<Li> Korea Defense Service Medal </Li> <Li> Air and Space Campaign Medal </Li> <P> Nicole Margaret Ellingwood Malachowski (born September 26, 1974) is a retired United States Air Force officer and the first female pilot selected to fly as part of the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds . Her aviator call sign is "FiFi". Her first public performance was in March 2006 and she spent the 2006 and 2007 air show seasons flying the Number 3 (Right Wing) aircraft in the diamond formation . Prior to attending the U.S. Air Force Academy and joining the USAF, Colonel Malachowski was a Civil Air Patrol Cadet . </P> <P> Between September 1, 2008 and August 31, 2009, Malachowski was on special assignment, participating in the White House Fellows Program for the Class of 2008--2009, assigned to the General Services Administration . In September 2015 Malachowski returned to the White House as executive director of its Joining Forces initiative for supporting veterans, service members, and military families, succeeding U.S. Army Colonel Steve Parker . </P>

Has there ever been a female thunderbird pilot