Paint Your Hero: LTJG Madeline Swegle

Paintru’s The Paint Your Hero campaign is an ongoing effort by the Paintru team to recognize, honor, and commemorate historic 21st century moments. In this post, we take a look at the fourth installment of our Paint Your Hero Campaign – Lieutenant Junior Grade Madeline Swegle’s historic achievement in becoming the US Navy’s first female African American TACAIR pilot.

On July 10th, one day after Lieutenant Junior Grade Madeline Swegle completed her historic flight and became the first female, African American TACAIR pilot in US Navy history, we selected her as the fourth fourth subject to be painted in the Paint Your Hero campaign. As a veteran owned company, all of us are appreciative of the standard LTJG Swegle has set for military leadership, and we are excited to announce that the beautiful oil portrait we commissioned to commemorate the moment will hang in the National Naval Aviation Museum aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola.

The National Naval Aviation Museum draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, including civilians, active duty servicemembers, and military veterans. With close proximity to the Blue Angel demonstration field, the National Naval Aviation Museum draws large crowds every year, and LTJG Swegle’s portrait will be a strong reminder of what she achieved in July 2020.

The Paintru team is incredibly grateful for the hard work of the National Naval Aviation Museum for accepting and displaying the piece among artifacts that span generations. Curated collections include retired Blue Angel jets, flight suits worn by military legends, and aviation memorabilia from international allies. LTJG Swegle’s oil portrait will undoubtedly add to the collection, and I personally look forward to taking my kids to see it one day. I cannot think of a better symbol to show future generations what is achievable. Naval Air Base Pensacola, home to the National Naval Aviation Museum is a quiet base only disturbed by the powerful roar of jets overhead. It’s a base where all Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast guard aviators begin their career, a nostalgic beginning point for all those who serve in the skies overhead. From all of us at Paintru, we are grateful that LTJG is overhead in her jet, and we thank her for continued service!