Do any of you have some information that can answer the question Martha Gladu posed?

Good morning CMSgt Fuquay,

I am trying to do some research and CMSgt McVicar from the USAF
Enlisted Heritage Research Institute suggested I contact you to see if
you could possibly assist me. I was recently contacted and asked if I
was the first female Ammo troop. I knew that I was one of the first
when I went to Lowry AFB in October of 1978, but I don’t believe I was
the first to graduate. I am trying to determine who the first woman
Ammo troop was so that I can respond to the inquiry with a correct name.

Thank you for any words of wisdom you can offer on where I may be able
to find this answer.
Martha J. Gladu, TSgt, NHANG
Munitions Flight Chief
157MXS/MXMW

Here are some of the answers we’ve seen so far:

In 1978 while stationed at the 400th we got “one of the first” females (tall
lanky gal) who worked in the Line-D shop but have no idea what her name
was…
Paul

The person giving the best answer will be sent a free ACA Coffee mug. So send in your answers or post your answer in the comments below.

I graduated tech school in Oct ’78 and I didn’t have any women in my
class nor remember seeing any in the school house. The first woman Ammo
Troop I saw as Tonja Laughlin-Brown at Lakenheath Sep 1980. She was an
A1C then.

R. W. Atkins Jr.

I was an instructor at Lowry July 1974 thru June 1978. I had the first
female AMMO troop in late 1977 or early 1978. Do not remember her name
but she was in the AF Reserve. Shortly before I left Lowry the first
active duty female was scheduled to start training and would have
graduated late summer or early fall of 1978.

Jackie D. Jones

Fellow Chiefs,
I’m thinking Yvonne Watts may have been the first female AMMO
Troop and first female AMMO Chief?
Her email is Watts Yvonne R CMSgt MIL USAF AFSOC/A4MS if someone
wanted to contact her to confirm this.

Thanks
Fred (Schoettler)

When I checked into the MSA at Luke AFB in June of 76, our OIC was 2lt Mary Clark. We received our first female enlisted troop in the spring/summer of 1978.
She worked storage, and worked hard. We received our second female a few months later. The missile shop had some females, but they were 316′s, so they
don’t count.
Carl Schultz

My first reaction was Marty Gladu, who if you read down originated the question! Marty worked for me at Spangdahlem in 81, she was a SrA who had come to Spang from Tech School. I also recall Tonja Brown at Lakenheath from when I was at 3AF (see Chet Atkins response) below.

Fred, IYA Ammo YAS (O’Hern)

I vaguely remember when they opened the career field up to
women. I think I was at Osan.

I think the first female Ammo troop I encountered was Libby
Yelland. But I’ll send out some e-mails to see if any of the other old
guys (those that haven’t already lost their memories) have any idea who
the first was.

It seems that the most reliable information would come from AETC
graduation records.

Scott (Jones)

Scott,
There may have been some before my time, but I remember a Laura
Henderson (now Gomez) who went to Tech School with me in ’78.
John (Pfromm)

In May of 1980, I arrived at D-M and there was a Vicky Inglesbe (SP)if I
recall she was a SrA as well and think she was also in one of the first
classes that included females. I also recall she got married during
tech school or right after, She later married a MSgt Wallace that
retired at Shaw AFB, one of her last assignments also included Turkey
and retired as a MSgt if I remember correctly.

Rich (Pennington)

Fellow Chiefs,

My last tour at the 86th, Ramstien AB, GE, 1987-1990 one of my more productive AMMO NCO’s was TSgt Maryellen Joga. I do not know here date of rank. Things being as they were back then, I would place her at about 10-years time in service. She was married to another AMMO troop TSGT named Joga. She eventually PCS’ed to San Antonio area about 1990. I do not know if she stayed in AMMO career field.

John (Cecere)

John,

Your memory is good. The Jagos were at Hahn when I arrived there in 1980. Mike was a 461 and I believe Mary was a 316. While there we had a Mary Johnston who I believe also was a former missile troop but she converted to AMMO and did well. Was assigned with her again at Barksdale. The first female 461 I worked with was also there at Hahn but I can not remember her name. She married another 461 back in Denver while going through school. She was assigned there in 1981.

It seems every time I remember a female in the bomb dump either she was in AFK or the missile shop. The only female I can remember who was not something other than AMMO was an AMMO officer assigned to Morbach in the 70s.

Rich (McVey)

I want to thank you all for your inputs. This has been rather interesting
to research. I graduated tech school in Oct 78, so it appears that there
were quite a few women that all came in right about the same time. I
graduated Oct 5, so must have just missed R. W. Atkins Jr. I still haven’t
found the name of the first woman 461X0, but I haven’t given up!

Thanks, Marty (Martha Gladu)