[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2056]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       SUPPORTING THE RIGHTS OF THE WOMEN AIRFORCE SERVICE PILOTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, as the author of legislation that 
awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the Women Airforce Service 
Pilots, better known as the WASP, I rise in strong support of this 
bill, H.R. 4336, the Women Airforce Service Pilots Arlington Inurnment 
Restoration Act, presented by the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. 
McSally), my great friend and colleague. This legislation seeks to 
restore eligibility to these brave women pioneers for burial at 
Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
  The WASP were the first women in U.S. history to fly our military 
aircraft. During World War II, a time of great global conflict, these 
courageous women volunteered to fly noncombat missions so that every 
available male pilot could be deployed in combat.
  The WASP served our Nation without hesitation and with no expectation 
of recognition or praise. More than 25,000 women applied for the 
program, but only 1,074 selected women earned their wings. Between the 
years 1942 and 1944, the WASP logged more than 60 million miles. With 
the exception of direct combat missions, the WASP flew the same 
aircraft as male pilots.
  Although they took the military oath, the WASP were not recognized as 
military personnel for their time in service. Their patriotic 
contributions went unrecognized for many decades. It wasn't until 1977 
that Congress granted them veteran status; and then in 2002, the 
Arlington National Cemetery decided to allow the WASP, among others 
listed as Active Duty designees, to receive benefits consistent with 
the status that they had so rightfully earned. Unfortunately, last 
year, the Department of the Army rescinded this decision and ruled that 
the WASP were ineligible for burial at that site, citing a lack of 
space.
  This is simply unacceptable, Mr. Speaker. These women deserve to be 
treated honorably, and our military branch should allocate the 
necessary space to accommodate these courageous women who sacrificed so 
much for our country.
  We cannot just consider these women to be ineligible. These honorable 
women answered the call to serve during World War II. They did not turn 
their backs on the American people nor on their fellow servicemen. 
Their rights at Arlington National must be restored. We have to do this 
for the present and future generations to come.
  Today, women in our military fly every type of aircraft, from the F-
15 to the space shuttle, and I know this because my daughter-in-law, 
Lindsay Nelson Lehtinen, has flown combat missions both in Iraq and 
Afghanistan for the Marines. This opportunity was afforded to Lindsay 
thanks to the service of the Women Airforce Service Pilots. They were 
the trailblazers. They set the stage for women in the military.
  I have been fortunate enough to personally meet some of these heroic 
women. As pictured in this poster, I presented south Florida WASP Ruth 
Shafer Fleisher and Frances Sargent with copies of the bill that I 
introduced and passed in Congress with the help of Susan Davis, and 
which was signed by the President, that honored the invaluable 
contributions of these heroic female pilots. We had this celebration at 
the Wings Over Miami Air Museum, which has served as the foundation for 
our community to learn more about veterans and aviators, including our 
proud WASP.
  Throughout my years in Congress, I have also had the pleasure of 
meeting other south Florida WASP, including Shirley Kruse, pictured 
here, Bee Haydu, and Helen Wyatt Snapp. Although Frances and Helen are 
no longer with us, they still live in our hearts and in our minds, and 
they are embedded in the rich history of our great Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, we need to do what is right for our valiant, patriotic 
women and their wonderful families. The House Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs will bring up Congresswoman McSally's bill tomorrow, Thursday, 
during a markup. I encourage all of our colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to support and pass this important and necessary bill so that we 
can continue to honor these women pioneers.
  These women must receive the recognition that they are due. We must 
give them back the right that they earned, to be buried at Arlington. 
Thank you very much to these brave patriots.

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