An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Article Display

Capt. Wonder Woman

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Lauren Pitts
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHRUST, N.J. --  She came around the corner of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center in MultiCams and a flack vest. She was carrying her rifle, helmet, backpack and lunch bag, and a hot-pink koozie over her gallon-jug of water.

She shifted all her gear to return my salute and extend a handshake.

"Hi, I'm Captain Szumila," she said as she smiled, slightly out of breath. 

Air Force Capt. Tiffany Szumila is the command test director for the Air Mobility Command Test and Evaluations Squadron at JB MDL. A C-130 navigator by trade, Szumila has recently made waves in her personal and professional lives. We found an empty lounge area in the U.S.A.F. Expeditionary Center, and began our interview with one of her most recent feats.

She reached into a medium-sized canvas bag and pulled out a bright purple jacket and a trophy - her earnings from placing first in Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2016 sports festival in Columbus, Ohio. With over 120,000 competitors and a live audience of over 10, 000, Szumila was declared a world-class body builder in the Figure category.

It takes Szumila about three months to train for a competition. She explained how she cut out all carbs and avoided all tempting sweets while knocking out a rigorous workout schedule. I thought about the bagel I bought at a drive-through that morning.

After qualifying for the sports fest with a national-level competition win, Szumila began her training regimen where she cut 30-lbs., taking the stage at 150 lbs. She pulled out the professional photos of her posing on stage, and I was more than impressed: she looked better than the chiseled figurine melded to her trophy, and definitely more bronzed.

"This type of training teaches you a lot about yourself, your focus and your goals," she said.

She walked me through her workout routine, spending hours a day and most of her free time training in the gym. I jokingly asked if she had any other hobbies - but she did. Szumila is an avid scuba diver, and recently received her D-Class license as a skydiver, earning her 12-hours of free-fall badge.

"With each fall lasting only about 60 seconds, you can imagine how long that took," she laughed.

As if her weekends weren't full enough, Szumila has also been making huge strides as an Air Force officer.

"I recently applied for an astronaut candidate program through the Air Force," she said, like it's something everyone does at some point. 

With her bachelor's in aerospace engineering and master's in aeronautical science, Szumila explained that she has always wanted to go to space. In fact, her hopes of pioneering the last frontier were a factor in her deciding to join the military, she explained. 

Szumila will await the results with the other 18,000 applicants, but she's come out on top before. However, to avoid putting all her eggs in the NASA-basket, she has a few backup plans.

"I'm also looking to put in applications as a test pilot," she explained. With C-130 navigators almost obsolete due to new technology, she has her eye on possibly transitioning to the HC-130J model

Sitting around our little coffee table, I thought of different ways I could ask if she saw herself as a role model - because I certainly did.

"I hadn't stepped back to see it like that until recently," she said, explaining that she would regularly post her training progress on social media.

"People would contact me as far as being an inspiration to lose the weight, or working toward a goal," she said. "My progress was helping other people strive further."

Szumila told me about her grandmother who served as a Marine in World War II as a communications operator, connecting phone lines. We reflected on the trail blazed by the females who served before us, and she accredits most of her accomplishments to them.

"The opportunities that are now open to me [as a female] just in the last 50, 60 years are just amazing," she explained.

I glanced down at my watch. I knew we had limited time to talk, but we had barely scratched the surface of her life, her accomplishments and her family. (Her cousin is a Blackhawk pilot, no big deal.)

I had time left for one more question, and asked if she had any words of wisdom for a young Airman coming in. She explained to me that setting goals is most important thing, and any walls I encounter are walls I can easily climb.

"You may face a stereotype, but it is easily broken down."

That was all the time we had. I thanked her for her time as she loaded all her gear back on. As she turned to walk toward her classroom, I wished her a safe flight to Iraq.