Draft:Linda Aldrich

Colonel (Ret.) Linda Aldrich of the United States Air Force was one of the first women assigned to active duty as a missileer in the late 1970’s. In 1976, the separate status of WAF (Women in the Air Force) meant that female recruits would be accepted into the military at the same level as male counterparts. Soon after, the Air Force began a pilot program to test female applicants in rolls as missileers. Several women, including Aldrich were stationed at Titian II missile silos in 1978. At the time, Aldrich was 30 and divorced. She later stated in an interview that “They gave me a career. They gave me a life.” Aldrich was stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base and working on the Titan II until she was transferred to Whitman Air Force Base in Missouri to take control of a Minuteman system. Aldrich became a crew commander before being transferred again to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where she became the first female Minuteman instructor. Aldrich served several more varying roles before her retirement as a Colonel in 2011 after 29 years of service. Her role as one of the first female missileers gave women a new career opportunity in the air force. Today, Aldrich’s daughter serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve.