Rows of chairs were filled with family members, close friends and fellow military members. As the ceremony began, all eyes were on the couple standing up front.
Thirteen years earlier, the scene was nearly identical. Back then, John was wearing his Air Force uniform, though Jennifer was wearing a wedding gown. Now, they were wearing flightsuits with oak-leaf rank on the shoulders.
And, the same friend spoke at both events. Jared Kennish first made his remarks as the best man, and now as a colonel and the 131st Bomb Wing Operation's Group commander at Whiteman Air Force Base.
"It's an honor to speak as John and Jennifer Avery retire from the Air Force, just as it was to speak at their wedding," Kennish said. "This couple has made history."
Lt. Col. John Avery and Lt. Col. Jennifer Avery were the first husband-wife pilot team to fly the B-2.
Their two, 20-year-long careers culminated with the couple's joint retirement ceremony on Sept. 7, 2018, at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.
Jennifer retires with more than 1,600 flying hours in the active-duty Air Force and Missouri Air National Guard. John retires with more than 2,500 flying hours in the active-duty Air Force and Missouri Air National Guard.
The Air Force retirement is a tradition ceremony that signifies the completion of an Airman's long, honorable career of service to his or her country.
"This is a thank-you for a job well-done," Kennish said, "and an opportunity to highlight the history made by this couple -- both individually and together."
Of the hundreds of B-2 pilots to come after John and Jennifer, just two other married couples are among them. It's just one of their many distinctions. Being first is a theme for the Averys.
Growing up in Miami, Florida, Jennifer said she was "shy and maybe even a little insecure -- uncertain of myself." After high school, she headed to Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. She carried with her a childhood memory of visiting an Air Force base in Charleston, South Carolina. "I'll never forget my Uncle Bill taking me into a flight simulator. That stuck with me, even to this day. I thought flying was incredible."
Jennifer graduated in 1995 with a bachelor's of science degree in biology and, as a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), received a commission in the U.S. Air Force as a second lieutenant.
"I knew exactly what I wanted to do next," she said.
Jennifer earned her pilot wings in June of 1997, which eventually took her to Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, to fly the B-1 Lancer -- and begin making history.
She was the first female B-1 pilot to go to combat, flying four sorties over Kosovo in support of Operation Allied Force in 1999. Not long after, Jennifer applied to fly the B-2 Spirit, based at Whiteman AFB, Missouri.
"I was drawn to the challenge of flying this unique aircraft that has a mission so vital to deterrence and global safety," she said of the $2.2 billion stealth bomber that is capable of both nuclear and conventional missions. "To be one of the few pilots to fly this aircraft that is the backbone of nuclear security was an amazing prospect."
She was accepted into the program and began training shortly thereafter. Her first flight in the B-2 was on Feb. 12, 2002, making her the first woman to fly the B-2 stealth bomber. Now, 16 years later, seven other women have become B-2 pilots and others are now in training.
In March 2003, she would do again what no other woman before her had accomplished.
Jennifer flew a mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, becoming the first woman to fly the B-2 in combat. Today, she is still the only woman to have flown the B-2 combat.
"Jen is a trailblazer," Kennish said. "Her career has been nothing short of spectacular. And the same can certainly be said for John, who chased Jen from South Dakota all the way to Missouri."
Move to Missouri
John grew up in Great Falls, Montana, where he watched F-16 fighter jets from a nearby base fly overhead.
"I really wanted to fly," John said. "And I joined the Air Force because I wanted to fly cool planes. I knew being a military pilot, I would be serving my country and have a pretty incredible day-to-day job at the same time."
He completed an economics degree at Carleton College, Minnesota, and later was commissioned as a second lieutenant through the U.S. Air Force Officer Training School (OTS) in 1999. He earned his pilot wings in 2000, and soon was stationed at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, to fly the B-1.
Jennifer was already there and remembers wondering, "Who's the new pilot?"
The first time John saw her, he remembers wondering why she was late to the parachute safety class they were both taking. And, that he wanted to meet her.
John and Jennifer began dating, though it was less than six months later that she left South Dakota for her next assignment to fly the B-2 Stealth bomber. It wasn't long after that John also applied and was accepted to fly the B-2 -- something he said he would not have pursued if it weren't for Jennifer.
"I wanted to fly the B-2 because that was the plane my future wife was going to fly," John said. "That, and it's without a doubt the world's most elite aircraft. As a pilot, there's nothing more rewarding. Knowing your job is to protect our country, while deterring enemies really is an amazing job to have."
Whiteman Air Force Base
Now both at Whiteman AFB, John and Jennifer resumed dating. Jennifer accepted John's marriage proposal during a vacation in Germany, where John had nervously carried around a diamond engagement ring in his pocket until "just the right moment."
On Feb. 5, 2005, the couple married in Colorado. Deployments and training kept them apart during their first four months of marriage, though they did end up with overlapping short-term assignments in Guam and were able to live together on the island. They were thankful to be together then, but always careful to not request preferential treatment because of their marriage -- or when they had children, first their son Austin, now 12, and then their daughter Elizabeth, now 9.
Balancing demanding mission and training schedules continued to compete with family life.
Jennifer remembers John's deployment when Austin was just a baby and the guilt she felt when he was the last child to be picked up at daycare, as well as the exhaustion from single-parenthood and a demanding job. Day-to-day was tough, plus Jennifer faced moving for her next assignment while John was required to finish his assignment at Whiteman.
So in 2007, rather than face separating her family, Jennifer decided to leave her active-duty career.
"That was the hardest day," Jennifer remembers. "That drive to work was emotional. But, I felt in good conscience it was the right decision. At the same time, a lot of people believed in me. I'd had so much support along the way, including from John. In the end, I knew it was only myself I needed to worry about letting down and I hadn't disappointed myself. I felt like I had accomplished so much and I'm proud I did those things. More than anything, I just want my kids to be proud of their mom."
After holding civilian positions at Whiteman AFB, Jennifer joined the Missouri Air National Guard at Whiteman and resumed flying as a B-2 pilot. Again, her path was unprecedented as the first and only female B-2 pilot in the ANG.
By 2008, John also transitioned to the Missouri ANG at Whiteman AFB, and was selected as part of the first group of Guardsmen to fly the B-2. He became the first ANG member to attend B-2 Weapon Instructor School and then the first to become an instructor at Whiteman.
Additionally, John was also the first Guardsman to fly the B-2 in combat during a sortie above Libya in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn in 2011.
For the Missouri Air National Guard, the Averys exemplified what it means to be Guardsmen, said Col. Ken Eaves, commander of the 131st Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB. "I'm proud of anybody who serves, but these two, they've done it with such distinction. They have continued the Guard's legacy of excellence and dedication."
For the active-duty Air Force, seeing its pilots continue to fly the B-2 with the Missouri Air National Guard is certainly a win, said Justin Grieve, 509th Bomb Wing Operations Group commander. "At Whiteman, we train elite aviators to fly the world's most strategic airplane. Whether they do that through active duty or the Guard, we're all B-2 pilots defending the homeland."
It's that partnership between an active-duty wing and a Guard wing, called total-force integration, that the Averys helped execute, Eaves said, adding, "Jennifer and John have been trailblazers in the truest sense of the definition. Literally making history on active duty and in the Guard, that wasn't something they set out to do. It's just who they are."
Working together
The B-2 brought John and Jennifer back together, and also made them the team they are now, the couple said.
Air Force regulations don't allow spouses to fly in the same aircraft with each other, but John and Jennifer did fly one sortie together in the T-38 training jet before they were married.
There was an equal division of labor and no struggle for control in the aircraft, Jennifer remembers, much like at home. Through the years, the couple learned to divide parental and domestic duties, as well as to make sacrifices for the benefit of the other.
"We were able to support each other and fully appreciate the other's successes and failures because we knew exactly what the other person was going through," John said.
"We're a team," Jennifer said simply.
The Averys have no doubt this unity will continue now that they've left the Air Force. The family of four moved to Boise, Idaho, which fit their criteria of living in a medium-sized city in the West, near the mountains and full of outdoor recreation.
The kids started their new schools. John flies the B-767 for FedEx and Jennifer works as a Department of Defense consultant for flying-related acquisitions. Both have private pilot's licenses.
"We're excited for this next phase of our lives," John said.
Retired, together
At their official retirement September ceremony at Whiteman AFB, standing in front of their families and closest friends, John and Jennifer were presented medals for outstanding military service and certificates of appreciations from the president of the United States before the reading of the orders declaring they were "relieved from duty and retired."
Reflecting back on the rigors of pilot training, the long hours and irregular schedules, life's daily demands, the ups and downs of marriage and parenthood, the stresses of leadership positions, worry from combat deployments, John and Jennifer remember the good.
"Yes, it was hard," John remembers. "There was a lot of give and take on both sides. We look back though, and have the best memories."
"We did it. All the way through," Jennifer said. "Together."
