Well those women sure had courage and the determination to overcome all the obstacles they faced to serve their counrty, good to read that Hap Arnold had the balls to stand up to congress for them.
WASPS. Thirty-eight members lost their lives in accidents, eleven died during training, and twenty-seven were killed on active duty missions. Because they were not considered part of the military by the guidelines, a fallen WASP was sent home at family expenseTraditional military honors or note of heroism, such as allowing the U.S. flag to be placed on the coffin or displaying a
service flag in a window, were not allowed.
The WASP members were U.S. federal civil service employees, and did not qualify for military benefits.
[Each member paid for her own transportation costs to training sites, for her dress uniforms and room and board.Although attached to the U.S. Army Air Forces, the members could resign at any time after completion of their training. On September 30, 1943, the first of the WASP militarization bills was introduced in the
United States House of Representatives by Representative
John Costello. Both Cochran and Arnold desired a separate corps headed by a woman colonel (similar to the
WAC,
WAVES,
SPARS, and the
Marine Corps Women's Reserve heads) The War Department, however, consistently opposed the move, because there was no separate corps for male pilots as distinguished from
unrated AAF officers. In January 1944, Costello introduced a bill, HR 4219, to authorize women's commissions in the Army Air Forces. General Arnold felt that there was room for women and men to work as pilots in the Army Air Forces.He testified in front of the House military committee that the WASP were all "good fliers and that he plans to send all the male pilots to fight."
However, the some in the media disagreed with General Arnold and began to write opinion pieces in some of the most important media of the day.
TIME, The
New York Daily News and the
Washington Post all urged women to step down and give the jobs back to men.A journalist,
Drew Pearson, questioned the legality of funding the WASP program, and even accused General Arnold of being manipulated by Jackie Cochran's "feminine wiles" in a
Washington Times Herald column. The column caused male civilian pilots to increase their efforts to write letters against the program.
On June 21, 1944, the U.S. House bill to provide the WASP with military status, HR 4219, was narrowly defeated 188 to 169. The civilian male pilots lobbied against the bill: reacting to closure of some civilian flight training schools, and the termination of two male pilot training commissioning programs. The House Committee on the Civil Service (
Ramspeck Committee) reported on June 5, 1944, that it considered the WASP unnecessary, unjustifiably expensive, and recommended that the recruiting and training of inexperienced women pilots be halted. The committee had found that the program had cost $50 million in government funds. Because of the cost, the program needed to request funding through legislation.
Cochran had been pushing for a resolution of the question: in effect, delivering an ultimatum to either commission the women or disband the program. The AAF had developed an excess of pilots and pilot candidates. As a result, Arnold (who had been a proponent of militarization) ordered that the WASP be disbanded by December 20, 1944 Arnold is quoted from a speech he delivered at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas on December 7, 1944:
"The WASP has completed its mission. Their job has been successful. But as is usual in war, the cost has been heavy. Thirty-eight WASP have died while helping their country move toward the moment of final victory. The Air Forces will long remember their service and their final sacrifice."
On December 7, 1944 the final class of WASP pilots, 71 women in total, graduated from their training regardless of the plan to disband the WASP program within the following two weeks.Following the announcement approximately 20 WASP members offered to continue ferrying aircraft for the compensation of US$1.00 (equivalent to $14.23 in 2018) a year apiece but this offer was rejected. Before the WASP were disbanded, General Arnold ordered all commanding officers at bases where WASPs served, that the "women pilots be issued a certificate similar to an
honorable discharge."
Following the group's disbandment some WASP members were allowed to fly on board government aircraft from their former bases to the vicinity of their homes as long as room was available and no additional expenses were incurred. Others had to arrange and pay for their own transportation home.At the conclusion of the WASP program, 915 women pilots were on duty with the AAF: 620 assigned to the Training Command, 141 to the Air Transport Command, 133 to the numbered air forces in the continental United States, 11 to the Weather Wing, 9 to the technical commands and one to the Troop Carrier Command.The WASP members ferried fifty percent of the combat aircraft during the war to 126 bases across the United States. Because of the pioneering and the expertise they demonstrated in successfully flying military aircraft the WASP records showed that women pilots, when given the same training as men pilots, were as capable as men in non-combat flying
During November 1944 WASP members at Maxwell Air Field founded the Order of Fifinella organization.The organization's initial goals were to help the former WASP members find employment and maintain contact between themselves. Through the years the Order of Fifinella issued newsletters, helped influence legislation and organized reunions. The group held its final meeting in 2008 and was disbanded in 2009.
Many WASPs wanted to continue flying after they were disbanded.
Commercial airlines turned women pilots away, "saying public opinion wouldn't stand for it." WASP,
Teresa James, wrote to congress requesting veteran's status.In order to keep flying, some women wrote
Madame Chiang Kai-shek and volunteered for the
Chinese Air Force who were fighting in a war against Japan. The
United States Air Force offered commissions to former WASP in 1949, through all 121 who accepted the commissions were given support and administrative duties and did not fly.