Congratulations to Lt. Ronaqua Russell, the first African-American female aviator in the Coast Guard to receive the Air Medal.  From the Coast Guard press release:

The Air Medal is awarded to an individual who distinguishes themselves by heroic or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Russell received this honor in recognition for her actions in response to Hurricane Harvey, one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history. 

Having a knack for “being the first”, her Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft was the very first in the sky following behind the Category 4 storm’s destructive track. Russell along with Cmdr. Steve Pittman, the aircraft commander, piloted the plane through the outer bands of Harvey, hitting tropical storm force winds, and zero visibility conditions. Navigating landings on partially flooded runways, they delivered critical supplies and personnel in support of the ongoing rescue and port recovery efforts. …

Russell continued flying supply and damage assessments for the next several days, and then served at the Incident Command Post for the Corpus Christi area helping from the ground as well. 

Ronaqua Russell, a native of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, comes from a family of aviation pioneers. Russell’s great uncle was 1st Lt. Henry E. Rohlsen, one of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first black pilots in the US armed forces.  The Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix is named in her uncle’s honor.  

The first of two ceremonies to honor Ronaqua Russell’s achievement took place at Tuskegee’s Moton Field on  February 21. A second ceremony was held in Miami, where Russell is currently stationed so her family could attend.