Beaufort native will help tell story of iconic Blue Angels aviation team. She’s a first

Photo: 1st. Lt. Danielle Cribb of Beaufort has been selected to the 2026 Blue Angels team. U.S. Navy

As seen in The Island Packet, by Karl Puckett

A Beaufort native is humbled after being named as the first female Marine spokesperson for the famed Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy flight demonstration team of fighter jet pilots that performs breathtaking aerial displays across the country.

The Blue Angels over the weekend announced the selection of seven new officers who will join the iconic squadron in 2026 including three F/A-18E/F Super Hornet pilots; a C-130J Super Hercules pilot; an assistant maintenance officer; a supply officer — and a homegrown public affairs officer whose job will be telling the story of the team as it travels the nation and the world.

The new Blue Angels public affairs officer is 1st Lt. Danielle Cribb, who hails from Beaufort and graduated in 2021 from The Citadel, the military college in Charleston. Cribb serves as the public affairs officer at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, the air base located just northwest of Beaufort.

Cribb, 32, grew up on Lady’s Island and attended Coosa Elementary, Lady’s Island Middle School and Beaufort High School. She is the first female Marine public affairs officer to be chosen for the role representing the Blue Angels. She will be responsible for not only helping to tell the story of the precision of the Blue Angels aviators in the sky but also the heart and dedication behind the team.

“I’m obviously super humbled,” Cribb told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet Tuesday.

But the job, she added, is not about her but rather honoring the legacy of the Blue Angels and representing the U.S. Marines and the Navy.

Cribb hopes that her selection is a reminder to young girls everywhere, especially those who grew up in small towns, that there is no limit to what they can accomplish if they work hard and stay grounded.