Women comprise just 7% of the 48,308 active duty, National Guard and reserve pilots now serving in the military. Of those 3,314 female pilots, only 72 identified as African American or Black, according to military data obtained by McClatchy. "I am disappointed in that number, but I do think it's fixable," said Lt. Col. Christina "Thumper" Hopper. As an F-16 pilot in 2003 over Iraq, Hopper became the first Black female Air Force pilot to fly combat missions in a major war.
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