Texas WASP Honored by Sen. Hutchison in Dallas Ceremony Page: 1 of 4

                                
Texas WASP honored by Sen. Hutchison in Dallas Ceremony                                       Page 1 of 2
Air Force
Texas WASP honored by Sen.
Hutchison in Dallas Ceremony
by Senior Airman Katie Hickerson
12th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
11/12/2009 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -
It's been nearly 70 years, but one of the most untold
stories of World War II can finally come to a close.
The Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War 11 were
presented with a commemorative copy of a bill awarding
them the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony for
Texas native WASP Wednesday at the Frontiers of
Flight Museum in Dallas.
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison R-Texas addresses an
Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison sponsored the    attentive crowd during an award presentation for the Texas
legislation in early 2009, and only three months later  Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War I at Love Field
would go on to award the WASP the Congressional  in Dallas, Texas Nov. 11. (Photo by Senior Airman Katie
Gold Medal, the highest honor the U.S. Congress can  Hickerson)
bestow on a civilian for service to their country.
"This is, indeed, a time to honor all of those who have served our country," said Senator Hutchison in her
address to the WASP. "I am so fortunate to be able to serve on the United States Senate and to honor not only
the veterans who are here with us, but to honor those who have died before to assure that our country is the
strongest, and best, in the world."
In 1939, Jacqueline Cochran, who would go on to become the WASP director, wrote to then-First Lady Eleanor
Roosevelt, stating, "I think we should train women pilots to fly non-combat assignments to free the men to go
into combat."
The idea seemed to catch on, and in 1941 Gen. Hap Arnold, Chief of the Army Air Corps, asked Ms. Cochran to
select 24 fellow women and sent them on a pioneer mission to visit the British Transport Auxiliary to see how
they integrated women into their military. The next year, Mrs. Roosevelt wrote in her weekly column, "My Day,"
that women pilots were a weapon waiting to be used and, in November, the first class of 29 women aviators
began their training at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas.
WASP faced overwhelming cultural and gender bias against women in nontraditional roles, but were able to
overcome those injustices in order to serve their country as American military aviators, Senator Hutchison
explained. Assignments included flying as test and instructor pilots, towing targets for air-to-air gunnery and
ground-to-air anti-aircraft practice, ferrying, transporting personnel and cargo, smoke laying, night tracking and
flying drones.
As stated in Congress' findings leading to passing Bill 111-40 into public law, WASP flew more than 60 million
miles for their country in every type of aircraft and on every type of assignment except combat, but were never
awarded full military status, and were ineligible to become officers. However, through their actions, the WASP
eventually were the catalyst for revolutionary reform in the integration of women pilots into the armed services.
"You are great Americans from the greatest generation," said Col. Jacqueline Van Ovost, 12th Flying Training
Wing commander and ceremony guest speaker. "Women like me and other female Airmen owe you a huge debt
of gratitude. Today's female Airmen stand on your shoulders because of your pioneer achievements.
"We are able to see our dreams, not only to fly, but to serve in almost every career in our military today,
because you paved our way. You broke the barriers and are pioneers of an industry that was mostly reserved
for men only. Your service in World War 11 established a new frontier - a frontier women aviators have been
expanding ever since, but you were first."
More than 25,000 women signed up to become aviators, but only 1,074 were accepted. Trainees came from
across the U.S. to Texas, the only location for WASP training, and after 27 weeks of flight training, the WASP
graduated and went on to one of 120 Army air fields across the nation.

http://www.randolph.af.mil/news/story print.asp?id=123177477

11/18/2009