Recognizing our Women in the Military

Women in the military have come a long way. They are absolutely Bright, BOLD and beautiful. "Airman Vanessa Dobos is the first female aerial gunner in the U.S. Air Force. Assigned to the 58th Training Squadron in Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., she looks out the crew door of an Air Force helicopter, equipped with a machine gun. "{courtesy of today.com}

Look how far we have come. "WASP test pilots Mardo Crane and Twila Edwards report for duty in Minter Field, Calif., April 1944. The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) division was first created to help free male pilots for combat roles and make qualified civilian female pilots go on missions such as ferrying aircraft from factories to military bases. In 1943, more than 25,000 women applied for WASP service, but less than 1,900 were accepted. The 1,078 pilots who earned their wings were stationed at 120 air bases across the U.S.

Thirty-eight WASP fliers died during the war, but because they were not officially in the military, they were sent home at family expense and without traditional military honors." {courtesy of today.com}