[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 10, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1332-S1333]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE WASPS
Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, we just had a beautiful, really
incredible Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring the Women
Airforce Service Pilots known as the WASP. It was the largest audience
to have ever attended a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony or any
ceremony in the Capitol because we have now the wonderful new Capitol
Visitors Center that allows us to accommodate very large ceremonies.
This one had over 2,000 family members of the Women Airforce Service
Pilots who were honored by Congress. I thought it was worth also
including comments in the Congressional Record to be sure the American
people know that today was, in fact, a wonderful day in which we
honored women who did so much in World War II. They did not get the
recognition they deserved at the time but they received those accolades
today when they were recognized with the highest honor that Congress
can give.
I would like to read the speech I gave at the ceremony, and also just
embellish a little bit about the WASP.
I wrote a book called ``American Heroines: The Spirited Women Who
Shaped Our Country.'' In that book each chapter focused on specific
areas in which women trailblazers had done so much to open doors for
the future women leaders in our country. One of those chapters focused
on those who blazed new trails in aviation.
The pioneers I profiled were Amelia Earhart and also Jackie Cochran.
Jacqueline Cochran was a true pioneer, as was Amelia Earhart. They were
contemporaries--actually, Amelia achieved her fame just a little bit
before Jacqueline Cochran. But Jacqueline Cochran went on to become the
first woman to break the sound barrier in an aircraft. She was a
protege of Chuck Yeager who, of course, we know was the first to break
the sound barrier in a jet aircraft. He was a test pilot and a fabulous
aviator who I saw recently in Dallas and understand he still enjoys
flying.
For everyone who knows anything about aviation, Chuck Yeager is an
[[Page S1333]]
icon. He took Jacqueline Cochran under his wing and helped her, and she
went on to become the first woman to break the sound barrier. She also
was the woman who conceived of the Women Airforce Service Pilots and
was the leader during World War II of this incredible group of women.
I wish to read the remarks I made because they tell much of the story
of the WASP and Jacqueline Cochran's leadership.
As we celebrate Women's History Month, this is the perfect
time for us to gather to honor the Women Air Force Service
Pilots. They were not in the Air Force at the time, but they
were called the WASP. We are presenting them the
Congressional Gold Medal during Women's History Month because
these women truly made history. America's first women to fly
military aircraft, they blazed a trail in the sky that opened
the door for today's women military pilots. By the time the
war ended, 1,074 women had earned their wings at Avenger
Field in Sweetwater, Texas. Thirty-eight of those women were
killed in the line of duty. Throughout the war, these
courageous women flew over 60 million miles around the world,
in every type of aircraft flown by male pilots. They were
never commissioned, were never afforded Active-Duty military
status, and were not granted veterans status until 1977, 30
years after they had served.
All these women volunteered to serve their country in
wartime. The reason the organization was formed was the every
available male pilot was needed to fly combat missions. So,
for the first time, women were recruited to fly non-combat
missions. They ferried new aircraft from the factory to the
coast and delivered the aircraft for shipment overseas. Some
flew airplanes that towed targets so that male gunners could
practice shooting with live ammunition and others even
trained male pilots. They did all the things someone in the
Air Force would do today except fly combat missions. That is
why Jacqueline Cochran convinced the Army Air Corps of that
their recruitment was a necessity. Women were eager to serve
the war effort. That was why the Women's Army Corps, the WAC,
was created. They too contributed to the war effort. The WAC
was headed by Oveta Culp Hobby, a wonderful woman who later
became a member of President Eisenhower's Cabinet.
Women volunteered by the thousands during World War II. The
WASP volunteers paid their own way to Texas for training.
Just before the war ended, the program ended, and the WASP
paid their own way back home. The 38 courageous women who
died as a result of their service in the WASP received no
military honors and the expense of their burials was borne by
their families or through contributions from their fellow
WASP. Their families even had to pay to have their bodies
transported home for burial. They were not even accorded the
honor of having a flag on their caskets because they were not
considered to be in the military.
I wrote about the WASP in my book, ``American Heroines: The
Spirited Women who Shaped our Country.'' These women surely
did. Despite their patriotic and historic impact, the WASP
were never formally recognized by Congress for their wartime
military service--until today. Both Houses of Congress, the
Senate and the House of Representatives, passed a resolution
to present the Congressional Gold Medal. It was unanimous on
both sides of the aisle. It is the highest award given by
Congress. We honor their service, the history they made, and
the history they made possible for other women to make as a
result of their courageous service.
Today, we right a wrong and acknowledge our debt to these
great patriots, women who are so worthy of this award and
this recognition.
I recognized Tom Brokaw during the ceremony. Tom was on the stage
with us at the ceremony. Of course, Tom wrote the book ``The Greatest
Generation'' that raised the awareness in America about the incredible
contribution of the veterans who served in World War II--primarily of
course, the combat veterans who served in World War II. He chronicled
those because they served so valiantly in horrendous circumstances.
They came home, never talked about it, didn't talk about their
experiences to their wives or their friends or their children. Most
went back to life as normal and considered that they had done their
duty and now it was time to go back to work. Tom Brokaw did a wonderful
service for all of us. He raised the awareness of the ``greatest
generation'' and made us appreciate so much what they had done.
I said at the ceremony that Tom Brokaw, who came to the ceremony
today because he had gotten to know about the WASP through his own
research, was really here helping us close the circle for so many of
those who served in World War II and were never recognized. We
recognized the combat veterans. We recognized their incredible service
in combat and in battle. But there were some who contributed that we
have only recently received the Congressional Gold Medal. The WASP was
the third of the three. The first was the Tuskegee Airmen. They were an
incredible group African American pilots who flew combat missions but
whose service was never fully recognized until later, when they were
presented the Congressional Gold Medal.
Then there were the Navajo code talkers who did an incredible service
for our country but operated in secret. They promised they would not
ever tell what they did, and they didn't until years later when they
were given leave to do so after a movie was made that chronicled their
critical wartime role. They too were recognized with the Congressional
Gold Medal. And now today we honor the WASP, the women who were the
first women to fly military missions but never made a part of the
military
This effort to recognize the WASP started in the Senate where I was
proud to introduce the legislation with my colleague from Maryland,
Barbara Mikulski, that culminated in the celebration today. Senator
Mikulski and I shepherded that bill through the Senate, and in the
meantime legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by
Representatives Susan Davis and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who passed it on
the House side. It passed in record time for a Gold Medal resolution.
For this, I thank my colleagues in the Senate and House. It took less
than a year from the day we introduced this legislation in the Senate
to arrive at this day in which we award this medal to the WASP. There
have not been too many Gold Medal resolutions signed into law, usually
one per year, two at the most. But these resolutions usually take much
longer. But because these women are older and have waited so long, we
wanted to pass this quickly so as many of them as possible could come
to Washington to celebrate. In fact, over 2,000 WASP veterans and their
family members did come. Of the 1,074 women who earned their wings,
over 200 were here today. I thank them.
I ended my remarks today by saying:
I thank the WASP and their families who have waited so long
and traveled so far to be here today to finally hear these
words: on behalf of a grateful nation, thank you for your
service.
Speaker Pelosi was eloquent. The distinguished Minority Leader in the
House, our leaders, Senator Harry Reid and Senator Mitch McConnell, all
participated with the Secretary of the Air Force in this special day.
And of course, the four of us from the Senate and House who sponsored
the resolution spoke as well. It was a beautiful ceremony. I wished to
put that in the Congressional Record as a record of this day and as an
additional record of the recognition the WASP so richly deserve and for
which they have waited far too long.
I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. LeMIEUX. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum
call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. LeMIEUX. I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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