Bridgid Kathleen MacSeóin (b.1957), of Riverside, California, served in the United States Air Force from 1981-2006. Bridgid Kathleen MacSeóin was born 16 December 1957 in Riverside, California, while her father was stationed at nearby March Air Force Base. In early 1958, MacSeóin's father received orders to England, and they traveled from Brooklyn, New York to Southampton aboard the USS General H. W. Butner. MacSeóin's subsequent childhood years were spend shuffling between bases in England and the United States. Upon her father's retirement in 1975, he moved their family back to England. While taking college courses at Royal Air Force (RAF) Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, MacSeóin worked at the station's Galaxy Club. She also met and started dating her future husband, Bernard, in July 1976. Due to financial issues, MacSeóin decided to enlist in the United States Air Force and chose the Air Force Specialty of Russian linguist. In December 1981, MacSeóin traveled to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas for basic training. Shortly before graduation, MacSeóin was informed that her Russian linguist position was no longer available, and the air force had broken her contract due to the fact that her husband was not an American citizen which made her ineligible for a Top Secret clearance. MacSeóin was given the choice of choosing another specialty or leaving the air force. MacSeóin was interested in teaching and chose the position of Combat Arms Instructor. In January 1982, and still at Lackland Air Force Base, MacSeóin began her training as a small arms instructor. She was one of only four women in her class. In May 1982, MacSeóin was assigned to her first duty station, Howard Air Force Base in Panama. As the small arms instructor, she conducted annual training and certification qualifications for the security forces. In May 1985, MacSeóin decided to leave small arms instructing, and traveled to Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado to retrain in Disaster Preparedness. From August 1985 to March 1989, MacSeóin was stationed at Royal Air Force Bentwaters in Suffolk, England. As part of the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing, MacSeóin's duties included, but were not limited to, major accident responses training and exercises, nuclear weapons accident training, shelter management training, and decontamination operations. In March 1989,MacSeóin was transferred to RAF Mildenhall. In February 1991, during the First Gulf War, MacSeóin was assigned to come aboard MV Green Ridge, a merchant marine munitions ship, and provide proper training to the crew on chemical, nuclear, and biological warfare, as well as some small arms training. In 1992, MacSeóin deployed to Norway to perform Regional Logistics. Her duties included determining how many aircraft were needed at co-located operating bases in Europe, and visiting various locations to do joint support surveys. In June 1996, following the bombing of the Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, MacSeóin assisted with recovery operations as a Readiness Technician, and then volunteered to help the Federal Bureau of Investigation with evidence collection. In February 1998, MacSeóin received her first stateside orders and was assigned to Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., where she became superintendent of the Readiness Flight. She also had the opportunity to work on creating a joint weapons of mass destruction training curriculum, which included working with a private contractor to develop a training compact disc that would be sent to various military bases. MacSeóin received orders back to RAF Mildenhall in March 2000, and was assigned as the superintendent of wing exercises. After the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, MacSeóin received deployment orders, and was sent to the Combat Air Operations Center (CAOC) at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Before leaving for deployment, MacSeóin was promoted to senior master sergeant, but also was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. In March 2002, MacSeóin returned to the United States, and in June 2003, she received orders to Headquarters Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base. That same month, she also underwent surgery for her thyroid cancer. In 2005, after a recurrence of the cancer, MacSeóin underwent a second surgery, which ultimately resulted in the end of her military career.MacSeóinretired from the United States Air Force in September 2006. MacSeóin relocated to Greensboro, North Carolina in October 2006. Since retiring, she has done contract work with the air force, writing and editing a series of manuals on her career field, and pursued a certificate in documentary studies at Duke University.
