LT Colleen Cain USCG
Lieutenant Colleen A. Cain was born in Waverly, IA, and became the USCG' s third female aviator and the first female helicopter (HH-52A) pilot in June 1979. On 7 January 1982 she perished during a search mission when the helicopter she was co-piloting responded to a distress call from a fishing vessel in stormy weather. The helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain in the Wailua Valley of Molokai, Hawaii. Two other crewmembers, CDR Buzz Johnson and ASM David Thompson were also killed. She was the First USCG woman killed in the line of duty--helicopter accident on a rescue mission.
In her brief career, Cain flew many rescue missions and completed her qualifications as Co-pilot, First Pilot, and Aircraft Commander. In 1980, she received the Coast Guard Achievement Medal for saving a three-year-old boy involved in a boating accident. In the early morning hours of 7 January 1982, while stationed at Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii, Cain took flight in severe weather, heavy winds, and limited visibility in response to a distress call from a sinking fishing vessel with seven per-sons on board. While en route to the sinking vessel, the HH-52A helicopter she was co-piloting crashed into the side of a mountain in the Wailua Valley of Molokai, Hawaii, killing Cain and her two crewmembers, Commander Buzz Johnson and Aviation Survival man David Thompson. Cain became the first female Coast Guard member killed in the line of duty. A Coast Guard officer wrote of Cain's reputation among her peers: "Without fail, they regarded her as an exemplary Coast Guard officer, patriot, and human being. "Lieutenant Cain and her fellow crewmembers made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their nation and fellow countrymen, striving to protect life at sea. On 25 October 1985, the Coast Guard dedicated Cain Hall, a 100-room residence hall at Reserve Training Center Yorktown, Virginia, to her memory. Lieutenant Colleen A. Cain