Never have I read a book that made me angrier than Fly Girls by P. O'Connell Pearson.
The story itself is the amazing true account of the 1102 women who became WWII WASPS (Women Air Force Service Pilots) risking their lives on a daily basis, flying planes their male counterparts wouldn't fly and accepting missions the men refused to take, with little thanks and support from from the male dominated Army Air Corps. They bought their own uniforms, paid for their own meals and housing, paid their own way back home after delivering their assigned bombers to bases all over the country and parts of Europe, all while keeping quiet about what they were doing so as to not undermine the egos of the military male pilots.
Whereas the men were trained and flew only one type of aircraft, the WASPS flew and were expected to fly all different types, sometimes on a moments notice, flying in a cockpit they'd never seen before with the directions in their laps. Some pulled targets behind their airplane so soldiers on the ground could practice with live ammunition hitting flying targets. And yes, several WASPS lost their lives to men who failed to hit the target and brought down the plane instead.
It would be 35 years before the WWII WASPS were granted full military status after years of battling the chauvinistic military establishment and Congress. Prior to the bill being passed, arguments were still brought forward claiming WASPS were not under military discipline when they flew. This was hogwash since all the WASPS received the same training as the U.S. Army Air Corps male pilots and all of their missions were ordered by the U.S. Army Air Corp.
This story is dear to my heart because a women who graduated from the high school I later attended, Jane Baessler Doyle, was a WASP. I had the privilege of meeting her prior to her passing, at 97-years of age. Up to that time, she was clear minded and youthful. You have only to Google her name to see and hear her story profiled on many television spots. My greatest regret is that I didn't interview her when I had the chance and offer to document her story. 
It would be 35 years before the WWII WASPS were granted full military status after years of battling the chauvinistic military establishment and Congress. Prior to the bill being passed, arguments were still brought forward claiming WASPS were not under military discipline when they flew. This was hogwash since all the WASPS received the same training as the U.S. Army Air Corps male pilots and all of their missions were ordered by the U.S. Army Air Corp.
This story is dear to my heart because a women who graduated from the high school I later attended, Jane Baessler Doyle, was a WASP. I had the privilege of meeting her prior to her passing, at 97-years of age. Up to that time, she was clear minded and youthful. You have only to Google her name to see and hear her story profiled on many television spots. My greatest regret is that I didn't interview her when I had the chance and offer to document her story.
If you have a relative or neighbor or church member who served in WWII, please sit down with them and record their stories. You don't have to write a book about them. Just record their stories and send them to the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.
Hats off to ALL our service personal but especially the WWII WASPS who are still living.
To read more about these amazing women, check out the National WASP WWII Museum in Sweetwater, Texas. www.waspmuseum.org.
**********
Sandra Warren has written has written a WWII story about what children accomplished during that war; We Bought A WWII Bomber: The Untold Story of A Michigan High School, a B-17 Bomber & The Blue Ridge Parkway, as well as, two biographies of Army Reserve nurses who served in the Persian Gulf War; When Duty Called: Even Grandma Had To Go and Hidden Casualties: Battles On The Home Front.
2 comments:
Dear Sandra,
Thanks for sharing the story about Fly Girls! They were indeed awesome, weren't they! So neat that you went to high school with one of them. You lucky lady!
Never Give Up
Joan
It is too bad you didn't get a chance to interview her. Lesson for us all. Thanks for the blog post.
Post a Comment