Captain Tamara “Tammy” Long-Archuleta, U.S. Air Force, had big dreams from an early age, authoring an award-winning essay in which she wrote she could see herself as president someday. She graduated high school at age 16, and attended the University of New Mexico, earning her degree in Political Science by age 20. While at UNM, she completed the university’s ROTC program and became the first woman in the program’s history to earn her wings.
After her commission, she entered helicopter training to become a HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter pilot. She was assigned to the 41st Helicopter Rescue Squadron at Moody Air Force Base.
On March 23, 2003, Long-Archuleta was co-pilot of Komodo 11 during a late-night mission to rescue two injured children in Afghanistan. The helicopter crashed, killing her and five others on board. It was just one day before she was set to rotate back to the U.S., where her son was about to turn four.
Captain Long-Archuleta was 23 years old.
Richard Long, Captain Tamara Long-Archuleta’s father said, “She was doing what she wanted to do and fulfilling her dreams and desires — not all of them, obviously, because she didn’t last that long. A lot of people live long lives and don’t do half of what she accomplished.”
In 2022, The American Legion renamed a post in New Mexico to Tamara L. Long-Archuleta American Legion 85 in honor of her service.
Sources:
https://usafrotorheads.com/archuleta-tamara-l/
https://news.va.gov/48560/air-force-veteran-tamara-archuleta/
https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/air-force-1st-lt-tamara-archuleta/262966
https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.24654/
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