The Women Air-force Service Pilots Monument

The

WOMEN AIR-FORCE SERVICE PILOTS Monument

Who Were the WASPs?

The Women Air-force Service Pilots (WASP) were the many women recruited during World War II due the United States running on a shortage of pilots. Male pilots needed to be sent overseas, and the U.S. needed a new group to handle some smaller but important jobs, so the WASP was employed. The program was founded August 5, 1943, and more than 2,500 women applied for training. Of the 1,879 accepted candidates, 1,074 completed the grueling training program.

These brave women performed many tasks like testing newly overhauled planes and flying long distances to military bases, factories, and departure points across the country. The WASPs also assisted in training for ground and air gunners with live ammunition.

They flew in a wide array of aircraft, which included B-26 and B-29 bombers (Female WWII Pilots). This was no easy job either. 38 women died in service, and none of them received any formal burial or survival benefits.

Many of the WASPs themselves shipped their fallen comrades to the respective families (Britannica). They did not serve in military combat, but that did not mean they were unwilling to die for their country’s cause.

The Monument: Unsung Heroes, Never Asking for More

My vision for their monument would be closer to a mural on large piece of glass. On one side would be a collective illustration of many of the women that served in the WASP, referencing some of the photos archived at Texas Woman’s University in Denton. The illustration would be carved into the glass. I would have at least one group photo, a few solos, and two or three of the members in actual flight or planes. At the top, there would be text engraved, saying “To all you unsung heroes, thank you for your service.”

On the other side of the monument would be some text explaining who the women of the WASP are and their story. I would also like to include their names somewhere, either in the illustration or the backside with the text, if there are any records of specific names.

The Mason Campus

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The Air and Space Museum

If I were to place this monument anywhere in the world, I would want to put it in Washington, D.C., in front of the Air and Space Museum. They were the first women to fly in the United States for the military, so I would be emphasizing that by putting it in front of this museum that pays tribute to significant advances in flight.

People driving by would also be able to easily see the monument and those coming in to the museum would have an informal introduction to what they are about to see inside it. The land in front officially does not have any use other than empty lawn-space, so it would make good use of that room as well.

Gone and Almost Forgotten

The WASP has had quite a fight for their implementation in military and World War II History. Like other military records from WWII, they were sealed and kept classified, so historians were unable to truly study them for 30 years (Female WWII Pilots).

On top of that, the WASP were never truly militarized; a bill was pushed to make the group a part of the U.S. Army Air Force in September 1941, but the bill was promptly shut down by Congress on June 21, 1944. With the war coming to its end and with no other means to continue the program, the WASP was disbanded December 20, 1944 (Women in the U.S. Army).

In 1976, the U.S. Air-force announced that they would be admitting women into their flying program, claiming that this would be the first time women were inducted into the Air-force. It upset many former WASPs.

65 years after their service, President Obama finally granted the group the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor to be given by Congress. But many of the WASP members had long since passed, unable to receive any recognition for their service (Female WWII Pilots).

The development of this monument would pay homage to the women that served their country dutifully, without asking for anything in return—both living and dead.

These were the first Fly Girls, and they must be honored as such.

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