HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe WASPS: An Unsung Sacrifice
.THE WASPS: An Unsung Sacrifice
During World Wax II, Americans were.Qi}led to sacrifice themselves for the good
of their. fellow man. One of the. many ways tha1womencontributed to this wax effort was
to pilot craft within the United States, so that the US Army Air Corps could ~nd more of
their pilots overseas.. Astllnnlng 25~000 women answered the call. Requirements were
strict, To qualify for training, each woman hadto.be21to 35 yeaxs old, pass the Army
Air Corps flight physical,. and alIeady have ac.ommercialpilot's license with at least 200
hours of flight time, Of these exceptional women, only the top 2,000 were chosen for the
rigorous training. to become a.W ASP, a Woman Air Service PilQt,
The driving force behind the WASP program was Jacqueline (Jackie) Cochran,
lfuwever, the tra4llng schopl was created and supervised by R. Earl McKaughan through
his Aviation Enterprises, Ltd. The ' first two classes were run out of the Houston
Municipal Airport, After the start of the second class, the Army Air Corps moved. the
whole school to Avenger Field neax the isolated desert town of Sweetwater, Texas. Each
class was six months in length, including equal time in the air and in the classroom. It
wa&critical that students be prepaxed to fly any aircraft within the Army's fleet. This
str.enuous training required the students' full attention six days a week from six o'clock in
the morning until nine 0' clock at night,
Between 1943 and 1944, 1047 students completed the rigorous training program
to earn their wings, Disney's WASP~emblem called, "Fifinella", or "Fifi" for short, not
only emblazoned their flight jackets as proof of their accomplishments, but came to
symbolize the spirit and courage of these very capable women, Pioneering new ground
for women, they discredited the populax belief that women would never be able to endure
the demands of military flying, By December of 1944, WASP's w~re flying 80% of the
military missions within the United States under the command of Co 1. Nancy Love, They
were trusted with transporting thousands of new fighters and bombers to ports across the
country for shipment to the frontlines, including the newest bomber, the B-29.
Over the passionate protests of both Jackie Cochran and Eaxl McKaughan, the
Army suddenly shut down the. successful WASP program in January of 1945, With the
Allies gaining ground in the war, Army pilots coming home from the Frontlines were
surprised. to find women effectively performing their previous duties. Since the WASPs
were not officially part of the Army, only "civil servants" earning a meager $250 a month
without benefits, they were considered to be expendable. When the WASP employment
contract ended in December of 1944~ the Army simply did not renew it. These dedicated
women were suddenly without ajob.
In the short span of their program, 3 7 WASPs made the ultimate sacrifice in the
service of their country. Thousands dedicated themselves in the prepaxation for and
precise execution of their duties. However, it was not until 1979, 36 yeaxs later, that
Congress finally acknowledged their contribution to the Wax effort, when President
Carter signed legislation belatedly giving WASPs a military officer's rank and retirement
benefits.
May we never forgettheir unsung sacrifice. (Mike McKaughan)