WWII female pilots now can be buried at Arlington

S

Seahawk

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WWII female pilots now can be buried at Arlington

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Women who served as pilots during World War II finally can be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, thanks to bipartisan efforts.

President Barack Obama signed a bill into law allowing the ashes of woman who flew in the Women Airforce Service Pilots program (WASP) to be laid to rest at the military cemetery.



For Tiffany Miller, who launched an online petition last year to have her grandmother Danforth Harmon's ashes allowed into Arlington, the recent news has been overwhelming.


http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/21/politics/wwii-female-pilots-arlington-cemetery-irpt/index.html

I can't believe this took until now.
 
Leonthecat said:
Aren't most of these women pilots already dead and buried in other places already?
Realistically,how many families will have their relatives remains moved?
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Yes they are...already!! Why isn't your bum chum Trollop hauling you over the coals?
 
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Establishment said:
Better late than never.
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We have a museum dedicated to the men and women of the ATA, they were incredibly special people. To be able to fly a plane such as a Lancaster bomber at short notice solo is just awe inspiring.

WOMEN JOIN AND DO “A MAN’S JOB”

The first 8 women joined ATA on New Year’s Day 1940, recruited into this man’s world by Pauline Gower, who had made a living giving joy rides. Despite their experience, the women were restricted to flying non-operational types of plane, such as trainers or communications aircraft. They were also paid 20% less than the men, which was typical of the times. With quiet persistence, Pauline Gower eventually won equal flying opportunities for her ladies. On 19 July 1941 Winnie Crossley was the first woman to be checked out on a Hurricane fighter, and from then on the sky was the limit.

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Pauline Gower............ Lettice Curtis............. Maureen Dunlop

In autumn 1942 First Officer Lettice Curtis became the first woman to fly a 4-engined bomber, an achievement shared by just 11 ATA women. Finally in 1943, the women were awarded equal pay to their male colleagues, making ATA one of the first Equal Opportunities Employers. During the war ATA employed 168 women, including the famous trail-blazing pilot Amy Johnson (killed in January 1941) and a large contingent from the USA, who were recruited by the famous American pilot Jacqueline Cochrane. The female pilots became known at the “ATA-girls”; flying Spitfires was an amazing thing for women to do, and so they were given a great deal of publicity, to the chagrin of some of the men!

http://www.atamuseum.org/about-the-ata/
 
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