Vernice Armour Quotes

It was so surreal because you're not shooting at cardboard; you're not shooting at tires and wood, Armour said. There were people on the ground, trying to take us out of the sky to kill us. It was a huge reality check. All the training came into laser-sharp focus.

In my journey, I have learned that obstacles are opportunities. Acknowledge the obstacles and don't give them power.

I said, 'What? Are you serious?'

I was at an event for young girls in STEM in Chicago. It was an Army Air Guard base, and I went into the flight equipment room, just to say hi. And there were these patches on the equipment table that had “FlyGirl” on them. And I said, “What?! Can I have one?” And they said, “Absolutely.”

My number one goal was to be the best pilot I could be up there in the air to protect and serve my brothers and sisters on the ground,

I only wanted to be in the Marine Corps, she said. For me, it was the toughest. It was the biggest challenge.

I knew right then my life had changed,” Armour said. “We all knew we would be going somewhere - and soon.”

We were in the Jaff. We were taking out a building that was known to have munitions in it. We were out for a little over an hour. We got a call from the ground controller that said, "Hey, we have some Marines and soldiers pinned down north of the cemetery." At that point, acid bomb exploded in my stomach. Why? Because we had been out for a little less than an hour, so we only had 20 minutes of fuel and one missile left on our aircraft, because we'd already been taking out that target.

Being a kid, I saw a Black woman in a flight suit, and I was like, 'That's cool, why didn't I think of that?' Armour said. Go for the things you really want in life because tomorrow is not promised.

We have to start with a conversation where we're actually listening to each other, again, not fault, but how do we move forward into solutions,

Former police officer, former soldier, national guardsmen, Marine officer, diversity officer for headquarters Marine Corps, liaison to the Pentagon for diversity policy for the services,

I realized I could always be a cop, she said. But I didn't always have the chance to be a combat pilot.

While in ROTC, I saw a woman in a flight suit,” Armour said. “After that I became very interested in aviation.”

There is friction all the time in different places,” Armour said. “Friction is natural. When I had friction with someone it could’ve been because I had short hair, I smiled in the morning, I could bench press more than them, I rode a motorcycle, or because I’m a woman, or because I’m black. But honestly, I didn’t care because my number one goal was to focus on the mission and be the best pilot I could be.”

Until we come face to face with what are we really doing and how do we transition into a new time, the same things are going to continue to happen,