“You came in that thing? You’re braver than I thought!” might have been the icebreaker in InsiderNJ’s conversation earlier today with CD11 challenger Mikie Sherrill, who flew the Sea King Helicopter (pictured above) when she served in the U.S. Navy.

“Nice. Come on!”

This from Wiki:

The Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King (company designation S-61) is an American twin-engined anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed and built by Sikorsky Aircraft. A landmark design, it was the world’s first amphibious helicopter and one of the first ASW rotorcraft to use turboshaft engines.

A 1994 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Sherrill noted that the Sea King class helicopter is what the President flies in when he rides aboard Marine One.

According to the Democratic candidate’s Facebook page:

As a Sea King Helicopter pilot, Mikie flew missions throughout Europe and the Middle East. She worked on the Battle Watch Floor in the European Theater during the Iraq invasion, and served as a Flag Aide to the Deputy Commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

Sherrill – a lacrosse coach, according to her campaign’s Facebook page – and her husband are the parents of four children and live in Montclair.

“I am a former Navy helicopter pilot, a former federal prosecutor, and a mother of four,” the candidate says by way introduction. “I have spent most of my life fighting for our country and our values. As a mother, you’d better believe I will continue to fight to ensure our children have a bright future. Donald Trump is now threatening everything we hold dear. His impulsive behavior threatens our national security. The way he talks about women threatens not only the progress we have made during my lifetime, but the opportunities I want to ensure for my daughters. And the way he uses fear to divide our country threatens the fabric of who we are as Americans.

“Our Congressman, Rodney Frelinghuysen, is voting straight down the line with Donald Trump. After 22 years in Washington, Congressman Frelinghuysen has stopped listening to us – refusing to even meet with constituents – and is putting Donald Trump and the Republican leaders in Congress first.”