Landing in the history books

Randi Carpenter, a 2001 Newcastle High School graduate and former News Letter Journal reporter, made a historic journey to the other side of the world early this year. Carpenter, a major in the Wyoming Air National Guard, was one of eight members of an all-female aircrew that conducted an airlift mission in Africa on Jan. 2, 2024. This group was the first all-female aircrew deployed by the Wyoming Air National Guard.

Aboard a C-130H Hercules aircraft, Carpenter’s unit transported Army personnel as well as supplies. For the mission, the aircrew flew from Djibouti to Somalia.

“It was relatively easy. It was one of the less complicated missions as far as anything unexpected happening,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter attributes the success of the mission, in part, to the familiarity the crew members had with one another. This, she said, ensured clear communication and smooth teamwork.

“It (was) all women that I fly with in the Wyoming National Guard,” she said, and just like her fellow airwomen, Carpenter carried out her role with skill as the navigator on the mission.

“I tell everybody where to go and when to be there,” she said.

Running like a well-oiled machine, the crew operated ahead of schedule for the whole mission. And to honor both their service and the historic nature of their deployment, Sen. John Barrasso flew to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti to meet with the all-female crew.

Carpenter credits her unit’s commander, Lt. Col. John Holland, for enabling the historic mission. Despite the logistical obstacles of arranging an all-female aircrew, Lt. Col. Holland was determined to facilitate the noteworthy achievement.

Because of hard crew assignments, which is the practice of personnel serving on the same crew for missions, it was a challenge to arrange the all-female aircrew. According to Carpenter, some crew members had to fly extra missions, while others sat out to ensure that the schedules of the all-female crew members would align for their historic mission.

“We are very proud of her, and she’s a very determined and intelligent woman,” said Carpenter’s parents, Jim and Gerri Owens.

While proud, they were not surprised at their daughter’s accomplishment, for it is but one of many. Gerri noted an example of her daughter’s determination, when almost on the spur of the moment, Carpenter decided to uproot and relocate to Cheyenne when she was 21.

Carpenter scored “extremely high” on the ASVAB test in high school, so it was also not surprising to her parents to learn that, after her relocation, she had enrolled in the Wyoming Air National Guard. This was the beginning of what is now a 19-year career in the Guard. Carpenter, her mother said, was also greatly inspired by the service of her father, who is himself a highly accomplished former military pilot and Vietnam veteran.

“(Jim) flew every helicopter and every fixed wing they had. He started a high-altitude training site in Eagle and Gypsum, Colorado. He flew and trained pilots from all over the world. He’s met presidents. Governors have requested to have him fly for them,” Gerri said of her husband.

Following in the footsteps of her father has clearly led Carpenter to a fulfilling career in the Wyoming Air National Guard, which counts her historic mission as a high point.

“It was a really fun mission to be able to be a part of, and the crew was amazing,” she said.

With determination, know-how and the benefit of a role model, Carpenter has shown that an individual can soar to great heights.