JIS news Release
June 28, 2005

The first black female aviator in the 215-year history of the U.S. Coast Guard is a Jamaican, 26 year old, Miss Jeanine McIntosh.

As a junior grade lieutenant, Miss McIntosh received her wings last Friday (June 24) at an awards ceremony at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station in Texas.

Miss McIntosh began her training at the Base earlier in January of this year where she learned the instruments, flight patterns and going on missions. She is currently doing further training in Little Rock, Arkansas until September before taking up assignment in Hawaii.

A graduate of Florida International University (FIU), she studied International Business. She also attended Miami Killian High School.

Miss McIntosh hails from Kingston, Jamaica where she attended Vaz Preparatory School before migrating with her family to Canada where they settled before relocating to South Florida.

In an interview with JIS, Miss McIntosh proudly spoke of her passion for aviation from an early age when she resided in the Portmore community watching the airplanes soaring closely overhead.

After graduating from FIU in 2001, Miss McIntosh decided to pursue her dream for flying. She occasionally visited the North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines before she began flying lessons there.

As a flight instructor at Opa-Locka Airport in North Miami, Miss McIntosh said that she observed the US Coast Guard carriers there regularly “and I felt a deeper fascination to fly one of those planes” she said.

Her tenacity forced her to pursue her life’s ambition and today, she has been able to accomplish that dream.

Miss McIntosh said that she was honored to have earned this achievement after a challenging schedule and encouraged other young persons to follow their inner drive.

Cheryl Wynter