Merryl Tengesdal

Merryl Tengesdal
Colonel; Merryl Tengesdal
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy; United States Air Force
Years of service	1994-2017
Rank	Colonel
Commands held	Det 2/WR-ALC Plant 42
Battles/wars	Operation Enduring Freedom; Iraq War
Awards	Legion of Merit; Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal (2);

Colonel Merryl Tengesdal (born 1971)[1] is the first and only African American woman to fly the United States Air Force's U-2 spy plane which is used for specialized high-altitude reconnaissance missions.[2]

Biography

Merryl (David) Tengesdal is a military veteran and former Director of Inspections who served for The Air Force Inspector General from October 2015 through August 2017. A retired United States Air Force Colonel, Tengesdal served in the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan.

A native of The Bronx, New York, Tengesdal is a graduate from the University of New Haven with a Science Degree in electrical engineering. She was one of three women to make it through the program.[1] After Officer Candidate School commissioning, she began a career as a Naval Aviator by flying the SH-60B Seahawk Helicopter at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. During that time, she deployed on two long cruises and multiple short cruises to the Middle East, South America and the Caribbean. After a three-year sea tour in helicopters, Colonel Tengesdal went on to become a T-34C and T-6A Instructor Pilot. After completing T-6A Instructor Training, she became one of four Navy T-6A Instructors to train Navy and Air Force students at Joint Student Undergraduate Pilot Training (JSUPT) at Moody Air Force Base, GA. Her former Navy flight instructor, Commander Ron Robinson, has said that Merryl David (maiden name) "was one of my best flight students, and it doesn't surprise me that she's doing so well."

Once she completed her Navy obligation, she continued her military career by transferring over to the Air Force to fly the Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady at Beale Air Force Base in Northern California. Tengesdal was deployed to multiple locations in support of Operations OLIVE HARVEST, ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM and HORN OF AFRICA. While stationed at Beale AFB the first time, she held the positions of 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9th RW) Chief of Flight Safety and 9th Physiological Support Squadron Director of Operations. After her tour at Beale AFB, Tengesdal continued her career by becoming the Detachment Commander of Detachment 2 WR/ALC Palmdale, California where she was in charge of flight test and Program Depot Maintenance for the U-2S aircraft. Thereafter, Tengesdal worked at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) J8 staff. As Chief of Studies and Assessments Branch, she was responsible for developing the Command's position on capability gap assessment(s), development and integration for senior-level documents submitted to the Joint Staff. Colonel Tengesdal returned to Beale and held the positions of Deputy Operations Group Commander and Inspector General, 9th RW, Beale AFB, CA. Tengesdal's final duty was as the Director of Inspections for The Inspector General (TIG) of the Air Force, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Pentagon, Washington DC. The Inspections Directorate develops, revises, coordinates, and implements Air Force inspection policy, and provides oversight and reporting of inspection programs to TIG, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and Secretary of the Air Force on the readiness, economy, efficiency, compliance and state of discipline of the Air Force. Tengesdal is also the Executive Secretary of the Air Force Inspection System Council.

In 2017, Tengesdal retired from Air Force as a Colonel.

Flight rating

Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours – more than 3,400 with over 330 combat hours
Aircraft Flown – T-34C, TH-57 B/C, SH-60B, T-6A, T-38A/B/C, U-2S

Assignments

Officer Candidate School, NAS Pensacola, Florida, June 1994 – September 1994
Aviation Pre-Flight Indoctrination, NAS Pensacola, Florida, September 1994 – March 1995
Undergraduate Pilot Training, NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, Squadron VT-27, March 1995 – September 1995
Helicopter Flight Training, NAS Pensacola, Florida, September 1995 – August 1996
SH-60B Fleet Replacement Squadron, NS Mayport, Florida, September 1996 – September 1997
SH-60B Pilot, NAS Mayport, Florida, September 1997 – June 2000
T-34A Pilot Instructor Training, NS Corpus Christi, Texas, June 2000 – December 2000
T-6A Pilot Instructor Training, Randolph AFB, Texas, December 2000 – October 2001
T-6A Instructor, Moody AFB, Georgia, October 2001 – March 2004
U-2 Student Pilot, Beale AFB, California, March 2004 – April 2005
U-2 Instructor Pilot/Sq Chief of Safety, Beale AFB, California, April 2005 – June 2006
U-2 Instructor Pilot/ Wing Chief of Flt Safety, Beale AFB, California, June 2006 – July 2007
U-2 /T38-A Instructor Pilot/9 PSPTS Director of Operations, Beale AFB, California, July 2007 – November 2008
Commander Det 2/WR-ALC Plant 42, Palmdale, California, November 2008 – December 2010
NORAD/NORTHCOM J8 Staff, Peterson AFB, Colorado, December 2010 – August 2013
Deputy Operations Group Commander, 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale AFB, California, September 2013 – 2014
Inspector General, 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale AFB, California, September 2014 - October 2015
Director of Inspections, Office of the Air Force Inspector General, Washington, October 2015 – August 2017

Awards and decorations

	Command Air Force Pilot Badge
	United States Naval Aviator Badge
	Air Force Inspector General Badge
	Air Force Commander's Insignia

	Legion of Merit Medal
	Defense Meritorious Service Medal
	Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
	Air Medal
	Air Force Commendation Medal
	Navy Achievement Medal
	Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
	Air Force Meritorious Unit Award
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters
	Air Force Recognition Ribbon
	National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star
	Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
	Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
	Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
	Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with bronze service star
	Air Force Longevity Service Award with two bronze oak leaf clusters
	Air Force Training Ribbon

ACC Aerospace Physiologist of the Year 2008

Education

1994 – Bachelor of Science Electrical Engineering, University of New Haven, Connecticut
2005 – Air Command and Staff College, Non-Resident Program, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2008 – Masters of Aeronautical Science, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida
2011 – Air War College, Non-Resident Program, Maxwell AFB, AL

Effective dates of promotion

Ensign – 9 September 1994
Lieutenant Junior Grade – 9 September 1996
Lieutenant – 9 October 1998
Major – 5 April 2004
Lieutenant Colonel – 1 February 2010
Colonel – 1 October 2015

Personal life

In 2021 it was announced that Tengesdal would compete on the second season of the CBS reality competition series, Tough as Nails.[3]

References

Sutherland, Andrea (22 February 2011). "U-2 pilot says fascination with space, flying started early". The Gazette. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
Cummings, Air Force Senior Airman Bobby. "Face of Defense: U-2 Pilot Blazes Trail". U. S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
Bloom, Mike (7 January 2021). "We're Ready to Punch the Clock! Meet the Full Cast of Tough as Nails Season 2". Parade. Retrieved 7 January 2021.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[ColoradoSpringsGazette-1] Sutherland, Andrea (22 February 2011). "U-2 pilot says fascination with space, flying started early". The Gazette. Retrieved 19 June 2015.

[Cummings-2] Cummings, Air Force Senior Airman Bobby. "Face of Defense: U-2 Pilot Blazes Trail". U. S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 12 April 2016.

[3] Bloom, Mike (7 January 2021). "We're Ready to Punch the Clock! Meet the Full Cast of Tough as Nails Season 2". Parade. Retrieved 7 January 2021.