U.S. Army Major Marie T. Rossi-Cayton

On January 3, 1959, in Oradell, New Jersey, the third of four children was born and named Marie Therese Rossi. She was born to the Rossi family of Paul and Gertrude Rossi. Paul Rossi was the treasurer for a book bindery, and Gertrude was a secretary for a Wall Street firm in New York, City.

Marie attended River Dell Senior High School in Oradell, NJ, and graduated in the class of 1976. In high school her nickname was "Ree" and she was known for her love of horseback riding, skiing, and partying. She liked the Beatles, liked to sing their songs, and worked hard during the summers.

While in high school Marie worked summers as a lifeguard and swim instructor at the Oradell Swim Club. In her high school yearbook she stated that she valued her freedom and had a plan to attend college followed by law school.

Marie T. Rossi's high school yearbook picture.

After high school, Marie was admitted to Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. During her time at Dickinson College she became a member of the U.S. Army R.O.T.C. (Reserve Officer Training Corps) program. As a member of the Blue Mountain Battalion, Rossi was seen as an outstanding R.O.T.C. cadet.

In the spring of 1980 Rossi graduated from Dickinson College with a degree in pyschology and a minor in education. Upon graduation Rossi became an Air Defense Artillery Officer in the United States Army at Fort Bliss, Texas, where she was stationed from 1981-1985 as a Second Lieutenant.

While Rossi was at Fort Bliss she was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant. Rossi impressed her superiors and, as a result, was given more and more responsibility as a leader. In fact, she so impressed her superiors that in 1985 they sent her to the U.S. Army's Flight School in Fort Rucker, Alabama.. 

In 1985 Rossi was selected to attend the Charter Member Class of the Army Aviation Branch. At Fort Rucker Rossi learned how to fly the Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter as an Aviation Officer. This class was designed to commemorate the establishment of the Army Aviation Branch for the first time since the Army Air Corps became the United States Air Force.

The Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter is the U.S. Army's primary heavy troop and supply transport aircraft which was originally placed into the field during the Vietnam War. Since that time the Chinook underwent a series of upgrades to increase lift and airworthiness in combat environments.

The Boeing CH 47 Chinook Helicopter

A photo of the U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter loaded with troops.

A photograph of a Boeing CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopter carrying an artillery piece.

Boeing CH-47 Chinook Operating Specifications

• Crew: 3 - 2 pilots, 1 crew chief;
• Length: 51 feet 2 inches;
• Height: 18 feet 7.8 inches;
• Width: 12 feet 5 inches;
• Rotor dimensions: 60 feet;
• Propulsion: 2 Honeywell T55-GA-714A 4,777 shaft horsepower engines;
• Maximum speed: 170 knots true air speed;
• Cruise speed: 157 knots true air speed;
• Service ceiling: 20,000 feet;
• Max gross weight: 54,000 pounds;
• Useful load: 27,700 pounds;
• Troop capacity: 33 troops;
• Liter capacity: 24 litters.

Upon completion of her training in the Chinook helicopter Rossi was transferred and stationed at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, from 1986 to 1987. Rossi would continue to fly the Chinook helicopter for the rest of her career.

While in Korea she met John Cayton, Jr. a Chief Warrant Officer pilot on the CH-47. Upon reassignement the two of them worked with the Army to get orders to the same base stateside.

Fortunately Rossi and Cayton's commanding officer protected their relationship from the higher-ups in the command chain who wanted to take action against the couple. They were forbidden from flying together, but one time they did fly together with Cayton the designated PIC (Pilot in Command). Of course Cayton teased her that for once he outranked Rossi. 

Rossi was then reassigned to the 18th Aviation Brigade, commanding B Company, 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, stationed at Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah, Georgia, from December 1987 through April of 1989.

Rossi was then reassigned to nearby Fort Stewart, Savannah, Georgia, where she was placed in command of an air traffic control company. Even though she was in command of an air traffic control company she was still itching to fly. When her superiors needed someone to lead a Chinook unit they promoted her to Major. Maj Rossi continued to serve at Fort Stewart until September of 1990 when she was deployed to Saudi Arabia.

Operation Desert Shield

In 1990 her aviation company was deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield. Her unit was tasked with flying fuel and ammunition to the rapidly advancing 101st and 82nd Airborne Divions, dropping fuel and ammunition ahead of the advancing troops, deep into enemy territory.

On the eve of the start of the 1991 Gulf War, Major Rossi-Cayton was in command of a company of Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters. No Amercan woman had ever flown, let alone led, helicopters into war before.

As she was preparing her crews for the mission, which included two lower ranking women pilots and crew chiefs, for the invasion, Rossi-Cayton was told she would not go with her unit. 

Rossi-Cayton's husband, John Andrew Cayton Sr., was also deployed in the same regeion flying his own missions as a pilot for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. He said that the Army tried to pull Marie from her operation becasue she was a woman.

“She pretty much told them on no uncertain terms, ‘You expect me to go back to the States and leave my other two female pilots and my female crew chiefs over here? We got a unit ready to go into combat and you’re going, at the last minute, to pull the commander?’ She said, ‘No, that ain’t gonna happen,’” Cayton said. “And it didn’t.”

Despite the fact that laws governing the military at the time officially forbade women from serving in direct combat roles, Rossi-Cayton flew and led her Chinooks in and out of comabat zones all the time during the confilct.

Her husband, John Cayton, said that Rossi-Cayton was a determined, strong-headed women except for her soft side with cats. "For 5'4", she was pretty mean," Cayton siad with a laugh.

Tragedy Strikes

Major Rossi-Cayton had mixed feelings about this new role, fearing that there would be rumors by other men who assumed she was promoted because she was having affairs with the leadership. The real reason she was promoted and moved up the chain of command was because she proved more than capable with each advancement and consistently outperformed her peers.

They were all hunkered down in the desert sand, waiting for the word that the ground war was underway. The war turned out to be over very quickly, lasting from mid-January until the last day of February.

Rossi-Cayton had to fight to be able to fly in combat and become the first woman to fly in combat and command a unit. Nonetheless, when interviewed by CNN just days before the invasion, she had an all-business view of her role saying "What I'm doing is not greater or less than the man who is flying next to me or in back of me."

On March 1, 1991, Maj. Rossi-Cayon was flying a mission transporting prisoners of war as the light faded. Unfortunately they weren't wearing night goggles, and as the darkness came her Chinook slammed into an unlit microwave tower. Rossi-Cayton was killed, along with pilot CWO Robert Hughes, flight engineer Staff Seargent Mike Garrett and cew chief Spc. William Brace.

One soldier survived the crash, an infantryman by the name of Brian Miller, who had volunteered to go on the flight. That day, March 1st, assigned Rossi-Cayton's Chinook to transport POWs from Iraq into Saudi Arabia. They had just delivered the POWs and were returning to base when they hit the unlit microwave tower.

To this day Miller still wonders how he survived with just some broken bones but the others on the Chinook didn't.

At a separate base, Cayton was called into a hangar, expecting to get his ass chewed out for something he did. There, waiting for him, was Rossi-Cayton's brigade commander, along with their best man Billy, from their wedding. 

“Andy, I’m sorry, but that Chinook you heard about that crashed last night — that was Marie,” Rossi’s battalion commander said. Because the accident occurred in Saudi Arabia, and after the ceasefire, the crew would not be awarded Purple Hearts.

On March 11, 1991, Maj. Rossi-Cayton was burried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. In 1992, Rossi-Cayton was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame.

A photo of Maj. Rossi's gravestone in Arlington National Cemetary, Washington, D.C.

I hope you enjoyed this trip through some of the history of aviation. If you enjoyed this trip, and if you are new to this newsletter, sign up to receive your own weekly newsletter here: Subscribe here!

Until next time, keep your eyes safe and focused on what's ahead of you, Hersch!