I grew up in a family where I was told there were no limitations on me as a girl and I could be anything I wanted to be. It wasn't until I joined the military that I realized that just because I was a woman - just because I had ovaries - I couldn't become a fighter pilot.These structural limitations were the motivation for me becoming a fighter pilot in the first place.

I served my country in uniform for 26 years.

I just personally decided I was going to be the first woman fighter pilot.

It's hard to hate up close. The more you get to know each other, the more common ground you can find and the more you can disagree without being disagreeable.

When you value people, you give them freedom.

Before I became a fighter pilot, everyone said that women didn't have the physical strength. Well, I had just completed the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon.

We have women entering lower-paying career fields. Women are still, culturally, the primary caregivers for children, even though we would love to have fathers and mothers share responsibility.