Via Air Mail

When the United States entered World War II the nation as a whole was not prepared to wage a war such as this on a global scale. There was an immediate manpower shortage for the military and in particular a shortage of pilots to fly combat aircraft. Soon after Pearl Harbor the draft was instituted to fill this shortage but even then there was still a need for pilots. These men were to fly combat missions but pilots were also needed to fly these aircraft to and from military bases for transport and support duties. After a heated debate at the time among military leaders a new service was established that allowed women to be trained on these aircraft to help relieve the manpower shortage so male pilots could be freed to fly in the combat theatres. These women volunteered for this service and out of over 25000 applicants only less than 1100 were chosen to serve in this unit. It would later become known as the W*A*S*P(Women Airforce Service Pilots). Their duty consisted of flying aircraft in non combat areas. Combined they flew an amazing 60 million service miles. Through the war this unit was classified as a civilian service and anyone could leave at any time though few did. In 1977 President Carter granted these women the Veteran status they so deserved. In 2009 President Obama granted the WASP unit the Congressional Gold Medal in honor of their valuable and dedicated service.
Also during this war there were nearly 59000 nurses who served in the Forces. These women served under fire in all areas of combat and due to their dedication less than 4% of wounded soldiers who received care or were evacuated died from their wounds or disease. Their service would later be extended to Korea, Vietnam and Iraq and other combat areas.
These women were pioneers in changing the status of how women in American society would become. It was shown that they could serve in the military alongside their male counterparts and thus were entitled to the same benefits as Veterans. The perception of Nursing also was changed after the war in that it was seen as a valued profession.
History will remember these brave souls for their dedication and valuable service to their country and as being pioneers in a Post war era.