standards for everyone no bullshit

[@scsands]

Very impressive interview. Rowdy is articulate, thoughtful, poised and insightful. She is brave and bold, yet skillful in her descriptions of the adversity she faced. As today is the women’s day, I enjoyed the interview completely. Thank you Ward for you skill as the author of this channel and giving Rowdy her space to tell her interesting story with great questions.

[@MX5Fanatic]

I have been a subscriber for sometime but only now have I started to go through and watch a lot of your videos and I am enjoying your content. I was in the USAF in acft maintenance and one of the acft I was assigned to was the KC-135Q Stratotanker. I got a chuckle out of the mention of the Hooters screensaver. We had jets rotate into RAF Mildenhall to refuel in the European theater and I remember this crew chief who was a big Hooters fan. He had Hooters pin ups under the plexiglass of the nav table and on the cabinet above and some other places. I remember there were some female crew members who flew his jet on a mission and were not impressed with his jet. But if I remember right, this crew chief's kept his jet in very good condition.😊😊😊

[@bendeleted9155]

Isn't it great when everyone in our group acts like an adult when we get together? Great interview. Thanks to both of you. 💪🇺🇸👍

[@TheBelrick]

Here is an Adult take. It will test your maturity. Any mass psychosis programming will trigger your personal immaturity. What matters about Laurie is how many children has she raised in her career and are they stable capable adults at the end of the child rearing process? Without children we go extinct, not as a species but as a personal genetic heritage and as a societal group What Laurie could do for the marine corp a man could do but do so cheaper , more effectively but most importantly without going extinct. But men cannot at all replace women in their careers. Have any of you ever considered that you have Enemies and Enemies benefit from encouraging their victims women to have careers and join the military?

[@dankuser8303]

@@TheBelrick umm the US has a better birth rate than our rivals such as China and Russia who have declining populations, so that isn’t a good arguement. Sorry to break it too you but the US population is not going to go extinct cause a few women decide to go into fields where they can’t realistically have a baby (and a number may retire when they get to that point) Women shouldn’t be given an advantage in the military just like in any other field, and if they do better they should get the position. Excuse me if that’s an unreasonable opinion for you but I and a lot of other people think its correct.

[@daleronsin4756]

My daughter is an Air Force pilot. I can verify they walk the talk. They are all in it together. Btw, her motto is “whatever it takes” 🤗

[@KuroHebi]

What's her call sign, if you don't mind my asking? Your daughter has one of the best jobs in the world!

[@nexpro6118]

What aircraft

[@jamesburns2232]

So much of flying is just muscle memory that it doesn't really matter if a pilot is a male or a female. If you are coordinated and athletic, you can become a pilot. 🤠

[@dalezjc]

Amazing interview! She was hesitant to talk about in detail, any negative experiences while in the Navy, but once I got to the end, I understood why. She's a business-woman, author, and now a playwright, and actor! Kudos to you Ms. Draude!

[@robinmccullars4971]

Great show! Thanks Ward.

[@egutierrez3961]

Great guest and interview. Nice to see a photo of the old A model f-18. It’s like the good old days

[@BobButcherAK]

Yet another outstanding “interview.” I really enjoy your channel.

[@michaelchristensen5421]

You talked about women having to goto the bathroom. My A-6 unit had the PR's do a test piece on the urinal tube that came down to them from the A-6/EA-6B NADEP for testing. They had to remove the normal male piece and install a special piece designed for women. It was a curved piece that would slip into the flight suit and underneath. The only extra requirement for it to work without any leaks was to loosen the straps to the seat pan so they could boost themselves up. Once done they had to tighten the seat pan straps back down. The biggest downfall to this design was it took around twenty minutes to swap the pieces for a male or female pilot. So if the jet went down and they tried to swap jets for the launch, they had to swap out the pieces for the urinal tube.

[@nexpro6118]

Yeah I bet lol 😆

[@agrxdrowflow958]

I had a buddy going through 125 at that time. He hated it too, for the same reasons. "The RAG sucks."

[@scottgibson6735]

Good interview,Ward.She is a beautiful,and amazing woman,and a real treat to listen to. Thank you for the video

[@PontiacBanker]

This was an interesting interview. My Nephews Fiancee is at Pensacola right now going thru Naval Aviation training. I’m really looking forward to meeting her and hearing about her experience in the Navy today.

[@niccracknell9780]

yep, that was interesting and informative ! nice one Mooch! and thank you Laurie for an incisive view of your career !!

[@donalddowning4108]

Back in the day, I thought FA-18 pilots were a bunch of computer game geeks in flight suits compared to Tomcat crew. Of course I heard the Hornet pilots say of Tomcats: ‘More than one seat is a transport.’ VAQ-34 was at NAS Point Mugu when I was there in the late 80’s. The skipper was Rosemary Mariner, an amazing person.

[@muzzaball]

Another excellent video Mooch, I don't know how you keep finding these excellent people = oh yeah - the Navy! Cheers mate.

[@jamesbambury]

She was fantastic, thanks for putting this together. Glad she had the experience she did it should come down to “the airplane does not care or know so neither should we!!” I really hope she puts that show together close to Seattle or online in some way, it would be really cool to see.

[@ianstuart2328]

Whilst good leadership is everything, I am sure Rowdy's perseverance was a major contributing factor during her career. Oi, Ward, I do enjoy your channel, thanks mate.

[@stevefletcher7968]

This was a fantastic interview.

[@johnallen9611]

Excellent, excellent discussion. Rowdy is an amazing person.

[@Screamn03]

“…we figured it out, we used our words” 👏 😂. We all need more of that now days.

[@georgeyoung1810]

another one knocked out of the park!! I was on a carrier before women came on board and I can tell you it was hard on women who were on sub tenders at that time! Bravo Zulu!

[@jameslornaberry7670]

VF-124 NAS Miramar 1968-1971. Enjoy your show, it’s format, and guests. Episodes content is always outstanding. I lived the Navy story for four years. Your show has taught me the rest of the story of Naval Aviation which is very broad. My father was a plank owner of USS Yorktown CV-10 1943. All the best, you are the perfect knowledgeable host. CAVU. JB Berry, Philippines.

[@farmerandy]

I really like these interview type videos Mooch. One I would really like to see is one with Tammie Shults. I think it would be interesting to hear her story on her time as a Naval aviator as well as her career at Southwest.

[@petewalker98]

A very interesting and informative interview. Good to hear the female Navy Pilot’s perspective on what she endured to become a Navy pilot. I congratulate her for persevering.

[@sc1784]

Interesting dialogue both historically and substantively. Your ability to cover the watershed of various subjects and tap the people who were there and lived it is really outstanding.

[@tommychew6544]

Great episode! A friend of mines stepdaughter that was the same age as my youngest son went into the Naval Academy on a full ride scholarship and chose the Marine Corps after graduating. She ended up being chosen for F-35 training at the start of it. It was a civilian trainer back then that wouldn't allow her to advance, even though everyone else had reviewed her flights and passed her. She moved onto V-22's I believe in the end; she also had a very unique first name. How often were civilian personnel involved in such things back then? I think she is a trainer now herself. She could be another great episode along these lines, the first name starts with a C & ends with a T.

[@mallory-mae]

hey, my name is lory! fantastic interview, thanks mooch & rowdy

[@wofwof007]

Loved the interview with Rowdy and also the one with Jaws. Can you please make a point of asking your guests about how they got their call signs?

[@daledassel5658]

Great interview. Very interesting getting her perspective on the journey she took in her Navy career. Change is always challenging…

[@danielschein6845]

Fantastic story. Interesting to hear how much support she got from leaders who personally opposed integration but had the integrity to make it happen anyway. Also - I just recently saw your old video on call signs. I was hoping you would ask her the story behind 'Rowdy'.

[@fntsmk]

OMG... what a beautiful and beautifully-intelligent aviator! Girl power! Oohrah! Thanks for your service Rowdy! God bless and Godspeed in all you do! Former AQ1, USN. :)

[@jcwoodman5285]

Good leadership! A+ content as always!🤗

[@ChiefsFanInSC]

I am so glad I came across this channel. Ward Carroll does an amazing job!

[@mattg5978]

I think we should all feel very lucky that we live in a technologically advanced first world society which allows us to have these types of conversations.

[@NotNowCato1254]

Absolutely agree, Matt

[@markhowells13]

In what world do you think women arent important or even leading parts of other cultures ? thats a weird or uneducated take ?

[@philslaton7302]

Great interview with Rowdy, thank you.

[@russellrv]

Great interview Mooch, really interesting hearing a female point of view at a key point of their integration.

[@jcheck6]

Rusty, I kind of felt she was being interrogated in this interview. Having said that I thought she was great.

[@woodybear8298]

She has such an engaging personality. Great interview.

[@ElmoUnk1953]

23:45 Commanders, their emotional maturity, and the desire to be an exceptional mentor is key to imparting knowledge, inspiring confidence, keeping your people safe AND success in the mission. LEO 35+ years. Semper Fi!

[@GeeBee909]

Her radiant smile speaks volumes. Best of luck in all you do young woman.