BLOG: Air Force Pilot Encourages Iraqi Women to Aim High

As security continues to improve in Iraq, the country is rebuilding both its civilian and military aviation sectors. Now that all legal restrictions on women in aviation careers have been removed, Iraqi women now have opportunities to excel in this field. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad will host an event to provide practical advice and encouragement for Iraqi women interested in flying. The goal is to promote women's potential to contribute within the industry and highlight the increasing strength and opportunity in Iraq's civilian and military sector. The organizer, U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Chrystina Short, writes from Iraq about her effort:

As a high school student, I sat in amazement as I watched the Twin Towers fall on Sept. 11, 2001, wondering why on earth anyone would make such a horrific attack. I wanted to understand. So I began studying the Middle East as much as I could. Ultimately, the Sept. 11 attacks cemented my decision to serve my country. I joined the Air Force and attended the United States Air Force Academy where I majored in political science, concentrating on national security with a Middle Eastern focus and minored in Arabic.

As a young child, it never crossed my mind that I could become a pilot. But after I got to the Academy, I was inspired by the frequent flyovers, fell in love with the concept of flight and decided to take to the skies. After several years of pilot training, I finally was fully qualified for an operational Air Force deployment as a C-130 cargo aircraft pilot so I volunteered to deploy to Iraq. It had been seven years since I first entered basic training in 2003, the same year we entered Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom, now Operation New Dawn.

While I knew my primary mission was to fly, I couldn't forget all the lessons I learned about Middle Eastern culture and language. I'd been to the region three times before with the Air Force and still remembered the many conversations I had in the region with women there. It made me deeply appreciate my freedoms as an American, including my ability to fly.

I had a million ways I wanted to help the women of Iraq. Then I realized I should encourage them in the field I know best – aviation. Even the concept of women in aviation in the U.S. is still rather new. In my initial stage of training, for several months I was the only woman in a building of 200 people. It was only in 1993 that women were allowed to fly combat missions. Now we have women who have served as members of the Thunderbirds.

Many thought the idea of women in Middle Eastern aviation was a wildly progressive idea. But the more I studied, the more I learned that historically Iraq was seen as progressive when it comes to women's rights, at least compared to its neighbors. Years of war have left many women widowed, young girls orphaned, and countless growing older and still single. The country needs everyone's help on reconstruction, including the women. Women comprise the majority of the population, so women's issues are not a minority issue.

Countries can't be successful economically if women aren't empowered. Some reports even suggest empowering women in the workplace has been the key to China's economic boom. Another report I read predicted that the Iraqi Air Force may take until 2020 to rebuild, longer than any of Iraq's other military branches. This provides a unique opportunity for women to lead.

On my base, Joint Base Balad, I did all I could to talk to Iraqis and to learn from them. I attended Arabic courses to practice my language skills and befriended a translator, Anahid, who joined the cause. Without a car, I bought a bike and rode it around base looking for advocates. I walked into the State Department office, talked to people in the dining halls, made flyers, and coordinated with my chain of command to officially start a Women in Aviation (WAI) chapter. WAI is a non-profit organization that provides networking, education, mentoring and scholarship opportunities for women (and men) who are interested in careers in the aviation and aerospace industries. We called our chapter Horizon East.

As the chapter grew, the concept of Iraqi women in aviation gained momentum. Anahid suggested we do an event to highlight the increasing opportunities for women. I agreed and proposed we invite official agencies and Iraqi officials. We stated talking to Iraqis about the idea. We talked to anyone who would listen. After connecting with the U.S. Embassy, it's now bloomed with partnerships with the U.S. Department of Transportation, giving legitimacy and an outlet for the momentum to produce tangible results. Before I knew it, our commanding general had approved four of us to travel to the U.S. embassy in Baghdad to run this historic event.

At some future date, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad will host a reception for Horizon East to outline increasing opportunities for Iraqi women in aviation-related career fields. It will be unprecedented and, after four months of preparation, I'm excited to see the results. We want to provide Iraqi women the chance to see how they can make a career out of flying. Even if only a few women enter the industry, they alone will become powerful role models and resources for their communities.

While there is still a lot of work to be done in the basic needs of Iraqis, proposing that the ability to fly is within their reach effectively inspires great hope for the future. This falls directly in line with U.S. objectives in Operation New Dawn. As Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said, “Women's rights and women's issues cannot be an afterthought in our foreign policy; they must factor in how we look at the world. We have made women a cornerstone of our foreign policy not only because we think it's the right thing to do, but also because it's the smart thing to do….We need to look at women – not as victims – but as the leaders they can and must be if we are to bring about an end to conflicts and create sustainable peace.”

My message to Iraqi women: Take flight. Dream. Aim high.