Reflections Magazine Issue #80 - Spring 2014 | Page 25

Feature Article

Learning to Serve

Changing Course

One of her first missions after completing flight school was assisting in the
rescue and cleanup after Hurricane Hugo
hit the Gulf states in 1994.
“In that weekend, I learned what being in service really meant,” McCormick
said. “It wasn’t pretty or glamorous; it
was about serving and leading others
above self to do what was right.”
Her service eventually took her to
war-torn Kosovo, where she flew her
Black Hawk Sikorsky as part of a United
Nations peacekeeping mission. Her missions included air assault and rappelling,
command and control and military intelligence. During her six years as a pilot,
she received the Army Commendation
Medal twice, the Army Achievement
medal three times, a National Defense
Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon
and the Army Aviator Badge.
“The award I am most proud of is
receiving the Humanitarian Service
Medal,” she said of the honor she earned
for the Hurricane Hugo mission. “We
made a difference (and) had an impact
in those lives that weekend.”

McCormick’s career as a pilot ended
when she suffered a disabling injury right
before Sept. 11, 2001. Medically retiring
from the Army as a Chi