Women Service Pilots of World War II

From 1980 to 1984 I was the only girl on the County high-school boy’s ice hockey team. I was an individual, just doing what I loved. I was not alone as I would later find out; there were many girls like me around the country doing the same thing. During World War II there were a group of women called WASP, Women Air Force Service Pilots. They were doing what they loved, put into a situation that normally is filled by men, all individuals, doing what they loved, not for fame or fortune, but for love of their country.

Nancy Harkness Love and Jacqueline Cochran were the two main pioneer women for the WASP’s during World War II. Seeing a shortage of experienced pilots for the Air Transport Command, both women presented proposals to the Army Air Force. One proposal was to use female pilots to ferry aircraft from factory to point of embarkment. The other proposal was to train the female pilots to do so. Each woman did not know of the other submitting their proposal. Unfortunately each proposal was turned down at the beginning of the war, but as the war progressed and male pilots were lost, the Army Air Force reconsidered both proposals. Although the women were able to fly and train they were not treated the same as the male pilots. In order to qualify for the job they had to have more flying time, had to have a high school diploma and were only allowed to fly the smallest airplanes. They all had to be interviewed as well before being accepted into the program. Another snag that was a bigger problem was the women pilots could not be commissioned until Congress passed a new law to do so, a process that could take months. An initial squad of 25 of the most qualified women pilots in the country would be hired as civil service employees e...

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The story and history of the WASP isn't just about flying it's about doing your best even when things get tough. I know I am the person I am today because of what I went through playing hockey as a young woman. To quote the WASP, B.J. Williams “If you have a dream of something you want to do and you prepare yourself and stay focused, go for it!” And that they did.

Works Cited

Cole, J. H. (1992). Women Pilots of World War II. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press.

Donelly, K. (2004). American Women Pilots of World War II. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group.

Holden, H. M. (2003). American Women of Flight, Pilots and Pioneers. Berkley Heights: Enslow Publishers.

Merryman, M. (1998). Clipped Wings. New York and London: New York University Press.

Nathan, A. (2001). Yankee Doodle Girls. Washington DC: National Geographic Society.