Jeanine Menze made U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) history as that uniformed service’s first black female aviator. She was born in Kingston, Jamaica. She and her family eventually moved to Canada and then relocated to Florida. In 1997, Menze graduated from Miami Killian High School in the Sunshine State’s community of Kendall. Menze subsequently studied at Florida International University (FIU), where she graduated with an international business degree in 2001.
Menze had developed a strong interest in aviation early on in life, something that she recalled in a 2021 Embracing ‘Only’ podcast interview with Olivia Cream. Menze said, “I loved airplanes. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know why, but I was just immediately attracted and drawn to the world of aviation.” After completing her studies at FIU, Menze decided to fully pursue that enthusiasm for air travel by taking flying lessons at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Florida.
Menze ultimately joined the USCG after graduating from its officer candidate school in 2003. Starting in January 2005, she underwent her USCCG aviation training at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas. Menze earned her aviator wings in June of that year and was initially assigned to fly HC-130 Hercules planes out of Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii. Menze’s wide-ranging airborne activities in the time since have included taking part in USCG flight rescue missions in the vicinity of New Orleans during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She now holds the USCG rank of commander.
La’Shanda R. Holmes, who became the first black female helicopter pilot in USCG in 2010, has cited Menze’s trailblazing career as a major source of inspiration for her own. “Jeanine completely changed the perception of what a pilot was in my mind,” Holmes asserted. “So, I knew I could at least give it a shot.”
Photo Credit: Public Domain
For more information on Jeanine Menze, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanine_Menze
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