in our own
wordS
in the MoMent
the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony took place on Capi- tol Hill in the Emancipation Hall Building on March 10, 2010,
connie reeveS
where 1,074 Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) were honored
for their military flying service during WWII. These were our nation’s first female military
pilots. They served when the call came, and flew every type of military aircraft to free male
pilots for combat. Disbanded after the war, when the men
wanted those jobs, they only received veteran status in 1977,
and were finally honored by their nation with the highest
award possible for civilians this past March. These WASP are
in their 80s and 90s now, and yet remain as feisty and fun-
ny as they were when they were young women with pilot’s
certificates bounding into Sweetwater, Texas, during the war
for training. About 300 WASP are still living, and about two-
thirds of those attended the ceremony in the U.S. Capitol.
I was totally amazed and inspired by the multitude of people, many of whom I did not know, who, after one simple request, volunteered with boundless enthusiasm to be made use
of anytime, anywhere. I was the coordinator matching up requests for rides with drivers and we succeeded rather triumphantly in transporting nearly everyone who needed a ride.
The fact that so many people—some flying in from overseas,
some from other places in the U.S., one pregnant, one with
her daughter in the car, others deeply involved in the week’s
events in other ways, some renting cars—were so willing to
give of their time and effort enriched my heart and, I’m sure,
those of others as well. I knew the WMA members, but not
those in WAI and was completely overwhelmed by their responsiveness. Every driver expressed how honored they felt to
be helping the WASP, and how thoroughly they enjoyed getting to know that particular WASP and her family. And many
drivers, of course, ran a number of driving missions over the
course of the week. These drivers also made the coordination
flow smoothly for me as they were always where they needed
to be, without exception.
With a list of about 35 volunteer drivers, who roamed the
D.C. area to include all three airports and a number of D.C.
hotels, we provided dependable rides throughout the week
from airports, to hotels, regardless of whether the pickup was
at 4:00 a.m. or 10:00 p.m. Approximately 10 percent of the
200 WASP who arrived in the D.C. area for the week’s events
used our volunteer service, and we were all thrilled to be able
to help so many WASP and their family members get around
in a way that was not only economical for them, but showed
them how much their service in World War II is honored by
those of us who came after them, how proud we are of them,
and in how much high esteem we continue to hold them.
It was truly our pleasure to help. I think the only regret
most of us might feel is that we could have used more planning time to provide an even better service, but we’re pretty
proud of what we were able to provide. ✈
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Connie Reeves served as one of the first female U.S. Army
helicopter pilots, an intelligence officer, and an expert on
Western Europe. She is the author of several books.
