captain niloofar rahmani , 23 , has defied death threats from the terror group and even members of her own extended family to become the first female fixed-wing air force aviator in 2001 .
captain rahmani and nine other inspirational women from across the world were awarded the u.s secretary of state 's international women of courage award 2015 at a ceremony last week .
she was just 18 when she heard a news announcement saying the afghan air force wanted to recruit pilots .