Amy McGrath could not know what the date, 1993, would mean to her. That was the year Amy, captain of her school soccer team, graduated from high school. It was also the year Congress said women could become fighter pilots.
In her senior year, McGrath was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy. What she did as a U.S. Marine probably should not be a surprise, considering her mother was one of the first two women to be accepted to the University of Kentucky Medical School.
McGrath graduated from the Naval Academy with a degree in political science, then went on to Johns Hopkins to get a Masters in global security. Her first job – and one of two women ever – was an a WSO (Weapons Security Officer) on the F/A-18 aircraft.
McGrath became the first woman to fly a combat mission for the Marine Corps. In 2002, she did a 6-month tour in Kyrgyzstan, flying 51 combat missions. By the time she retired as a lieutenant colonel, after 20 years of service, McGrath had flown 85 combat missions.
McGrath married her husband, Eric Henderson, in 2009. They have three children. Erik also retired from the Marines with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
What to do now? Using her degrees and her experience, McGrath decided to run for office. She won Kentucky’s 6th District Democratic primary in 2018 but lost the election to House of Representatives incumbent Andy Barr, 51% to 49%.
Undaunted, believing in solid Kentucky values, she has now decided to take on Mitch McConnell, a U.S. senator, elected in 1985, when McGrath 10 years old, was for the 2020 senatorial election. If she wins, we should not be so surprised! After all, in the first 24 hours after she announced her campaign, she raised $2.5 million.
