A native of
New Castle, Delaware she graduated from William Penn High School in 1977 then enlisted in the
Delaware Air National Guard becoming the first female member of the Security Police Squadron; in 1980 she graduated from the
Officer Candidate School, Fort Benning, Georgia. The following year, she received Army Aviator Wings after completing Rotary Wing Flight Training at
Fort Rucker, Alabama and served as a UH-1 pilot with the
Delaware Army National Guard. In 1985, Timmons received her Air Force pilot wings from
Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma then served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a C-141B pilot with the 514th Military Airlift Wing (Associate) at
McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. In 1993 then Captain Timmons returned to the Delaware Air Guard as a C-130H “Hercules” pilot with the
166th Airlift Wing serving progressively as an aircraft commander, current operations officer, assistant chief pilot and assistant operations officer; in 2005 she assumed command of the
142d Airlift Squadron then in 2007 was elevated to commander of the 166th Operations Group. As a colonel she was deputy commander for operations of the 166th Airlift Wing and Director of the Joint Staff for Headquarters, Delaware National Guard; promoted to
brigadier general in April 2011, she became the first female general officer in Delaware National Guard history and subsequently served as assistant adjutant general for air while also serving as assistant to the commander of the Air National Guard. Promoted to
major general in 2017, she was selected by Delaware Governor
Jack Markell to serve as the state's adjutant general. She served in Operations
Desert Shield,
Desert Storm,
Southern Watch,
Joint Guard,
Iraqi Freedom,
Enduring Freedom and
Inherent Resolve. While deployed, Timmons was commander of the
774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, deputy commander of the 455th Operations Group and director of mobility forces,
United States Air Forces Central Command. She was a member of the Air Reserve Forces Policy Committee and chair of the Joint Diversity Executive Council as well as serving as the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs representative to the
Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. Timmons was a command pilot with more than 5,200 flying hours, including 400 combat hours, and was awarded more than 30 decorations, including the
Legion of Merit,
Bronze Star Medal and
Air Medal. In civilian life she served as a captain with
United Airlines flying the 757 and 767 aircraft; from 1987 to 1991 she was a flight engineer with
Pan American World Airways; she amassed more than 10,000 commercial flying hours. General Timmons attended Delaware Technical Community College and received both bachelor's and master's degrees from
Wilmington University; she was a graduate of the
Air War College and CAPSTONE program at the
National Defense University. She has been inducted into the Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame and
Hall of Fame of Delaware Women. Timmons was later revealed on a UK TV documentary to have been the co-pilot on UA23 on the day of 9/11 and who’s plane was grounded after the initial attacks but was later suggested that it was possibly the 5th plane in the attacks as it might have had terrorists on board as well. ==References==