November 24, 2018:Southwest Airlines Captain Tammie Jo Shults will be the special guest at the 12th Annual “For Love of Country” Gala hosted by Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, on December 8, 2018. The event includes a special tribute to Col. Charles McGee, famed Tuskegee Airman, who turns 99 this year.
Elissa Lines, Executive Director of Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum stated, “We are excited to be hosting Captain Shults who started her aviation career as a Naval Aviator. This will be an exciting evening celebrating patriotism where we will recognize and honor those who have served, and those who continue to serve, courageously and selflessly defending our nation.”
Tammie Jo Shults possessed an early interest in flying, but she faced various obstacles on her path to becoming a military pilot due to her gender. Applying her lifelong trait of perseverance, she eventually became one of the first female F/A-18 Hornet pilots in the United States Navy.
After concluding her Navy career, she became a pilot for Southwest Airlines. Tammie Jo’s incredible history and talent received wide acclaim on April 17, 2018, when she successfully landed a Southwest Boeing 737 after an engine exploded at high altitude, causing multiple system failures and a rapid depressurization. The successful landing of Flight 1380 in Philadelphia saved 148 total lives including passengers and crew.
Tammie Jo and her husband Dean live in Texas, and Dean also enjoys flying for Southwest Airlines. The couple has two adult children and are committed to living out their faith and serving in their community. They are active in their church and volunteer at a school focusing on at-risk youth.
