Patriotic Speaker Series Dinner 2016

The Maxine Flournoy 3rd Coast Squadron CAF Presents:
Passing Down a Legacy of Women in Military Aviation

ARANSAS PASS, Texas --- November 17, 2015 Col Pearson Knolle, Unit Leader of The Maxine Flournoy 3rd Coast Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), today announced that the organization will hold its 8th Patriotic Speaker Series Dinner on Thursday, February 18, 2016 from 6:00-9:00pm on board USS Lexington Museum on the Bay A Special Event Celebrating over 70 years of Women in Military Aviation.

Col Knolle said that the event will have two Navy aviators, Linda Maloney (USN Ret.) and Captain Pam Carel, USNR, as guest speakers. The two speakers met 30 years ago during flight training at NAS Pensacola. Pam, a student aviator and Linda, a student flight officer, became friends and share a bond that very few have experienced as two of the few women in the Naval aviation program. They offer a unique perspective as they share their experiences that evolved from flying in support squadrons to combat fleet squadrons after the combat exclusion law was repealed in 1993.

Linda is an award winning author, business owner, speaker and former military aviator and officer. She spent 20 years in the Navy, as an enlisted air traffic controller and then as a Naval Flight Officer, flying both the A-6 “Intruder” and EA- 6B “Prowler.” She was one of the first women to join a combat flying squadron and received numerous military awards, including the distinguished air medal for combat, awarded for flights flown during her deployment to the Arabian Gulf. She was the first woman to eject from a Martin Baker ejection seat from her A-6 aircraft in 1991 over the Atlantic.

Since retiring from the Navy in 2004, Linda started her second career working as a defense contractor supporting aviation and submarine programs. She currently is a senior systems engineer for a major defense aircraft program. She is the author of the award winning book—Military Fly Moms ~ Sharing Memories, Building Legacies, Inspiring Hope, published in 2012, a biographical collection of the inspiring true stories and photographs of seventy women who shared the same two dreams—becoming aviators in the military, and being moms. Linda is owner and president of Women Veteran Speakers, the first speakers bureau and booking agency of its kind offering exclusively exceptional women military veterans as event speakers, trainers, coaches and facilitators.

Captain Pam Carel is currently the Assistant Chief of Staff for Commander, Pacific Fleet, Maritime Operations Center Detachment reserve component in Pearl Harbor, HI. Captain Carel, a native of Dallas, holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from University of Texas, Austin, a Masters of Business from Webster University, St. Louis, MO., and a Masters of Science in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, Newport, RI.

Captain Carel spent over 15 years as an active duty aviator flying the A-7E “Corsair II” and F/A-18C “Hornet,” becoming the first female to qualify in combat training in the F/A-18, completing two deployments. She transitioned to the selected reserves in 2001 and has served three tours as a Commanding Officer in addition to leadership positions in Operational Level of War units in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Pacific regions. She has accumulated over 3400 flight hours and over 350 carrier landings with numerous awards including two Combat Strike Air Medals.

As a civilian, Pam is employed as a Senior Aerospace Engineer at the Corpus Christi Army Depot for a large defense contractor. She is active in the local community and holds leadership positions in several community organizations. She is married to Captain Kenneth Carel, USNR (Ret.) who recently retired after 30 years. Ken spent his career flying the F-14 Tomcat. A true “dual military” couple, they both spent their careers crisscrossing the globe.

Thirty years later, Linda and Pam look back and are grateful for the amazing and challenging opportunities the Navy offered them, as women, officers and aviators. They agree the military provided the basis for their successes both in and out of the military and hope their journeys motivate and inspire not only their children but also future generations.

The 3rd Coast Squadron’s mission is to establish and maintain a presence in the community so as to preserve and exhibit the Coastal Bend's involvement in the history of those men and women who served in the past and still serve in today’s military. The Squadron believes in and adheres to the CAF mission of teaching and preserving history through restoring the aircraft and memories of the people who paid the ultimate price for our freedom from WWII to the present.

• Maxine Flournoy
• Corpus Christi Caller Times
• The John G and Marie Stella Kennedy Memorial Foundation
• Navy Army Community Credit Union
• Bradley's Electric Motor Solutions
• Cheniere
• Carlisle Insurance
• L&F Distributors
• HEB
• Security Service Federal Credit Union
• Skye FBO
• Orion Drilling Company
• American Bank Trust & Asset Management
• Allen Samuels Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram
• Beecroft Construction Company
• Dr. & Mrs. J. Robert Cone
• Beth & Pearson Knolle
• Knolle~Sullivan Unlimited
• Mrs. Celika Storm
• Glenna Sue & Larry Wood