Women Pilot Medals
National News
by
Tracie Potts
last edited on
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
In Washington Wednesday more than a thousand women who made history in the Air Force received the nation's highest civilian honor: The Congressional Gold Medal.
The trailblazing female pilots were known as WASPs - women airforce service pilots. They served with courage, but without recognition, in World War Two.
More than a thousand women Air Force service pilots were pioneers, the first women allowed to fly for the military. They got no recognition or benefits. But boy, could they fly!
Together, they logged 60-million miles flying everything but combat missions. They paid their own way to training. And when 38 WASPs died in the line of duty it was their families, not the military, that paid to bury them.
Each woman now holds in her hand the Congressional Gold Medal. Twenty-five thousand women applied for that program. Only 1,800 were accepted. To find out more about the WASPs, log onto www.wingsacrossamerica.us