Washington – U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) today submitted a statement into the Congressional Record expressing appreciation for the Arkansas women who served as Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) during World War II.
“WASPs were America’s first women to fly military aircraft and are a source of inspiration for current and future generations of Americans,” Lincoln said. “I am proud of these women from Arkansas, and from all over the United States, who served our country under dangerous and difficult circumstances. While we can never fully express the extent of our appreciation for their service, Congress will now recognize the WASPs with the Congressional Gold Medal. I was proud to be an original cosponsor of the bill authorizing this recognition, and I am happy that Congress will bestow this long-overdue honor.”
Earlier this year, Lincoln cosponsored legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the WASPs. President Obama signed Public Law 111-40 on July 1, 2009, authorizing Congress to bestow the gold medal in honor of the WASPs.
Between 1942 and 1944, more than 25,000 women volunteered to provide critical flight training at a time when the number of male pilots was being depleted. 1,074 were eventually selected for this task, including four Arkansans. Dorothy Rae Barnes of Hot Springs is the only surviving WASP living in Arkansas today. She flew the AT-6, a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train fighter pilots, and the BT-13, a basic trainer flown by most American pilots during World War II.
Lincoln’s Congressional Record Statement Honoring Arkansas’s Women Airforce Service Pilots:
“With Arkansas pride and heartfelt gratitude, I would like to thank and honor the brave Arkansans who served as Women Airforce Service Pilots—or WASPs, as they’re more commonly called—during World War II.
“During the war, women were recruited to fly non-combat missions under the Army Air Corps, so that male pilots could be deployed in combat. They served as test and instructor pilots, towed targets for air-to-air gunnery practice and ground-to-air anti-aircraft practice, ferried and transported personnel and cargo (including parts for the atomic bomb), and simulated combat maneuvers. In short, they flew every type of military aircraft on every type of mission, except direct combat missions.
“Between 1942 and 1944, 25,000 young American women volunteered for flight training and service. Of these, 1,830 were accepted and 1,074 would eventually successfully complete their training. Four of those who received their wings were from Arkansas.
“Dorothy Rae Barnes, from Hot Springs, Arkansas, graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1935. She became a WASP, she said, because she had friends who were early WASP recruits and they encouraged her to join. She graduated from flight school in July 1943 and, as a WASP, flew the AT-6, a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train fighter pilots, and the BT-13, a basic trainer flown by most American pilots during World War II. After her successful wartime experiences, she returned to Hot Springs, where she still lives today.
“Geraldine Tribble Vickers Crockett, from Stevens, Arkansas, became interested in flying because of an older brother, who was a flight instructor. He enrolled her in a Civilian Pilot Training program that he was teaching in Little Rock and it was there that she earned her private pilot license. She went into the WASPs in 1944 and, like Dorothy Barnes, flew AT-6 and BT-13 aircraft. After deactivation in 1944, she went on to get her instructor and commercial licenses and taught flying to veterans on the GI Bill. She now lives in Palm Springs, California.
“Betty Fulbright White, from Clarksville, Arkansas, was in the last WASP class to graduate in December 1944. During her shortened service, she pulled targets for gunnery practice and transported cargo. After the war, she returned to Clarksville, where she passed away in 1985.
“Thirty-eight women died during their service. They were denied military honors and their families bore all the costs of transporting their bodies home and arranging for their burials. One of those was Lea Ola McDonald. Lea McDonald was born in Hollywood, Arkansas, on October 12, 1921. She entered WASP training in Houston, Texas, in January 1944 and graduated in April 1944. She was killed less than three months later while flying an A-24 attack bomber on a practice flight at the age of 22.
“During their time in service, these women faced overwhelming cultural and gender bias. They received unequal pay, did not have full military status, and were barred from becoming military officers. At the end of the war, the women were ordered to leave military service and paid for their own transportation home. It was not until 1977 that the WASPs who served during the war were provided veterans’ benefits
.
“WASPs were America’s first women to fly military aircraft and are a source of inspiration for current and future generations of Americans. I am so proud of these women from Arkansas, and from all over the United States, who served our country under dangerous and difficult circumstances. While we could never fully express the extent of our appreciation for their service, President Obama signed Public Law 111-40 on July 1, 2009, authorizing Congress to bestow a gold medal in honor of the WASPs. I was honored to be an original cosponsor of the bill and I am happy that Congress has bestowed this long-overdue honor.”
