Page 84 - JSOM Fall 2022

Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio, Texas. professor in mathematics and a T­41 instructor pilot. In
She has been stationed at Fort Polk in Louisiana and 1989, Collins became the second female pilot to attend
Fort Rucker, Alabama, where she was named Flight Sur­ the US Air Force Test Pilot School.
geon of the Year in 1990.
Collins was selected to be an astronaut in 1990 and first
As a flight surgeon with the 229th Attack Helicopter flew the Space Shuttle as pilot in 1995 aboard STS­63,
Regiment during the Gulf War, then­Major Cornum which involved a rendezvous between Discovery and the
was aboard a Black Hawk helicopter that was shot Russian space station Mir. In recognition of her achieve­
down while on a search and rescue mission, looking for ment as the first female Shuttle Pilot, she received the
a downed F­16 pilot. She suffered two broken arms, a Harmon Trophy. She was also the pilot for STS­84 in
broken finger, a gunshot wound in the back, and other 1997.
injuries. After regaining consciousness, she said her first Collins was also the first female commander of a US
thought was “Nobody’s ever died from pain.” Cornum Spacecraft with Shuttle mission STS­93, launched in
was taken into custody by Iraqi soldiers. She spent 8 July 1999, which deployed the Chandra X­Ray Obser­
days as a prisoner of war but was ultimately released. vatory. Collins commanded STS­114, NASA’s “return to
“Looking at it in the context of my life,” Cornum says, flight” mission to test safety improvements and resupply
“it was a very bad week, but it doesn’t define me.”
the International Space Station (ISS). Asked if she felt
Since then, Cornum has spoken widely about her ex­ even a twinge of fear after the loss of Columbia, Col­
perience, publishing her autobiography She Went to onel Collins replied, “I would have to say no. I want
War: The Rhonda Cornum Story and testifying before to fly again. I am very mentally ready to go fly again.”
Congress on the role of women in combat. She has also Then pausing, noting that she wanted to be precise, she
appeared before the Supreme Court on issues involving added, “I am mentally ready to go fly again when the
military educational institutions’ admissions policies. shuttle is cleared to fly.” The flight was launched on July
“Whether it’s being a jockey, a scientist, a pilot, or a 26, 2005, and returned on August 9, 2005. During STS­
commander, I’ve always identified with the activity first 114, Collins became the first astronaut to fly the Space
. . . I really don’t think that opportunities should be gen­ Shuttle through a complete 360­degree pitch maneuver.
der based . . .” This was necessary so astronauts aboard the ISS could
take photographs of the Shuttle’s belly, to ensure there
General Cornum attended the Army’s Command and was no threat from debris­related damage to the Shuttle
Staff College and the National War College, serving on reentry.
as class president. She has held posts as commander of
Fort Bragg’s 18th Airborne Corps 28th Combat Support
Hospital and an Army Medical Unit in Tuzla, Bosnia. In VICE ADMIRAL (RET)
2003, she assumed command of the Army Hospital at RAQUEL C. BONO, MD
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

General Cornum has received many military honors, in­ Serve a mission greater than yourself.
cluding the Bronze Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, It’s a powerful motto that exemplifies
and the Purple Heart. the life, work, and impact of Vice Ad­
miral (RET) RAQUEL C. BONO, MD,
who served more than 30 years with
honor and distinction as a Navy offi­
EILEEN MARIE COLLINS
cer. A board­certified trauma surgeon,
EILEEN MARIE COLLINS is a retired Dr Bono was the first woman surgeon
NASA astronaut, US Air Force colo­ in the military to hold the rank of vice
nel, military instructor, and test pilot. admiral. As the first female three­star admiral in the
Collins was the first female pilot and medical field in the history of the US Navy, as well as the
first female commander of a Space first Asian American woman promoted to vice admiral,
Shuttle. Colonel Collins has logged 38 Dr Bono is accustomed to blazing paths. Born in the
days 8 hours 20 minutes in outer Philippines and raised in Texas, she credits her father—
space. also a Navy surgeon—for instilling in her the belief that
she could do and be anything, as long as she continued
Following graduation from Syracuse, Collins was one to serve a greater mission than herself. Dr Bono has ded­
of four women chosen for undergraduate pilot train­ icated her life’s work to doing exactly that, while inspir­
ing at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. After earning ing and mentoring others to do the same.
her pilot wings, she stayed on at Vance for 3 years as a
T­38 Talon instructor pilot before transitioning to the Dr Bono has made it part of her mission to encourage
C­141 Starlifter at Travis Air Force Base, California. women and minorities to pursue careers in the military
From 1986 to 1989, she was assigned to the US Air and medicine. A firm believer that diversity strengthens
Force Academy in Colorado, where she was an assistant organizations, she launched the Military Health Corps’

80 | JSOM Volume 22, Edition 3 / Fall 2022