Celebrating WASPS - You Go Girls!!!

Photo: Courtesy of Texas Woman's University and NPR 
WASP (from left) Frances Green, Margaret Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborn leave their B-17, called Pistol Packin' Mama, during ferry training at Lockbourne Army Air Force base in Ohio. They're carrying their parachutes.

I woke up this morning not knowing that today I would be stirred by the stories of women from WWII.  It never surprises me to find little known or untold stories of women in history as tremendously inspirational.  I am reminded of the amazing presence women have held in many realms of our world and our American culture.  My grandmother never flew a plane in WWII, but she accomplished many other wonderful fetes.  I am honored by her stories and I'm honored by these stories.

The month of March is Women's History Month.  I hope to celebrate with you many more stories that can inspire us and help our souls to take flight in many new and exciting ways.  Today's story simply came to me.  I was reading my morning NPR news when I found this fascinating article about WASP's - Women Airforce Service Pilots.  This article comes at a time where we can truly celebrate these stories.  Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 10th, President Obama will be giving these women, the WASP's, the Congressional Gold Medal.

I do hope you take a few moments to read the article by clicking the link below.  Here is a preview:

Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls

by Susan Stamberg

"In 1942, the United States was faced with a severe shortage of pilots, and leaders gambled on an experimental program to help fill the void: Train women to fly military aircraft so male pilots could be released for combat duty overseas. The group of female pilots was called the Women Airforce Service Pilots — WASP for short. In 1944, during the graduation ceremony for the last WASP training class, the commanding general of the U.S. Army Air Forces, Henry "Hap" Arnold, said that when the program started, he wasn't sure "whether a slip of a girl could fight the controls of a B-17 in heavy weather."
"Now in 1944, it is on the record that women can fly as well as men," Arnold said."

Courtesy of Texas Woman's University and NPRWASP with a plane named "Miss Fifinella," the mascot designed for the women by Walt Disney Studios

A close up of the WASP logo "Fifinella" created by Walt Disney

Click HERE for another great link about the "Fly Girls".

The L.A. Times also published this piece on our new WASP friends.  Click the image below to read the article (from the LA Times).