Lungren to Honor World War II Women Pilots at Mather’s 4th Annual Veterans Day Celebration

When the City of Rancho Cordova and the folks at the VA Medical Center in Mather host the 4th Annual Veterans Day Celebration Nov. 11, four of the pilots being recognized will be World War II-era veterans of the WASPs – Women Airforce Service Pilots.

From roughly 30,000 applicants, about 1,000 daring young women were chosen for service from 1942 to 1944. Though they were not allowed to fly combat missions as women are today, they were champs at ferrying airplanes from coast to coast or test-flying recently repaired aircraft in places like California’s Minter Field near Bakersfield. Some even had the job of towing targets so aircraft piloted by men in the then-Army Air Corps could practice shooting and calibrating their onboard guns.

The WASPs suffered 38 casualties during their service. According to the book “Yankee Doodle Gals” (National Geographic Society, 90 pages, $21) they delivered 12,652 planes, including 77 different kinds of aircraft, ranging from fighters to bombers. But it all ended in December of 1944 when the need and mission of pilots changed. Even though they served as military officers, they essentially were considered a civil air patrol until the end. It wasn’t until 1977 that they were granted U.S. military veteran status - just about the same time women were once again invited to fly for the U.S. military.

Earlier this year Congressman Dan Lungren (CA 03) co-sponsored legislation drafted by Rep. Ilena Ros-Lehtinen. (FLA. 18) to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the WASP. Four of those ladies reside in California’s Third District, represented by Lungren. Though eventually these ladies will be invited to Washington to receive a replica of their gold medal (it is in the process of being minted), members of Congress were urged to honor these women pioneers as soon as possible. Most of them are in their late eighties, and 14 of the estimated 300 survivors have passed away just since the legislation was signed by President Obama in July.

Though the WASP might be the main attraction at the Rancho Cordova/Mather event, they are just a part of the overall theme of the day: “Women in the Military”. Other speakers who will recognize the contribution of women – who now make up 20 to 25 percent of the active duty in some branches of the service – include Brig. Gen. Mary J. Kight, assistant adjutant general for the California National Guard, and Barbara Ward, Deputy Secretary for Women and Minority Veterans Affairs for the State of California.