Women of Minuteman: Past and Present

From Waco CG-4A gliders during World War II to the arrival of the U.S.’s first stealth bomber, the B-2 Spirit, Whiteman Air Force Base has played host to a plethora of historic moments in military aviation.

One milestone at Whiteman AFB was the first all-female Minuteman missileer crew.

Retired Col. Linda Aldrich was one of the first women to break through the glass ceiling, or in this case glass floor, and serve on an all-female Minuteman II missile crew underground in the mid-1980s.

Retired Lt..Col. Linda Aldrich works apart of the first all female missileer crew at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. 1985. The path that the first female missileers blazed helped lead the way for the current generation of Strikers. — Retired Lt. Col. Linda Aldrich works as part of the first all-female missileer crew at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. 1985. The path that the first female missileers blazed helped lead the way for the current generation of Strikers. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)

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