Jeanine McIntosh Menze
U.S. Coast Guard, 2003-Present

Jeanine McIntosh Menze
U.S. Coast Guard, 2003-Present

Born in Jamaica, Jeanine (McIntosh) Menze grew up watching airplanes fly into Kingston International Airport. Ignited early on with a deep love of flying, she earned various flying certifications while in college. After school, Menze applied for Officer Candidate School with the U.S. Coast Guard, graduating in 2003. When she earned her aviator’s wings in 2005, Menze became the Coast Guard’s first Black pilot. Although she had flown privately and commercially, the U.S. Coast Guard provided her different, more meaningful opportunities such as running humanitarian, law enforcement, and search and rescue missions. She says, “I think out of all the other services, that's what initially drove me to join the Coast Guard.”