[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 139 (Wednesday, September 30, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9979-S9980]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ELAINE HARMON

 Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, today I honor a group of women 
who have made a lasting contribution to American history. They are the 
Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP.
  Who are the WASP?
  They were the first women trained in American military aircraft. They 
were trailblazers and true patriots. They are women like Elaine Harmon, 
from Baltimore. They came from all walks of life. They were students, 
secretaries, nurses, daughters, wives. One was a nun. They shared the 
same goal: to contribute to the American war effort.
  Between 1942 and 1944, the 1,102 WASP trained in Texas, then went on 
to fly noncombat military missions so that all their male counterparts 
could be deployed to combat. These women piloted every kind of military 
aircraft, and logged 60 million miles flying missions across the United 
States. Thirty-eight of them died in the line of duty.
  These intrepid women served their country with courage and valor. But 
for too long, their country did not serve them. They were never awarded 
full military status and were ineligible for officer status. They faced 
strong cultural and gender bias and received unequal pay. Following the 
war, they were told to pay their own way home. It was not until 1977--
more than 30 years later--that the WASP were granted veterans' status.
  Thirteen of these brave women hail from Maryland. Four are still 
alive today: Elaine Harmon, Nancy Magruder, Florence Marston, and V. 
Scotty Gough. I am proud to honor them today.
  Born in Baltimore, Elaine Harmon began flying at College Park Airport 
while attending University of Maryland. An ad in the local college 
newspaper for the Civilian Pilot Training Program piqued her interest. 
The program required a parent's consent. Knowing her mother would never 
agree to it, she sent the form to her father instead. He signed it and 
mailed it back to her with the $40 tuition fee. The family never spoke 
of it again.
  After Pearl Harbor, Elaine and her husband supported the war efforts 
in ways they could. Her husband desperately wanted to join the Army Air 
Force, but wasn't able to due to a constriction in his aorta. He 
learned to repair aircraft instruments and moved to Biak Island, West 
Papua, to locally repair the instruments, thus saving several weeks in 
repair for transit.

[[Page S9980]]

  Nearly 5 years after learning to fly, Elaine's husband suggested she 
join the WASP. She earned her wings as a WASP in the class of 44-9. 
After completing her WASP training, Elaine was stationed at Nellis Air 
Force Base, near Las Vegas, NV. There she flew BT-13s and B-17s. BT-13s 
were used to allow pilots to practice instrument flying. Elaine would 
pilot the aircraft, freeing her male counterparts to practice their 
instrument flying.
  It was a daunting task. The technology was different then. The men 
had to sit in the backseat, under a dark hood which obscured their view 
of everything but the instruments in front of them. They could only do 
it because they had a great pilot in the front ensuring their safety.
  After the WASP were disbanded in December 1944, Elaine made her way 
back to Baltimore. She didn't stay long. Her mother was embarrassed, 
ashamed that Elaine would participate in what was seen at the time as 
an unlady-like endeavor. So Elaine scraped together what skimpy savings 
she had and bought a one-way ticket to California. With her husband 
still overseas and with less than $30 in her pocket, she eventually 
found a job as an air traffic controller in Oakland.
  Thirty years passed before Elaine Harmon was offered veterans' 
status. Thirty years before her service to the nation was recognized. 
But like the other WASP, Elaine Harmon believed in the cause she 
served. She knew the obstacles, but chose her own way. In the end, she 
paved the way for the armed services to lift the ban on women attending 
military flight training in the 1970s, and eventually led to women 
being fully integrated as pilots in the U.S. military. Today women can 
fly every type of aircraft and mission, from fighter jets in combat to 
the shuttle in space flight. Women like Elaine Harmon made this 
possible.
  The WASP were trailblazers and true patriots. We owe them our ``thank 
you''--not in words, but in deeds. For their courage, service and 
dedication to our nation, the WASP have earned the most distinguished 
honor Congress can give: the Congressional Gold Medal.
  Now the bill to give WASP Congress' top award has been passed and 
signed into law. The process of designing, casting, and presenting 
these medals had begun. I look forward to the day, very soon, when I 
can present Elaine Harmon and all the other WASP this medal they have 
earned and so long deserved.

                          ____________________