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Not since Tailhook has the Navy seen a scandal of such sweeping proportions. Hornet’s Nest is the compelling and often shocking account of one of the Navy’s first female fighter pilots, Missy Cummings. The story follows Missy as she graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy and enters the Navy’s extremely demanding and dangerous jet pilot training. Missy’s recounting of her first tour in the Philippines seems surreal as she describes the sexually charged and predatory atmosphere condoned on U.S. foreign military installations. Missy is then selected to transition into the fighter combat squadrons in 1993 when the combat exclusion law is repealed. The Navy, and especially the fighter community, is not ready to accept women in the roles of warriors and fighter pilots. Her tour in fighters is marred by blatant discrimination and criminal acts of sabotage by both her peers and superiors. Because of her extremely hostile work environment, she eventually elects to resign from the Navy. Missy then concludes this real life drama with a critical analysis of the integration of women into combat pilot roles, and the future of women in combat aviation. “A brutally honest book by a courageous naval officer. Cummings’ Hornet’s Nest is a must read for anybody who wants the real inside story about the United States Navy.” —Gregory L. Vistica, Newsweek Correspondent and author of Fall From Glory, the Men Who Sank the U.S. Navy “Rarely do I get an opportunity to read a manuscript written in the “whole cloth” of someone who has been there and done that, but which is also articulately written and artfully constructed. “Hornet’s Nest” is a perfect example of such a phenomenon…we should feel privileged to share this…” —Rear Admiral Paul T. Gillcrist, USN (Ret.), author of Feet Wet, Reflections of a Carrier Pilot “Cummings tells her story in a clear, sometimes humorous, but always riveting manner…Cummings was there, among the first women combat aviators. She lived the experience of the combat elite. Her book gives society valuable knowledge of and to voices yet unheard.” —Rosemarie Skaine, author of Women at War: Gender Issues of Americans in Combat $25.95 U.S. / $42.95 CANADA www.iuniverse.com 6.00 x 9.00 6.00 x 9.00 0595001904 0.917 Hornet's Nest Hornet's Nest The Experiences of One of the Navy's First Female Fighter Pilots Missy Cummings Writer’s Showcase presented by Writer’s Digest San Jose New York Lincoln Shanghai Hornet's Nest The Experiences of One of the Navy's First Female Fighter Pilots All Rights Reserved © 1999 by Mary L. Cummings No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher. Writer’s Showcase presented by Writer’s Digest an imprint of iUniverse.com, Inc. For information address: iUniverse.com, Inc. 5220 S 16th, Ste. 200 Lincoln, NE 68512 www.iuniverse.com ISBN: 0-595-00190-4 Printed in the United States of America To all the square pegs, fringers, and bee girls who didn't fit the mold. Suffer women once to arrive at equality with you, and they will from that moment on become your superiors. — Cato Contents Preface ............................................................................................................................xi Introduction ................................................................................................................xiii Chapter One: An Officer and a Gentleman ....................................................................1 Chapter Two: The Turbo Guppy ....................................................................................26 Chapter Three: Wings of Gold ......................................................................................45 Chapter Four: Mabuhay ................................................................................................65 Chapter Five: Me Love You Long Time ..........................................................................82 Chapter Six: Land of the Misfit Toys ............................................................................99 Chapter Seven: The End of Sodom and Gomorrah ....................................................117 Chapter Eight: The Taming of the Shrew ....................................................................137 Chapter Nine: The Gladiators ....................................................................................154 Chapter Ten: Trouble in the Hornet’s Hive ................................................................172 Chapter Eleven: Gunned by a Girl ..............................................................................203 Chapter Twelve: Reality Check ....................................................................................222 Chapter Thirteen: The Demoralizer ............................................................................247 Chapter Fourteen: The Professional Patient ................................................................269 Chapter Fifteen: Never Say Never ................................................................................297 Chapter Sixteen: Back into the Hornet’s Nest ............................................................305 Chapter Seventeen: Needs of the Navy ........................................................................327 Chapter Eighteen: The Other Split Tails ....................................................................355 Chapter Nineteen: Making Sense of it All ....................................................................366 Epilogue ........................................................................................................................383 Glossary ........................................................................................................................385 Notes ............................................................................................................................389 About the Author ..........................................................................................................393 ix Preface When I first approached various publishers and producers about pub- lishing my story, the replies were almost identical across the board —it is a good story but can you change the ending so it is a happy one? This response was painful to me not because it was a rejection, but because the people reading it missed the point entirely. More than anyone, I wish my story had a happier ending, but if it did, then I wouldn’t be writing about my struggles as one of the Navy’s first female fighter pilots. In addition, life does not always follow a script in which the heroine faces adversity, suffers, overcomes all the odds, and lives hap- pily ever after. My story is real—almost brutally and painfully authentic. It is sometimes chair squirming and at times vulgar, but it is often exhilarating and also heartbreaking. I did not use fictitious or composite characters to provide a more exciting plot, promote a personal agenda, or to sell more copies of my book. All the characters in my story are real, and for the most part are people who still live and breath. Most of the names and callsigns have been changed to protect the characters’ privacy, save for a few who have already established themselves as public figures and therefore do not need such protection. It is a genuine story and despite the intensity of my passions, I deliberately endeavored to maintain a detached and objective view into the more controversial events. The ending, while I wish it were more xi xii Hornet's Nest fairy-tale like, is not so much unhappy as it is unsettling. Thus is the reality of our existence. Anytime a book is written about the military culture, it is full of acronyms and colloquial slang that is often confusing and distracting to the reader. In addition to defining certain phrases on their outset, I pro- vided a glossary for quick reference in case the reader feels overwhelmed with the military jargon. I also included photos (courtesy of the U.S. Navy, Bruce Stevenson, and Jan Eric Krikke) of the various aircraft I flew to help illustrate the awesome flying machines that I so often reference. I could not have either written my manuscript or survived the tumultuous period that led to this book without the support of my friends and family, especially my mother. They were the reason I was able to maintain some semblance of sanity throughout the trials and tribulations. There were a few people who were absolutely instrumental in both providing support and the impetus to push forward with my book: my editor Carolyn Porter, Rear Admiral Paul Gillcrist, USN (Ret.) and Rosemarie Skaine, both established authors who were a great cheering section and inspiring mentors. David Day, a Psychology professor at Penn State, Bruce Fleming, an English professor at the Naval Academy, and Peter Crabbe, a screenwriter, were all essential in the shaping of my story and also my outlook towards writing in general. I also owe great thanks to my sponsor family, the Stevens, from Annapolis, Maryland who helped make all this possible. Introduction As I boxed my hand carved wooden airplane models of the A-4 and the F/A-18, vivid images and mesmerizing memories from my ten tumul- tuous years in the Navy raced across my weary and cynical mind. How young and naive I was when I took my very first plane ride to Annapolis, Maryland to attend the United States Naval Academy. How