Delores Muller at the Super Bowl
African-American History is AMERICAN History.
If you're a fan of military aviation, you've probably heard of Major Remoshay "Mesha" Nelson, the first Black female officer to join the United States Air Force Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron. She served as a Public Affairs Officer for the team (as did yours truly a few years prior,) managing publicity, marketing, and community outreach.
In 2020, Nelson joined a short list of African Americans who served as part of the officer corps of the Thunderbirds. Those in the know have heard of General Lloyd "Fig" Newton, the first African-American Thunderbirds pilot. Others may remember Captain Joseph "Pete" Peterson, who lost his life with three other pilots during the ill-fated "Diamond Crash" of 1982. Stacey T. Hawkins served as a maintenance officer in the early 2000s; he's now a Lieutenant General, leading the USAF's Sustainment Center. (Speaking of the name Hawkins ... Shout out to Colonel Joshua Hawkins, who served as a Thunderbirds executive officer and showed me the ropes; he now manages personnel policy for the Air Force.)
Delores Muller
But it's important to remember that the title of "Thunderbird" isn't given to just the 12 officers who lead the unit. Nor is it held only by the pilots. The team is full of more than 130 Airmen, both officer and enlisted, representing multiple jobs including maintenance, logistics, administration, and (my personal favorite) Public Affairs. All members perform a key role to help get jets in the sky, traveling around the world performing shows, and engaging local communities to teach the public about the Air Force. They all -- whether enlisted or officer -- earn the title of "Thunderbird," authorized to wear the sacred patch indicating the same.
Each new member is given a book of factoids and history to memorize as part of the onboarding process. It makes for good conversation starters when interacting with the public at air shows while on the road. As a newly selected Thunderbirds officer in 2012, I remember reading about "Buck and Bill" -- The Pattillo twins -- who served as part of the inaugural team. I memorized the different airframes the unit flew through the years. I read about Nicole Malachowski, the first woman to pilot a Thunderbirds aircraft. Lots of good information was in that book, and I enjoyed sharing those stories with the public.
Air show season ends in November. Some years, it culminates at Nellis Air Force Base -- the team's home. The festivities include an annual Thunderbirds reunion, allowing sister and brother Birds from years past to come back to their hangar and reminisce about the good ol' days and meet the current members actively performing the Thunderbirds mission.
During a reunion in 2013, I was chowing down on some grub and meeting with Thunderbirds alumni. From across the room, a woman locked her gaze on me and made a beeline in my direction, smiling from ear to ear.
She quickly gives her phone to her friend and grabs me to pose for a picture in front of one of the jets.
“Hi, I’m Darrick. Nice to meet you,” I say.
“I KNOW who you are, 12. That’s why I had to get a picture with you,” she replied, with friendly sass.
She introduced herself as Delores Muller, an enlisted public affairs and administrative technician who served on the Thunderbirds team in the late 1970s. As we laughed it up, I realized I was talking with the first Black female member of the Thunderbirds. (This is not to be confused with Major Nelson’s distinction as the Thunderbirds’ first African-American female officer. Delores was the first Black woman – enlisted or officer – to earn the Thunderbirds patch.)
Treading lightly, I dug deeper.
“Delores, why isn’t your name included in the history section of the newcomer’s book?”
Her smile faded, and I immediately regretted asking that question when I heard the answer.
“I don’t know,” she said. And that was all she said. I could tell it was a sore spot.
I didn’t bring it up again, but I made a mental note.
For the couple of years that followed, as the team traveled the country talking to young people about the Air Force, I tried to include mention of Delores when talking about the team’s history. Whenever a bright-eyed little girl asked me about the great Lt. Col. Caroline "Blaze" Jensen, Colonel Nicole “Fifi” Malachowski, or Tech Sgt. Sarah Johnson-Robles, I tried to weave in reference to Delores.
After hearing of Delores’ passing in 2018, I wished I had done more to share her legacy. Although she wasn’t a pilot, she was indeed a part of Thunderbirds herstory.
Delores, just like Major Nelson, reminds us that we can all have our own little slice of history.
When we get a chance to share our history, we must do so as completely and inclusively as possible -- Not just to give an accurate telling of the past, but because we can potentially ignite a spark in those who come after us. (Remember, what they SEE is what they will BE.)
This Sunday, your United States Air Force Thunderbirds will be performing the flyover for Super Bowl LVIII at their home in Las Vegas – another historic first.
As the famous red, white, and blue F-16s blaze a trail of smoke over the crowd, most of the world's attention will be on pilots 1 through 6 in the sky. But I'll be thinking about my Public Affairs colleagues Krystal Jimenez and Katie Spencer on the ground in the stadium, working with Thunderbirds 7 and 8 to ensure a successful start to the big game. (FYI, Thunderbird #8 is Maj. Bryce Turner. Turner’s father, retired Col Bryan Turner, was the first African-American F-22 pilot; I assume this served to inspire Bryce to fly as well.)
But, I’ll also be thinking about the other 122+ Thunderbirds who turn the wrenches, order the materials, capture the imagery, and do the paperwork to inform the public about the Air Force. I'll be thinking about the untold number of achievements that shaped their personal life stories ...
Stories that carved their own places in history.
Stories that the rest of us may never know until someone else shares them.
I'll be thinking about Delores.
