World War II's Unsung Women Pilots

Wall Street Journal ^ | 3/6/10 | AMY GOODPASTER STREBE

[ProtectOurFreedom]

The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II will finally be given the recognition and honor they deserve on March 10. That's when they will receive the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony to be held at the United States Capitol.

These pilots were trailbrazers, a group of 1,102 female civilians that flew military aircraft under the direction of the United States Army Air Forces. They flew more than 60 million miles in 78 different types of aircraft, from the smallest trainers to the fastest fighters and the largest bombers. They undertook every type of mission except combat. Thirty eight of them gave their lives in the service of their country.

From 1942 to 1944 the WASP ferried aircraft from factories to air bases throughout the United States. They were stationed at 120 Army air bases across America, and many also towed targets for antiaircraft gunnery training. The Army Air Forces trained the women to fly the fleet's largest bombers to prove to the men these planes were safe to fly. Despite their outward appearance as official members of the U.S. Army Air Forces, the WASP were actually considered civil servants during the war. In spite of a highly publicized attempt to militarize them in 1944, the women pilots were not granted veteran status until 1977.

When a WASP was killed the women pilots received no formal recognition, no honors, no gold star in the window, and no American flag on their coffin. Fellow pilots contributed money to help bring the body and belongings home—the United States Government refused to pay for the remains to be shipped to their families.

When the WASP were unceremoniously deactivated in December 1944, they never received the military status they were promised, even though many of them were sent to officers training school.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I'm glad to see these women are getting their long overdue credit. I am shocked that their fellow pilots had to raise the money to have their bodies brought home and there were no honor ceremonies at home for those who paid the ultimate price. Shameful, but at least it is being corrected.

[left that other site]

Mom’s best Girlfriend Elly was one of these Ladies!

I grew up admiring her so much! She continued to fly until well into her elder years, and took me flying a few times in her 1934 Taylorcraft.

[unkus]

This is good news. Too bad most of these heroic women are no longer around to see this and rightfully bask in the honor.

[skr]

Disgraceful that they couldn’t even spare a flag for the coffin or for the fare home.

Thank you, ladies/Fly Girls.

[vaudine]

On the subject of these WWII women pilots--"Silver Wings, Santiago Blue" is a great book about these women--fiction by Janet Dailey, but gives an insight to the start up, trainees, training, missions, of these pilots. Jackie Cochran helped found them and the santiago blue is the couturier color of blue of the uniforms which Cochran had a major designer draw up.

vaudine

[Nailbiter]

ping

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

I had the pleasure of knowing one of these ladies back in the days at oshkosh.She had a desert pink P-40 and was a way better stick than alot of the guys flying the same iron.Very smooth and a very nice lady to boot.

[tubebender]

Kay Gott Chaffee

[Liberty Valance]

Muriel Martin spent four years helping train fighter pilots as a Women's Airforce Service Pilot, or WASP, during WWII. God Bless Texas.

[DemonDeac]

I heard an interesting report on Russia’s female pilots during WWII. They called them the “Night Witches” and they actually flew combat missions...in horrendously out of date airplanes.

[IDontLikeToPayTaxes]

I wonder if the 8th Air Force or the 101st Airborne Division or any of the other famous units from WWII got a Congressional Gold Medal?

Nope. This is the (somewhat) yearly heaping of awards on every obscure unit from past wars that just so happened to have either been minority or female.

[onedoug]

Considering these women received no other recognition this small thing seems appropriate. After all Reid and Pelosi will have their mugs spread all over the publicity that comes out of it. That’s enough for a medal for enduring that alone.

[BooBoo1000]

God Bless those “Old Gals” for helping out in a time when it was tough for the Good Old U.S. A. We needed every pilot we had to fly in combat, these ladies took the job of ferrying planes and did it well.They are some of America's finest.

[ASOC]

FOr years I thought my Aunt was one of the WASP, thenlater a WREN only to discover on the web her papers when she went into the Service -as a SPAR.

But, she was a Vet, and in the end, I guess that was all that mattered to me or anyone else in the family....