Yesterday, in one of my entries, I wrote of three Women Airforce Service Pilots from Virginia who were going to receive the Congressional Gold Medal for their service during World War II today.
I just found out that not only those three, but all 295 surviving WASPs will be receiving it today. It will be presented to the group as a whole and placed in the Smithsonian. The WASPs and their families will receive bronze replicas.
According to the March 10th Dallas Morning News, a total of 31 Texans, six from the Dallas-Fort Worth area will be getting them. This was authorized by Congress last summer and will be for all 1,102 who served and 11 killed in pilot training.
Since 1992, the Texas Woman's University in Denton has been the repository of the WASP archives and 300 oral histories. A $600,000 endowment fund provides the money to operate it.
The WASPs were deactivated Dec. 20, 1944 as the war was winding down and male pilots became available to do their duties. Women were not allowed to fly military planes again until the Navy authorized it in 1974.
During the war, they flew all 74 types of US military aircraft.
A Much Overdue Honor. --Cooter
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