In the world of espionage there is one piece of technology that has lasted over 60 years, the U-2 spy plane. The plane is able to soar up to 17 miles above the Earth on the edge of space and only the best of the best get to fly his aircraft. Now one of the best is Lt. Col. Merryl Tengesdal, a black woman from the Bronx, New York, who has literally reached the stars.
Tengesdal is the first Black woman in U-2 pilot history and is the 9th Reconnaissance Wing inspector general. As a child she avoided the pitfalls of drugs and alcohol in the Bronx and excelled in school, earning a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of New Haven in Connecticut. She then went on to become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy where she flew the Seahawk helicopter, which is used to hunt submarines. An opportunity to cross-commission in the U.S. Air Force led her to be eligible to become a fighter pilot.
“During the mid-’90s, the military had just begun opening more roles for women in combat. Combat pilot was one of the opportunities. There was also a massive push for more minorities into the pilot training program. I remember when I attended flight training; it was racially diverse, which I was surprised to see. It was a good feeling. However, I could tell there were a few people who did not appreciate us,” Tengesdal said.
In 2004 she was part of a select few pilots to enter the rigorous nine-month U-2 training program at Beale Air Force Base. Since finishing the program, she has logged over 3,400 flight hours and flown over 330 combat hours in the hot spots of global conflict. Lt. Col. Tengesdal has participated in dangerous operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa sending vital intelligence to the US military. Tengesdal has been selected for promotion to the rank of colonel and continues to break down barriers for Black woman in the military.
