[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 93 (Friday, June 19, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   AWARDING A CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO THE WOMEN AIRFORCE SERVICE 
                                 PILOTS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 16, 2009

  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to a 
group of truly exceptional women who live in my Congressional District 
and whose service to our country was honored today by the passage of a 
bill awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the Women Air Service 
Pilots of World War II.
  Inspired by the attacks on Pearl Harbor, Margot DeMoss (Riverside, 
CA), Mary Ann Roberta Dreher (San Clemente, CA) and Jane Fohl (San 
Clemente, CA) answered our Nation's call to duty by joining the Women 
Air Service Pilots of World War II, also known as the WASP.
  Created on August 5, 1943, the WASP was charged with the critical 
task of delivering battle-ready planes from the factory line to 
military bases around the world. After just 16 months, the WASP had 
established itself as a premier ferrying squadron. Of the more than 
25,000 women that applied for training, only 1,879 were accepted to 
participate in the rigorous program that would eventually produce 1,074 
outstanding female pilots.
  The WASP founder, world famous aviator Jacqueline Cochran, challenged 
the status quo by asking for permission to commission WASP directly as 
Service Pilots, a procedure used routinely with male pilots but 
prohibited for women. She lobbied passionately, but eventually lost her 
battle both with the Comptroller General of the Army Air Force and in 
the halls of Congress, leading to the WASPs disbanding in 1944.
  I believe that these women pioneers deserve to be acknowledged not 
just for their remarkable bravery and sacrifice, but for reminding us 
all that an uncompromising commitment to America--to its values, ideals 
and traditions--is a unifying force. I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 
2014, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's bill, awarding the 
Congressional Gold Medal to the Women Air Service Pilots of World War 
II, and I am pleased that the women of WASP will finally receive the 
recognition they so rightfully deserve.

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