Air Force Colonel Sharon Falkenheimer was Utah’s “Mattie Wattis Award” recipient honoring the spirit of American women. The award acknowledges the determination and dedication of individual females for their accomplishments in what used to be male occupations and environments. 

Falkenheimer graduated from Harvard with a master’s degree in Public Health and is a graduate of Upstate Medical College and the School of Aerospace Medicine. Colonel Falkenheimer played a valuable role in the preparation of military personnel traveling to Saudi Arabia for Desert Storm. 

Falkenheimer was a member of the first graduating class that included women at Union College and served as the first-ever female medical group Squadron Commander. As a doctor in the Air Force, she flew in the cockpit of an F-15 as well as providing medical care for other F-15 pilots and their families.