Michelle Jayne Goodman

She flew through dense dust and fire to rescue one casualty.

Michelle Jayne Goodman was born in Bristol on 22 November 1976. A childhood visit to the Royal International Air Tattoo helped spark her ambition to fly. She attended Bristol Grammar School and studied aerospace engineering at Manchester before entering the Royal Air Force in 2000.

Following officer training at Cranwell, Goodman began flying training on the Tutor and Tucano before moving to helicopters. She trained at Shawbury and joined the Merlin force at RAF Benson, becoming combat ready in 2005. Her first Iraq deployment, on Operation TELIC, followed in January 2006. She completed four operational detachments in Iraq. She flew transport and casualty evacuation missions with No. 28 Squadron and subsequently No. 78 Squadron.

Late on 1 June 2007, during her third operational deployment, a call reported a British serviceman with a life-threatening head wound in central Basra. The landing site was unfamiliar, surrounded by hazards and under attack. Goodman and her crew launched their Merlin into the darkness with a medical team aboard.

Flying low with night-vision equipment, she negotiated obstacles and approached the landing zone under hostile fire. Rotor wash raised a dust cloud that obscured the ground during the final descent. Guided by her crew, she continued the landing rather than lose the time the casualty urgently needed. The medical team collected the wounded man while rockets continued falling nearby. Goodman lifted away and delivered him to hospital, where treatment saved his life.

Her Distinguished Flying Cross was announced in the London Gazette on 7 March 2008 for gallantry during the Basra evacuation. She became the first woman to receive the award. Goodman subsequently continued flying with No. 78 Squadron and prepared for instructional duties and further operations. She retired from the RAF in 2012. Her career has featured in aviation exhibitions exploring the expanding operational roles of women in the service.