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




                       TRIBUTE TO NANCY MAGRUDER

 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 Nancy 
Magruder. 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 county 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: Nancy Magruder, Florence Marston, Elaine Harmon, and V. 
Scotty Gough. I am proud to honor them today.
  Iola ``Nancy'' Clay Magruder earned her wings as part of class 44-7. 
After graduation, she was stationed at Enid Army Air Base in Oklahoma. 
Her mission was to train aviation cadets to become pilots and 
commissioned officers, an honor that would not be extended to the WASP 
during WWII. While at Enid Army Air Base, Nancy flew utility missions, 
or testing missions, to ensure the aircraft were safe for the cadets. 
She also flew ferrying missions of the BT-13s and BT-15s. In all, Nancy 
would fly five different aircraft variants: the BT-13; BT-15; PT-17; 
and the B-18 ``Bolo,'' the most numerous long range bomber of WWII.
  Like the other WASP, Nancy was unceremoniously disbanded in December 
1944. The promise that she would be militarized and become part of the 
Army was not kept. Still, Nancy wanted to serve. She would join the 
U.S. Air Force Reserve and earned the rank of second lieutenant.
  Nancy's story is a story of dedication to this county. She risked her 
life in service to our nation so that the rest of us may live in 
freedom. She did so without the promise of recognition or pay. And 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. We owe her our 
``thank you''--not in words, but in deeds.
  For too long, the WASP story of service and sacrifice has been left 
untold. I'm proud to have fought to right this wrong by sponsoring 
legislation to award Nancy Magruder and her fellow WASP the most 
distinguished honor Congress can give: the Congressional Gold Medal.
  Now the bill has been passed and signed into law. The process of 
designing, casting, and presenting these medals has begun. And I look 
forward to the day, very soon, when I can present Nancy Magruder and 
all the other WASP this medal they have earned and so long 
deserved.

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