title: Karen Fuller Brannen
text: # Karen Fuller Brannen
  
  Karen Fuller Brannen (née Tribbett) was the first United States Marine Corps female strike fighter pilot.
  
  ## Military career
  
  She joined the armed forces in 1994 and left active duty in 2007, but remains a reserve Colonel in the Marine Corps. During her career she attained the rank of major, then progressed to Lt. Col.
  
  ## Civilian career
  
  After leaving active duty, she started working for Gulfstream.
  
  ## Awards
  
  She was inducted into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame in 2013, becoming the first marine inducted. She was a USMC F/A-18 pilot for 3 years, before being the first woman to be awarded 'wings of gold'.
  
  ## Personal life
  
  She married Matt Brannen in 2010.
  
  