Salinas sailor part of rare all-women aircraft crew

A Salinas woman is part of a group of military women that may be the first of its kind.

The aircraft carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt returns today to its home at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, CA after its seven-month deployment.

On February 28 a team of 35 U.S. sailors joined to successfully launch over 35 aircraft aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt. Officials say this flight deck team was focused, brilliant, and all female.

While female sailors have manned the deck of US aircraft carriers for more than 20 years, this crew may be the first crew controlling movement of aircraft and the waist catapults to be all women.

ABEAN Mariah Vasquez is from Salinas, and was part of this empowering group. Now, she and this crew of brave sailors hope to inspire other women, raising the bar for female leadership opportunities both above and below decks.

In the Navy, less than one out of every five female sailors seizes a spot in the aviation section. The crew had to be collected from the night shift and two of the other four catapult teams to create a team of enough female aviation boatswain mates to run the launches.