Mary Jennings Hegar

Mary Jennings Hegar (born c. 1976) is an Air Force veteran, one of Foreign Policy magazine's 100 Leading Global Thinkers of 2013 and one of Newsweek's 125 Women of Impact of 2012, and the author of Shoot Like a Girl, a memoir released in March 2017 from Penguin Berkley Caliber. On July 6, 2017, she announced her candidacy for United States Representative from Texas' 31st congressional district, challenging John Carter (R-Round Rock).

Military career
Mary Jennings (MJ) Hegar was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force through ROTC at The University of Texas in 1999. She served on active duty as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer at Misawa Air Force Base, Japan, and Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri where she worked on the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the B-2 Stealth Bomber. Her maintenance career culminated in responsibility for 75% of all B-2 maintenance as a Captain and selection as the Company Grade Officer of the Year for 2003. In 2004, she was selected for pilot training by the Air National Guard. Upon completion of her training at the top of her class, she served three tours in Afghanistan flying Combat Search and Rescue as well as Medevac missions.

During her time in the Guard, in addition to the deployments to Afghanistan, Hegar flew marijuana eradication missions, wildfire suppression with buckets of water on cargo slings, evacuated survivors from hurricane-devastated cities, and rescued many civilians on civil Search and Rescue missions in California and out at sea. On her third tour to Afghanistan on July 29, 2009, she was shot down on a Medevac mission and sustained wounds resulting in her being awarded the Purple Heart. Her actions on this mission saved the lives of her crew and patients, earning her the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor Device (making Hegar the sixth woman in history to receive the DFC—the first was Amelia Earhart—and only the second ever to receive it with the Valor Device). In 2012, Hegar filed suit against the U.S. Secretary of Defense asserting that the Combat Exclusion Policy was unconstitutional. In 2013, the Secretary of Defense repealed the policy effective immediately.

Military awards

 * 2008 California Aviator of the Year
 * Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor Device
 * Purple Heart
 * Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
 * Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
 * National Defense Service Medal
 * Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one service star
 * Humanitarian Service Medal
 * Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon

Education, career and family
As of late 2016, Hegar lives in Austin with her family and works as an executive coach and consultant. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas, an Executive MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and is a graduate of Leadership Austin's Essential Class of 2015. Hegar teaches in the University of Texas McCombs School of Business, mentors cadets at the university, and serves on the AFROTC Advisory Committee. She continues to write and speak publicly about her experiences in the military and her fight for increased military readiness through equality.

Author
Her book Shoot Like a Girl was published in March of 2017 by Penguin Berkley Caliber, and the movie has been optioned by TriStar, with Angelina Jolie reported to be negotiating the lead role.