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Recognition at Last

Posted on June 20, 2022 by PatriciaJune 20, 2022

By 1944 the WASPs had firmly established themselves as well-trained pilots able to fly most, if not all, models of planes used in the combat overseas. There was no reason, we felt, not to continue in the air industry doing … Continue reading →

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Action in the Air

Posted on March 20, 2022 by PatriciaMarch 20, 2022

Although the women trained by both Nancy Love and Jackie Cochran were experienced pilots, airborne accidents still happened. Cornelia Fort was assigned to deliver a BT-13 Valiant from California to Texas accompanied by six other planes piloted by male pilots. … Continue reading →

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WASPs Don’t Always Sting: The Early Days

Posted on December 22, 2021 by PatriciaDecember 22, 2021

WASPs Don’t Always Sting: The Early Days

Our yearning to fly the big ones remained just that. We had to go through rigorous training. The job would be tough, so we had to measure up to doing what was demanded. Up at six o’clock, breakfast leading into a morning of hands-on learning about every aspect of flying we had to know, afternoon classroom sessions, dinner at seven followed by time for study and homework, and lights out at ten. We lived and breathed airplanes.

Our actual flight training took place in the smallest planes. Barely room in them to breathe. These were the trainers. But the thrill of hearing the engines turn over and watching the propellers spin almost took my breath away. And this was just the beginning!

This excitement made the fact that we were not really considered Army personnel bearable, although we were required to follow the same rules that the soldiers were held to. But there were no benefits (insurance, pension, military honors, burial in a military cemetery) afforded to the women. Our job was to ferry planes from certain bases to other bases throughout the United States—a job that used to belong to the men. But the soldiers were needed overseas to fight.

In 1940, Nancy Love had the same dream as Jackie Cochran—to assist the army by allowing women pilots to fly planes to locations where needed. Nancy sought to obtain permission from the Army to organize qualified volunteers from all over the United States into pilots who could bear some of the burden of the war. In 1942 her dream became a reality, the same year as Jackie Cochran finally received the authority to found her own group.

A pilot in her own right, Nancy was successful in finding women who would fly (or “ferry”) planes. She formed her women volunteers into the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS). Their sole mission was the successful transporting of planes from base to base as the Army needed.

Jackie Cochran’s vision was to form her recruits into a new segment of the Army, not only flying planes from base to base, but learning everything there was to know about planes and the mechanics behind their performance. Of the nearly nineteen hundred women who applied, close to one thousand women completed Jackie’s demanding requirements, the first of which was that no woman would be considered unless she was already a licensed pilot. This was to our advantage because it meant that we could graduate sooner and get on with the business of why we were there.

Although first based in Houston, Texas, Jackie eventually asked for and received the “go-ahead” to move her training grounds to Avenger Field at Texas Women’s University in Sweetwater, Texas. By then, Nancy Love’s WAFS and Jackie’s WFTD (Women’s Flying Training Detachment) merged to become the world-famous WASPs (Women’s Air Service Pilots). Their mascot? A cartoon rendition of a Wasp named Fifi.

Note: From 1943 until December 20, 1944, the WASPs served the Army’s needs for transporting planes, training new pilots, and participating in “war games” as preparation for men facing the real dangers overseas. Actual flight instruction took place every weekday with weekends free for relaxing, going into town, and other recreational pleasures. Those days were a far cry from pre-WASP days at home. Sweetwater at that time was still mostly desert with very little to offer in the line of entertainment. Everyone learned to relax just being together and getting to know each other better. (Next month: Action In The Air )

 

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WASPs Don’t Always Sting

Posted on November 18, 2021 by PatriciaNovember 18, 2021

WASPs Don’t Always Sting By Patricia La Vigne Every Wednesday morning a writing group called Whatchamacallit meets via Zoom. We do a variety of writing exercises or just plain discuss the ins and outs of writing, problems we may be … Continue reading →

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Nighthawks – One

Posted on August 3, 2021 by PatriciaAugust 3, 2021

I went to our doctor the other day, and in the course of our conversation, he asked how my book was coming along. Well, I hadn’t worked on it for some time as I had been having trouble on the … Continue reading →

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Civil War–Battle of Antietam

Posted on November 22, 2020 by PatriciaNovember 22, 2020

It’s difficult to believe that about 150 years ago, what is now a peaceful, mostly rural landscape of Maryland’s panhandle was marred by one of the shortest and most important battles of the Civil War. September 17, 1862–the bloodiest day … Continue reading →

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Sarah Emma Edmonds, Civil War Hero

Posted on October 28, 2020 by PatriciaOctober 28, 2020

Stories abound about women who braved the battlefields during the Civil War years. One such story belongs to Canadian Sarah Emma Edmonds. Her strength and initiative in serving the United States from 1861 to 1865 gave her a life of … Continue reading →

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Civil War Legacy of Maryland: Its People and Landmarks

Posted on October 18, 2020 by PatriciaOctober 18, 2020

For many years, the history of Civil War events and people who played important roles during those embattled years fascinated me. Especially important are the African people, imported and forced into slavery during the pre-war years. We know the heritage … Continue reading →

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Wednesday Whatchamacallits

Posted on September 7, 2020 by PatriciaSeptember 7, 2020

“WWW” does not always mean “World Wide Web”. For a small group of writers meeting weekly on Zoom, it stands for “Wednesday Writers Whatchamacallit”. “Whatchamacallit” sums up what this group is all about. There are many aspects to writing. For … Continue reading →

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My Different Story

Posted on June 24, 2019 by PatriciaJune 24, 2019

“Darkness, the color of pitch, wrapped itself around the lonely structure in the town of Hope, Illinois. Only the beam of a lone streetlamp shone eerily through the foggy mist. For more than fifty years, laughter and quiet conversation gave … Continue reading →

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Awards

graphic of 2016 first place award for East Texas Writers Guild Book Awards historical fiction category
graphic of 2015 finalist award in East Texas Writers Guild Book Awards

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