[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 129 (Monday, September 14, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2255-E2256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL--HELEN SNAPP

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 14, 2009

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to rise 
before you today in recognition of Helen Snapp and her distinguished 
service with the U.S. Women's Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) of WWII. 
In honor of Mrs. Snapp's sacrifice to our nation, this Congress bestows 
upon her our highest gesture of appreciation, the Congressional Gold 
Medal. I am especially proud to serve Helen Snapp in Florida's 23rd 
district.
  Helen grew up in Washington, D.C., where she quickly realized a 
passion for flight. Helen is one of the spectators who sat on 
Pennsylvania Avenue, eagerly anticipating the parade in honor of 
aviation legend Charles Lindbergh. Like many young women, Helen admired 
female aviation pioneers, Amelia Earhart and Jacqueline Cochran. Helen 
would follow in their footsteps and go on to earn her license to fly. 
Jacqueline Cochran would eventually offer a personal invite for Helen 
to join the ranks of distinguished women pilots. Helen would go on to 
join the WASP and honor the inroads her heroines had paved.

[[Page E2256]]

  At the outset of the Second World War, women were perceived as 
intellectually and physically inferior to their male counterparts. This 
stigma was well established throughout Air Force culture. Consequently, 
women were strictly prohibited from flying combat missions. Instead, 
women were limited to serving in non-combat roles. With this 
background, WASP was created to allow women to fly as service pilots. 
Unlike their uniformed sisters, WASP was created as a civilian 
division. In fact, WASP was the only women's military branch in WWII 
not to receive congressional approval.
  Women service pilots were mainly used as auxiliary pilots. By serving 
in this capacity, the women pilots released qualified men to fly in 
combat. WASPs were limited to the North American front. Their duties 
also included ferrying airplanes, towing targets, and training men to 
be pilots, navigators, gunners and bombardiers. In a two-year period, 
the women of the Air Force service pilot's organization flew over sixty 
million miles and delivered 12,652 airplanes domestically. Thirty-eight 
of these brave women, who received no military benefits, sacrificed 
their lives serving our country.
  Helen and the women of WASP defied the accepted belief that females 
should be relegated to remedial tasks. These civilian soldiers boasted 
higher admittance standards and a graduation percentage that surpassed 
their male counterparts. As the war continued, WASP played a pivotal 
role in our efforts to defeat the axis powers. More importantly, these 
brave women proved to their skeptics that women were fully capable of 
operating aircraft during wartime. They matched, if not exceeded, male 
performance. In his closing address to the last WASP graduating class 
General Henry ``Hap'' Arnold, a one-time cynic, offered his praise, 
``You and nine hundred of your sisters have shown that you can fly 
wingtip to wingtip with your brothers. If there ever was a doubt in 
anyone's mind that women can become skillful pilots, the WASP have 
dispelled that doubt.''
  Helen's service facilitated the transition of women into the Air 
Force and, ultimately, redefined the female role in the military. Her 
efforts allowed the military to fully appreciate a woman's capability 
and iron will. Like her champions Earhart and Cochran, Helen refused to 
allow the perpetuation of female mediocrity. Her service defied 
expectations and generated opportunities for generations of young women 
to follow. Her perseverance symbolizes the female spirit and the grit 
that is embodied in the Congressional Gold Medal.
  Madam Speaker, Helen Snapp continues her lifetime of exceptional 
accomplishment. Helen continues to advocate on behalf of local women 
pilots and possesses a fond admiration for female astronauts. Helen 
continues to see her old flying companions when she can. It is only 
fitting that Helen Snapp now share this distinguished honor with the 
same pioneer that inspired her ambition, Charles Lindbergh.

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