Carey Dunai Lohrenz (born October 5, 1968) is a former lieutenant in the U.S. Navy who was one of the first fully qualified female naval aviators to fly the F-14 Tomcat in the U.S. military.

Carey Lohrenz
Born (1968-10-05) October 5, 1968 (age 56)
Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.
Occupationformer United States Navy fighter pilot, professional speaker
Spouse
Donovan Lohrenz
(m. 1994)
Children4
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Navy
Years of service1991–1999
Rank Lieutenant

Biography

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Lohrenz was born in 1968 in Racine, Wisconsin, to Robert E. Dunai and Carol T. Dunai. Her father served in the military as a United States Marine Corps Aviator.

Raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Lohrenz graduated from Pulaski High School, where she was a member of the National Honor Society and played volleyball, basketball, and softball.

Lohrenz is a 1990 graduate of the University of Wisconsin, where she was a three-time varsity letter winner in rowing. In 1991, Lohrenz graduated from Aviation Officer Candidate School at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.[1] Commissioned an ensign in June 1991, Lohrenz was sent to flight school at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, and then to Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, for advanced jet training.

Earning her wings in June 1993, Lohrenz receiving her Naval Aviator Wings of Gold from retired Commander Randall "Duke" Cunningham, one of the Navy's two fighter aces during the Vietnam War and later a U.S. congressman. She received follow-on orders to the F-14 Fleet Replacement Squadron, Fighter Squadron 124 (VF-124) at Naval Air Station Miramar, California. She was one of the two first female Naval Aviators[2] in the U.S. Navy to train and fully qualify as fighter pilots in the F-14 Tomcat.[3]

Resigning from the U.S. Navy in 1999, Lohrenz began a career as a leadership expert and professional speaker.[4]

She wrote a Wall Street Journal[5] best-selling book, Fearless Leadership: High-Performance Lessons From the Flight Deck, published by Greenleaf Book Group Press in 2014, about her experiences as a female aviator.[6] In 2021, Carey Lohrenz wrote another Wall Street Journal[7] best-selling book, Span of Control: What To Do When You're Under Pressure, Overwhelmed, And Ready To Get What You Really Want, published by Forbes.[8]

Personal life

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On July 2, 1994, she married Donovan Lohrenz.[9] They have four children.[10]

Television and radio appearances

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Lohrenz has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, and NPR.

  • CBS: Navy's first female fighter pilot on leadership, overcoming obstacles.
  • NPR: For Family, For Country: Military Moms Do It All - discussing parenting in the military.

References

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  1. ^ "Female fighter pilot Carey Lohrenz shares tips on getting to the top". Stars and Stripes.
  2. ^ Harp, Staff Sgt Sean K. (2013-06-06), English: U.S. Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld, right, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks to Carey Lohrenz, the first female F-14 Tomcat aircraft pilot in the Navy, during 2013 Joint Women's Leadership Symposium at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., June 6, 2013. The annual event is the largest gathering of military women nationwide., retrieved 2021-11-22
  3. ^ "Justice Scalia's Thoughts, And A Few Of My Own, on New York Times v. Sullivan". Findlaw. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  4. ^ "Carey D. Lohrenz". huffingtonpost.com.
  5. ^ "Best-Selling Books Week Ended Oct. 12". Wall Street Journal. 2014-10-16. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  6. ^ "Fearless Leadership: High Performance Lessons from the Flight Deck". CBS. CBS Interactive.
  7. ^ "Bestselling Books Week Ended October 9". Wall Street Journal. 2021-10-14. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  8. ^ "Carey Lohrenz - ForbesBooks". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  9. ^ "'Dunai Carey Wedding 1994". 2 July 1994.
  10. ^ "'For Family, For Country': Military Moms Do It All". NPR.org. 10 March 2009.
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