[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 90 (Tuesday, June 16, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H6840-H6843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   AWARDING A CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO THE WOMEN AIRFORCE SERVICE 
                                 PILOTS

  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (S. 614) to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Women 
Airforce Service Pilots ("WASP").
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The text of the Senate bill is as follows:

                                 S. 614

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) the Women Airforce Service Pilots of WWII, known as the 
     ``WASP'', were the first women in history to fly American 
     military aircraft;
       (2) more than 60 years ago, they flew fighter, bomber, 
     transport, and training aircraft in defense of America's 
     freedom;
       (3) they faced overwhelming cultural and gender bias 
     against women in nontraditional roles and overcame multiple 
     injustices and inequities in order to serve their country;
       (4) through their actions, the WASP eventually were the 
     catalyst for revolutionary reform in the integration of women 
     pilots into the Armed Services;
       (5) during the early months of World War II, there was a 
     severe shortage of combat pilots;
       (6) Jacqueline Cochran, America's leading woman pilot of 
     the time, convinced General Hap Arnold, Chief of the Army Air 
     Forces, that women, if given the same training as men, would 
     be equally capable of flying military aircraft and could then 
     take over some of the stateside military flying jobs, thereby 
     releasing hundreds of male pilots for combat duty;
       (7) the severe loss of male combat pilots made the 
     necessity of utilizing women pilots to help in the war effort 
     clear to General Arnold, and a women's pilot training program 
     was soon approved;
       (8) it was not until August 1943, that the women aviators 
     would receive their official name;
       (9) General Arnold ordered that all women pilots flying 
     military aircraft, including 28 civilian women ferry pilots, 
     would be named ``WASP'', Women Airforce Service Pilots;
       (10) more than 25,000 American women applied for training, 
     but only 1,830 were accepted and took the oath;
       (11) exactly 1,074 of those trainees successfully completed 
     the 21 to 27 weeks of Army Air Forces flight training, 
     graduated, and received their Army Air Forces orders to 
     report to their assigned air base;
       (12) on November 16, 1942, the first class of 29 women 
     pilots reported to the Houston, Texas Municipal Airport and 
     began the same military flight training as the male Army Air 
     Forces cadets were taking;
       (13) due to a lack of adequate facilities at the airport, 3 
     months later the training program was moved to Avenger Field 
     in Sweetwater, Texas;
       (14) WASP were eventually stationed at 120 Army air bases 
     all across America;
       (15) they flew more than 60,000,000 miles for their country 
     in every type of aircraft and on every type of assignment 
     flown by the male Army Air Forces pilots, except combat;
       (16) WASP assignments included test piloting, instructor 
     piloting, towing targets for air-to-air gunnery practice, 
     ground-to-air anti-aircraft practice, ferrying, transporting 
     personnel and cargo (including parts for the atomic bomb), 
     simulated strafing, smoke laying, night tracking, and flying 
     drones;
       (17) in October 1943, male pilots were refusing to fly the 
     B-26 Martin Marauder (known as the ``Widowmaker'') because of 
     its fatality records, and General Arnold ordered WASP 
     Director, Jacqueline Cochran, to select 25 WASP to be trained 
     to fly the B-26 to prove to the male pilots that it was safe 
     to fly;
       (18) during the existence of the WASP--
       (A) 38 women lost their lives while serving their country;
       (B) their bodies were sent home in poorly crafted pine 
     boxes;
       (C) their burial was at the expense of their families or 
     classmates;
       (D) there were no gold stars allowed in their parents' 
     windows; and
       (E) because they were not considered military, no American 
     flags were allowed on their coffins;
       (19) in 1944, General Arnold made a personal request to 
     Congress to militarize the WASP, and it was denied;
       (20) on December 7, 1944, in a speech to the last 
     graduating class of WASP, General Arnold said, ``You and more 
     than 900 of your sisters have shown you can fly wingtip to 
     wingtip with your brothers. I salute you . . . We of the Army 
     Air Force are proud of you. We will never forget our debt to 
     you.'';
       (21) with victory in WWII almost certain, on December 20, 
     1944, the WASP were quietly and unceremoniously disbanded;
       (22) there were no honors, no benefits, and very few 
     ``thank you's'';
       (23) just as they had paid their own way to enter training, 
     they had to pay their own way back home after their honorable 
     service to the military;
       (24) the WASP military records were immediately sealed, 
     stamped ``classified'' or ``secret'', and filed away in 
     Government archives, unavailable to the historians who wrote 
     the history of WWII or the scholars who compiled the history 
     text books used today, with many of the records not 
     declassified until the 1980s;
       (25) consequently, the WASP story is a missing chapter in 
     the history of the Air Force, the history of aviation, and 
     the history of the United States of America;
       (26) in 1977, 33 years after the WASP were disbanded, the 
     Congress finally voted to give the WASP the veteran status 
     they had earned, but these heroic pilots were not invited to 
     the signing ceremony at the White House, and it was not until 
     7 years later that their medals were delivered in the mail in 
     plain brown envelopes;
       (27) in the late 1970s, more than 30 years after the WASP 
     flew in World War II, women were finally permitted to attend 
     military pilot training in the United States Armed Forces;
       (28) thousands of women aviators flying support aircraft 
     have benefitted from the service of the WASP and followed in 
     their footsteps;
       (29) in 1993, the WASP were once again referenced during 
     congressional hearings regarding the contributions that women 
     could make to the military, which eventually led to women 
     being able to fly military fighter, bomber, and attack 
     aircraft in combat;
       (30) hundreds of United States servicewomen combat pilots 
     have seized the opportunity to fly fighter aircraft in recent 
     conflicts, all thanks to the pioneering steps taken by the 
     WASP;
       (31) the WASP have maintained a tight-knit community, 
     forged by the common experiences of serving their country 
     during war;
       (32) as part of their desire to educate America on the WASP 
     history, WASP have assisted ``Wings Across America'', an 
     organization dedicated to educating the American public, with 
     much effort aimed at children, about the remarkable 
     accomplishments of these WWII veterans; and
       (33) the WASP have been honored with exhibits at numerous 
     museums, to include--
       (A) the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC;
       (B) the Women in Military Service to America Memorial at 
     Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia;
       (C) the National Museum of the United States Air Force, 
     Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio;
       (D) the National WASP WWII Museum, Sweetwater, Texas;
       (E) the 8th Air Force Museum, Savannah, Georgia;
       (F) the Lone Star Flight Museum, Galveston, Texas;
       (G) the American Airpower Museum, Farmingdale, New York;
       (H) the Pima Air Museum, Tucson, Arizona;
       (I) the Seattle Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington;
       (J) the March Air Museum, March Reserve Air Base, 
     California; and
       (K) the Texas State History Museum, Austin, Texas.

     SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

       (a) Award Authorized.--The President pro tempore of the 
     Senate and the Speaker of

[[Page H6841]]

     the House of Representatives shall make appropriate 
     arrangements for the award, on behalf of the Congress, of a 
     single gold medal of appropriate design in honor of the Women 
     Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) collectively, in recognition 
     of their pioneering military service and exemplary record, 
     which forged revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces of the 
     United States of America.
       (b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award 
     referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury 
     shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, 
     and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
       (c) Smithsonian Institution.--
       (1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal in 
     honor of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, the gold medal 
     shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it will 
     be displayed as appropriate and made available for research.
       (2) Sense of the congress.--It is the sense of the Congress 
     that the Smithsonian Institution shall make the gold medal 
     received under this Act available for display elsewhere, 
     particularly at other locations associated with the WASP.

     SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

       Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the 
     Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the 
     gold medal struck under this Act, at a price sufficient to 
     cover the costs of the medals, including labor, materials, 
     dyes, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.

     SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS.

       Medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for 
     purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

       (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be charged against the United States Mint Public 
     Enterprise Fund, an amount not to exceed $30,000 to pay for 
     the cost of the medal authorized under section 2.
       (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of 
     duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be deposited in 
     the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Al Green) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material 
thereon.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge and compliment the Member 
from Florida, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, and commend her on what she has done to 
get this piece of legislation to the floor. She has worked with Senator 
Kay Bailey Hutchison, who has had this piece of legislation pass the 
Senate. She had 75 cosponsors; hence, the legislation is now before us 
in the House.
  Mr. Speaker, there should be a compendium of knowledge, if you will, 
styled ``The Greatest Stories Never Told.'' Perhaps therein would be 
the story of the Buffalo Soldiers, a story rarely told of how they had 
to fight their way into the military so they could fight for their 
country. Perhaps contained therein there would be the story of the 
Filipino soldiers who died in the struggle at the Bataan March.
  Such a collection would not be complete, however, without the story 
of the WASP. These are the first women to fly military aircraft. They 
are the women in the Air Force, the Women Airforce Service Pilots known 
as the WASP. It's a story of gender bias, Mr. Speaker, the notion that 
flying is a man's work. It's a story of culture bias, the belief that a 
woman's place is in the home. It's a story of injustice, the notion 
that women could apply but never qualify. It's a story of inequalities 
and inequities, the notion that women could have rank but not always 
have their rank respected. Mr. Speaker, it's a story of never say 
never, a story of persistence pays off, a story of success because of 
some, and a story of success in spite of others.
  It's a story of how a famous pilot, Jacqueline ``Jackie'' Cochran, 
became the first commander of the WFO in 1942. That's the Women's 
Flying Training Detachment. It's a story of how a test pilot, Nancy 
Love, became the commander of the WAF, the Women's Auxiliary Flying 
Ferrying Squadron in 1942. It's a story of how the WFO and the WAF 
merged in 1943 to become the WASP.
  The WASP would go on and fly 60 million miles. They would fly every 
type of aircraft. They would be stationed at 120 bases across the 
country. And on December 20, 1944, when victory was at hand, the WASP 
were quietly and unceremoniously disbanded. Thirty-eight lost their 
lives in the course of serving their country; however, families and 
friends had to pay for their burial expenses. Survivors had to pay 
their way back home because they were not considered a part of the 
military in an official capacity. Many of their records were sealed and 
unavailable to historians until the 1980s. They didn't get veteran 
status until 1977, and this was done without a White House ceremony, 
and it was done without the kind of fanfare that we would expect them 
to receive in this day and time.
  The story, Mr. Speaker, is one of few being honored, and their honors 
being accorded them too late, and not enough thank yous having been 
accorded them at all. The story of the WASP is one that is, in my 
opinion, the greatest story never told and one which we should 
acknowledge with this bill when it is passed today.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as the House sponsor of this legislation, I rise in 
strong support of Senate bill 614, a bill to award the Congressional 
Gold Medal to the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II, WASP. 
And here is a picture, Mr. Speaker, of the WASP, one of the many 
pictures, but as the previous speaker pointed out, not enough 
recognition was paid to them.
  Special thanks for this bill go to Financial Service Chairman Barney 
Frank and Ranking Member Spencer Bachus and their staff as well for 
their assistance in bringing this legislation to the floor today.
  I would also like to thank my staff, Mr. Speaker, particularly 
Captain Deanna Nieves, right behind me, United States Marine Corps, 
who's serving as a defense fellow in my office for the remainder of the 
year. Her efforts were instrumental in achieving the required number of 
cosponsors for this bill in record time. And Sarah Gamino, sitting next 
to her, worked so hard on all of our office projects. Thanks to all of 
the great staff work on this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, as has been pointed out, the bill before us today honors 
a special sisterhood of women, most of them in their 80s, who share a 
unique place in American history. These women have been mothers and 
grandmothers, teachers and office workers, nurses, business owners, 
photographers, and dancers. One was even a nun. But before that they 
were pilots for the United States Army Corps during World War II. They 
are heroines.
  Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP, were the first women in 
history to fly America's military aircraft. Between the years of 1942 
and 1944, these courageous women volunteered to fly noncombat missions 
so that every available male pilot could be deployed into combat. More 
than 25,000 women applied for the program, but only 1,830 qualified 
women pilots were accepted. Unlike their male counterparts, women 
applicants were required to be qualified pilots before they could even 
apply for the Army Air Force military flight training program. 
Altogether, 1,102 women earned their wings and went on to fly over 60 
million miles for the Army Air Forces, equal to some 2,500 times around 
the globe. Their performance was equal in every way to that of male 
pilots. With the exception of direct combat missions, the WASP flew the 
same aircraft and the same missions as male pilots.
  Women pilots were used to tow targets for male pilots who were using 
live ammunition, for searchlight missions, chemical missions, 
engineering test flying, and countless other exercises.
  In 1944 the WASP were disbanded, their service records sealed and 
classified. By the time the war ended, Mr. Speaker, 38 women pilots had 
lost their lives while flying for our country. Their families were not 
allowed to have an American flag placed on their coffins. And although 
they took the military oath and were promised military status, the WASP 
never were recognized as military personnel nor were

[[Page H6842]]

they ever recognized as veterans at the war's end.
  In 1977, more than 30 years after the WASP had served, another woman 
pioneer, Congresswoman Lindy Boggs, introduced legislation to grant the 
WASP veterans status. Speaking of the day when women would be fully 
integrated into the military, WASP Byrd Howell Granger noted: ``If the 
Nation ever again needs them, American women will respond. Never again 
will they have to prove they can do any flying job the military has. 
Not as an experiment. Not to fill in for men. They will fly as 
commissioned officers in the future Air Force of the United States with 
equal pay, hospitalization, insurance, veterans' benefits. The WASP 
have earned it for these women of the future.''
  And the WASP were indeed and continue to be true pioneers whose 
example paved the way for the Armed Forces to lift the ban on women 
attending military flight training in the 1970s. Today women in the 
military fly every type of aircraft, from the F-15 to the space 
shuttle.
  My daughter-in-law, Lindsay Nelson, a Marine Corps pilot, is part of 
the lasting legacy of WASP. Lindsay, a graduate of the United States 
Naval Academy, served two combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, where 
she flew the F/A-18 fighter jet. I'm so proud of Lindsay and of all our 
servicewomen, past and present, who continue to inspire young women to 
achieve the unfathomable.
  By definition, the Congressional Gold Medal is the highest expression 
of Congress of national appreciation for the most heroic, courageous, 
and outstanding individuals.

                              {time}  1300

  Given the overwhelming support for this legislation, as evidenced by 
the bipartisan support of 334 cosponsors in the House companion 
legislation, I am confident that Members of this Chamber deem the WASP 
as deserving of this honor. Of the 1,102 WASP, more than 300 are still 
alive today and are residing in almost every State of our country. Join 
me in paying homage to these trailblazers and these patriots who served 
our country without question and with no expectation of recognition or 
praise.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting yes on this 
bill, to award the WASP the Congressional Gold Medal, and request its 
prompt signing into law.
  For history's sake, I will submit for printing in the Congressional 
Record the names of the 1,102 WASP.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I would like to thank the gentlelady for the outstanding work that 
she has done on this piece of legislation. She has worked tirelessly to 
bring it to the floor; and I compliment the gentlelady, along with 
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, for the outstanding job that she has done 
as well. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 5 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway) whose district covers Sweetwater, 
Texas, which is home to the WASP. This is where they trained, and that 
is where their museum is.
  Mr. CONAWAY. It is my great pleasure today to recognize the 
invaluable service rendered to our country by the Women's Air Force 
Service Pilots during World War II. Their history is one of many 
surprising and impressive stories that helped define a generation.
  In the early 1940s, as it became apparent that the United States 
could not avoid the war that was plaguing Europe and the Far East, many 
accomplished pilots volunteered their services to our country. They 
were thanked for their offer, but were refused because they were women. 
Their argument, that female pilots could free up male pilots to serve 
in combat roles, was initially dismissed by the Army Air Force's 
leadership. Yet two of our Nation's most famous female pilots, 
Jacqueline Cochran and Nancy Harken Love, persevered and continued to 
lobby for the ability to use their exceptional skills in service of our 
country.
  As the Nation mobilized, it became clear there were simply not enough 
male pilots in the country to fight the war and man the home front. As 
the iconic Rosie the Riveter began to build her tanks and her planes, 
the Army set up two squadrons of women pilots to assist in the war 
effort. In 1942 Ms. Love became the commanding officer of Women's 
Auxiliary Ferry Squadron in New Castle, Delaware, which ferried planes 
around the country from factories to air bases. Not long after that, 
Ms. Cochran became commanding officer of 319th Women's Flying Training 
Detachment in Houston, Texas, which provided basic flight instruction 
for the Army Air Forces. On August 5, 1943, these squadrons were 
combined to form the Women's Air Force Service Pilots. Over 25,000 
women applied to become pilots, and only some 1,900 were selected for 
training. Of these, almost 1,100 eventually earned their wings, many at 
Avenger Field in the town of Sweetwater, Texas. That is in the district 
that I get to represent.
  The women who volunteered to fly planes faced a world that we can 
scarcely imagine. While complaints of sexism in the workplace still 
exist today, in the 1940s, sexism was not the exception but the 
standard operating practice. The women of the WASP were paid less, were 
trained with inferior equipment, refused the status of officers, and 
faced an openly hostile work environment. They also had to buy their 
own uniforms and pay for their room and board each month at their 
training facilities. Yet through all of that, the WASP pilots were 
stationed at over 120 air bases across the United States, flying every 
type of aircraft and performing almost every duty of pilots in the Army 
Air Forces. They logged 60 million miles, ferrying planes, transporting 
cargo and personnel, towing targets, instructing new cadets, and acting 
as test pilots.
  Of the almost 1,100 women who flew as the WASP, 38 gave their lives. 
In what remains a blot on our country, these women were returned home 
not with military honors but at the expense of their families because, 
although they flew military planes at the direction of military 
commanders, they were not considered to be members of the Army.
  In October 1944, the program ended abruptly, and many of the records 
surrounding the program were filed away and classified in government 
archives. It was not until the Air Force announced that it would train 
the military's ``first'' female pilots in the 1970s that a renewed 
interest in the WASP allowed them to be granted veteran status and the 
campaign ribbons which they earned through their service.
  While it might be tempting to see today's Congressional Gold Medal as 
a way to right the injuries done to the women of WASP, to do so would 
be to neglect the true significance of their contributions to winning a 
war and advancing women's equality. The legacy of the WASP is 
unmistakable. At a time when women were routinely assumed to be less 
capable than men, these individuals stood up and asked for the right to 
prove themselves. These women did not just answer the call of their 
country, they called themselves to service. And in doing so, forever 
upended the notion of what women could and should do in our Armed 
Forces.
  I would like to commend the leadership and the board of the National 
WASP World War II Museum in Sweetwater, Texas, for preserving the 
unique history of these women and preparing educational materials to 
share their story with countless students throughout the country.
  I would recommend to the leadership, the Speaker and to my colleagues 
to swing by Sweetwater, Texas--it's on I-20, an easy drive from Fort 
Worth or El Paso, 300 miles in either direction--to see this museum and 
get a flavor for what these women endured during training. It was a 
very austere training base in a pretty rough part of Texas, and you 
would be impressed with what they did and what they accomplished.
  Additionally, I would like to thank Air Force Major Nicole 
Malachowski who worked tirelessly to secure this tribute for the 
service of these women. Major Malachowski was a Thunderbird pilot.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I would like to grant an additional 2 minutes to 
the gentleman from Texas.

[[Page H6843]]

  Mr. CONAWAY. The Thunderbirds, of course, are the elite performance 
team for the Air Force; and Nicole was a member of that team in the 
early nineties. As a female test pilot, no one understands WASP's 
legacy better than her. As she explained in her letter to me, ``I am 
convinced that every opportunity I've been afforded, from flying combat 
patrols over Iraq to representing the military as a fellow, is because 
of these pioneering WASP. Countless servicemen during World War II, and 
every airman since, have reaped the benefits of their courage, 
determination, and sacrifice.''
  It is with great enthusiasm that I ask my colleagues for their 
support on Senate bill 614 and that we recognize the contribution of 
these women for their service with our highest congressional award.
  I thank you for the time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I 
may consume for a very brief closing.
  Mr. Speaker, the story of the WASP is, without question, among the 
stories that are rarely, if ever, told. In fact, I have contended and 
continue to contend it's among the greatest stories never told. But for 
this reason, we should accord this Congressional Gold Medal. I beg all 
of my friends to support it if a vote is called for. I shall not call 
for one.
  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 614.
  This legislation awards a Congressional Gold Medal to the Women 
Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) in honor of their dedicated service 
during World War II.
  I am a cosponsor of the House version of this bill (H.R. 2014), which 
recognizes the first women in the history of our country to fly 
American military aircraft. The Women Airforce Service Pilots 
volunteered to fly over 60 million miles in every type of aircraft 
available to them, participating in all missions other than direct 
combat missions. They towed targets for air-to-air and ground-to-air 
gunnery practice, ferried planes, transported cargo and personnel, 
instructed, flew weather missions, and test flew repaired aircraft. 
They even flew aircraft that male pilots refused to fly.
  In spite of their service, the Women Airforce Service Pilots were not 
given active duty military status and never received any kind of 
commissioning, rank, or military benefits. In November 1977, Congress 
narrowly approved legislation to give the WASP the veteran status that 
they had earned, but they were not invited to the bill signing and 
received their medals in the mail.
  Today we recognize the 1,102 women who trained to serve as Women 
Airforce Service Pilots, 300 of whom are still living today, including 
three from my home State of Hawaii: Betty Joiner, Elaine Jones, and 
Mildred Marshall.
  As a result of the heroism exemplified by the Women Airforce Service 
Pilots, the U.S. Armed Forces lifted the ban on women attending 
military flight training in the 1970s, and women now fly on every type 
of aircraft imaginable, from combat fighter aircraft to space shuttles. 
This legislation at long last commemorates their service to our 
country.
  I urge my colleagues to support this measure.
  Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support S. 
614, a bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Women Airforce 
Service Pilots, and to honor all the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or 
WASP, especially three who live in Lancaster, California in my 
district. Flora Belle Reece, Irma ``Babe'' Story, and Marguerite ``Ty'' 
Killen are perfect examples of why this intrepid group of women deserve 
the honor they are receiving today.
  I was privileged to join the Mojave Chamber of Commerce in honoring 
these three women at a special May 11th luncheon. It was a pleasure to 
recognize these three amazing pilots who dedicated themselves to a 
dangerous mission when their country needed them.
  Flora Belle Reece learned to fly before she could drive so she could 
join the WASP. Reece primarily flew the AT-6, but also the PT-19, PT-
17, BT-13, and B-26, and she often tested aircraft that had been 
repaired. She was assigned to Foster Field, Texas, and there she 
discovered an affinity for the P-38 Lightning, often visiting with the 
aircraft's crew chief; she was able to fly in one in 2004 during a 
commemorative flight.
  Irma ``Babe'' Story grew up in the Antelope Valley with her brother, 
Tom, hanging out at the local airport running errands, and eventually 
learning to fly at Antelope Valley College. Story received her pilot's 
license at the age of 19 in June 1941, and worked at Lockheed's Vega 
aircraft factory in Burbank until joining the WASP program in 1943. She 
flew the AT-6 and Cessna UC-78, and later the B-26.
  Marguerite ``Ty'' Killen learned to fly as a 15-year-old in high 
school and received her commercial and flight instructor ratings when 
she was 19. Killen was a student at the University of Arizona when she 
found out that the WASP age requirement was dropped to 19, and so she 
signed up for WASP training and graduated in August 1944. She flew a 
variety of aircraft, including the Stearman PT-17, AT-6 advanced 
trainer, Beechcraft AT-11, the Vultee BT-13, and was a copilot in a B-
24.
  These women, and all those who stepped up to serve when their country 
needed them, are deserving of our thanks and admiration. I am pleased 
to support this legislation to recognize their efforts with a 
Congressional Gold Medal.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 614, a bill 
to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Women Airforce Service 
Pilots of World War II.
  As an original cosponsor of a similar measure in the House, I would 
like to give special recognition to Betty Cozzens, one of my 
constituents from Cody--and one of the 300 remaining Women Airforce 
Service Pilots.
  We all owe these heroic women a debt of gratitude. In the 16 months 
that the Women Airforce Service Pilots existed, over 1,000 of them 
served their country with pride.
  The Congressional Gold Medal is one of the most distinguished forms 
of recognition that Congress can bestow. It is an expression of public 
gratitude on behalf of the nation--to these women, for their service in 
a time of need.
  The Women Airforce Service Pilots forged reform in the U.S. Armed 
Forces in regard to women in service, flying on every type of 
assignment flown by the male Army Air Forces pilots, except combat. I 
would like to express my gratitude to Betty and her fellow pilots for 
their trailblazing service, being the first women in history to fly 
American military aircraft.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, S. 614.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________