Siri Skare

Siri Skare (6 June 1958 – 1 April 2011) was the first female aviator in the armed forces of Norway.^[1] She died during a demonstration in Mazar-i-Sharif in 2011.

Early life

Skare was originally from Åndalsnes, Møre og Romsdal, Norway.^[2] A resident of Oslo, Skare was married and had one child.^[2]

Already a civilian pilot and flight instructor with more than 1400 hours,^[3] she completed her military pilot training in 1984, and went on to fly Lockheed P-3 Orion at 333 Squadron and later Lockheed C-130 Hercules at 335 Squadron.^[1]^[3]^[4] She achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel within the Royal Norwegian Air Force.^[5]

Skare was killed at the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) compound during a protest in Mazar-i-Sharif on 1 April 2011, and two other UNAMA staff died along with their four armed security guards and a number of protesters.^[1]

Her remains were transported to a ceremony that was held in a hangar at Gardermoen, with Crown Prince Haakon and Minister of Defence Grete Faremo in attendance. Her grave is at Grytten churchyard in Rauma.^[6]

^ ^a ^b ^c Sandelson, Michael (7 April 2011). "Military mourns fallen officer". The Foreigner. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c Berglund, Nina (2 April 2011). "Female pilot killed in Afghanistan". Views and News from Norway. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
^ ^a ^b Aftenposten, 2 October 1984
^ Luftforsvarets historie, volume 3, p.202 "First female pilot completes her flight training at Corpus Christi NAS, Texas 11 May 1984", Duvsete 2004
^ "In Memoriam of fallen colleagues in Mazar-i-Sharif and in Kabul". UNAMA. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
^ Berglund, Nina (7 April 2011). "Officer's body arrives back home". Views and News from Norway. Retrieved 10 April 2011.