1971: Capt. Marcelite C. Jordan Harris became the first female aircraft maintenance officer in the USAF after completion of the Aircraft Maintenance Officer’s School. She received her commission through Officer Training School at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas in 1965. Major General Marcelite Jordan Harris, the first Black woman to serve as a major general in the U.S. military, was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery on Feb. 7, alongside her husband, Lt. Col. Maurice Harris, USAF (Ret.). Harris died unexpectedly on Sept. 7, 2018, at age 75. She served more than 30 years in the U.S. Air Force.
