A Small Miracle - - Memorial Day 2013

 Memorial Day is a revered United States federal holiday which occurs each year on the last Monday in May. It is a day for special remembrances of the men and women who died while serving their country as members of the United States Armed Forces. 

 When my first ‘WASP on the Web’ pages were published in 1996, they included an ‘Above and Beyond’ section-- with graphics and information on each of the thirty-eight WASP and trainees who were killed during WWII. Unfortunately, there were very few pictures of the trainees that had been killed, and some of the graphics were, at best, only sketches of their faces. 

 These same graphics were used in my 2010 “WASP In Their Own Words Illustrated History Book” and the ‘Above and Beyond’ sections of our Fly Girls’ traveling exhibit. 

This past December a young woman named Vicki Oldenburg was contacted ‘out of the blue’ by a woman who was digging thru photos in an old antique store near her home. The woman found a photo and a postcard that captivated her imagination, because the postcard was from a young woman named Margy Oldenburg who was in training to fly airplanes. As Vicki later wrote, “The fact that she found me is still a small miracle.” 

 Soon after, Vicki called to ask me for more information on Margaret, who had signed her postcard 'Margy.' Vicki’s father was married to Margaret when she was killed. He later remarried and started a family, but he never forgot his first wife, Margaret Oldenburg, who was in training in Houston to become a WASP. 

 Vicki sent me digital copies of the photo of Margaret and the postcard. When I finished hand tinting the photo, I felt like I was meeting Margaret for the first time. As with all WASP, there is a special twinkle in her eyes. What a beautiful young woman she was! 

 So, on this Memorial Day, I would like to introduce you to Margaret "Margy' Sanford Oldenburg, 43-W-4. Because of this small miracle, I have completely redesigned our “Above and Beyond” pages, which have now been published: http://www.wingsacrossamerica.org/in-memoriam.html 

 May your lives be filled with God's blessings of good health, loving family, special friendships and memories that continue to warm your hearts. Thank you for your service to our country and for your continued support for our mission: “WINGS ACROSS AMERICA.” 

v/r written and posted by Nancy Parrish  
with special thanks to Vicki Oldenburg

SPIRIT OF THE WASP

Spirit of the WASP by Nancy Parrish A tribute to the WASP -- in honor of Women's History Month and the THIRD ANNIVERSARY of the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to the Women Airforce Service Pilots of WWII.     Early in October, 2012, a World War II air-to-air B-26 tow-target pilot cut a symbolic ribbon at Wings Over the Rockies Aviation and Space Museum in Denver, Colorado.  Just beyond the ribbon, high above the polished floor, overlooking the beautiful planes stretched wingtip to wingtip across the pristine hangar, is a  visually stunning,  factual, inspiring exhibit--a tribute to an unsung group of heroes: the Women Airforce Service Pilots -- for many years considered ‘the best kept secret of World War II.‘    On that special day, when WASP Deanie Parrish cut the ribbon for the “FLYGIRLS OF WWII EXHIBIT,” WASP’ history was no longer a secret at Wings Over the Rockies! Volunteers and WASP Deanie Parrish at the FlyGirls WWII ribbon cutting: Wings Over the Rockies Museum, Denver Colorado     For sixteen years, it has been my honor to partner with this WASP, who served her country during WWII by towing a sleeve target behind her B-26 Martin Marauder as ‘green gunners’ in B-24’s ‘practiced’ firing live ammunition at that target.  This fearless, spunky lady pilot has always believed that, ‘With God’s help, nothing is impossible.’  I agree, and once my mother, the WASP, joined me on my mission to share the little-known history of the Women Airforce Service Pilots with America, we never looked back.        The trailblazing WASP were the first women in history to fly America’s military aircraft. That is amazing, indeed!  Yet their unselfish contribution to the Allied victory in World War II is not just a story about women who flew American military aircraft.    The WASP history is a tapestry of extraordinary testaments of courage and honor, of patriotism, persistence, and faith, and it is a story of service, commitment, and sacrifice.     The story began in 1939, when a visionary, spirited lady pilot named Jacqueline Cochran met with President and Mrs. Roosevelt and proposed the unconventional idea of training women pilots to fly military aircraft, should they ever be needed.  They agreed.   Jackie had the audacity to believe that airplanes didn’t know the difference between male and female pilots!  She then submitted her idea to Gen. Hap Arnold, Commanding General of the Army Air Corps.    He dismissed the idea immediately. Who could blame him?  Consider, for just a moment, what the expectations were for women across America on December 6, 1941.   Up until then, American women weren’t expected to do anything significant or courageous.  They were expected to be teachers, librarians and secretaries; or wives and mothers who would raise their sons to do significant, courageous things.   That all changed on December 7, 1941. During the early months of 1942, after severe losses of combat pilots over North Africa, Gen. Arnold became desperate for more pilots.  Jackie Cochran was passionate, persistent and well prepared.  She convinced the General to make the bold, historic decision to give qualified licensed women pilots a chance to serve their country.  That one decision eventually gave America the untapped resource so badly needed: courageous, patriotic, young women pilots, willing to go where no women had ever gone before: the cockpits of America’s military aircraft.    “When the telegram came saying, “Your services are needed in the Army Air Corps. If interested, report at the Palmer House in Chicago,” I was amazed.  I could serve my country and fly. WOW!”    WASP Margaret Ray Ringenberg “After my husband was taken prisoner at Bataan, I had gone into the Women’s Defense Corps.  I did the fire fighting, the life saving, the pistol shooting, and Air Raid Warden. Working in the daytime at the Adjutant General’s Office, I went out to Doc Hale’s Air School and learned to fly.”   WASP  Kay McBride D’Arezzo   “I quit my job and moved to the airport.  I pumped gas, made sandwiches, and worked on planes.  My room was an old Army cot in an old shack.  I got my meals and one hour of flying time a day.”  WASP Penny Hall Halberg “When I heard about Pearl Harbor, I was horrified. I tried to donate blood. They said I wasn’t old enough.  Then my father told me about the WASP.   I thought, that’s perfect.  That’s why I learned to fly.  I had several boyfriends who were airline Captains.  I had excellent instruction!”  WASP Dori Marland Martin With the Army Air Force's promise of militarization, the first class of 29 licensed women pilots raised their right hands, took the military oath, and began Army Air Force flight training at the Municipal Airport in Houston, Texas, Nov. 16, 1942.   “Jackie (Cochran) called me to her apartment.   She showed me a copy of a letter from the War Department to the Commanding Officer in Houston.  It said, “We know we have to give these women a chance to fly. We do not think they will ever be able to fly military airplanes.  Get rid of them as soon as possible.”  So, twenty-five of us went to Houston and beat the odds.  We became Class 43-W-1.”   WASP Geri Elder Lamphere Nyman     From the first day of training to the day the WASP hung up their Army parachutes for the last time, everything they did was scrutinized, measured, and recorded.   Their health, weight, strength, skill, stamina, patience, and perseverance were tested.  Every time a WASP stepped into an aircraft or flew a mission, it was an experiment on behalf of all women pilots.  Every WASP knew if one WASP failed, the whole program would be at risk.  “On our first day, the chief pilot told us: “It is up to you whether this entire Women’s Flying Training Program succeeds and opens the way for hundreds of pilots like you to fly military planes. Or you can fail, by acting like spoiled brats, by giving up because you don't like the food, or your flight instructor, or ground school.  It’s up to you.  You are the Guinea Pigs.”   WASP Byrd Howell Granger     Three months later the program was moved to Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas.   In just over two years, 25,000 women applied for AAF flight training, a total of 1,830 were accepted, but only 1074 completed seven months of training and graduated.   In Aug. of ’43, the graduates, together with 28 civilian women pilots who had been hired by the Air Transport Command to ferry aircraft, were officially named WASP, Women Airforce Service Pilots, by Commanding General Hap Arnold.     The program was not only an unprecedented success; it exceeded all expectations.  In two years, at 120 air bases across America, WASP flew over 60 million miles in every type aircraft and on every type mission any male AAF pilot flew, except combat.  WASP attended Pursuit School and Officer Candidate School. They flew strafing, night tracking, and smoke laying missions. They towed targets for air-to-air and ground-to-air gunnery practice, with gunnery recruits firing live ammunition. They ferried planes and transported cargo, personnel and parts of the atomic bomb.  They instructed, flew weather missions and test flew repaired aircraft.  WASP even flew aircraft, including the B-26 "Widow Maker" and the B-29 "Super Fortress," as experimental ‘morale boosters’ for male pilots.   “When we landed at Dodge City, the Sergeant drove us by what he called, 'the bone yard'—four B-26s had 'cracked up' within the previous month, killing the entire crews.  He said, 'If you girls have any sense, you'll turn right around and go back where you came from, because that thing is a killer.'  The CO said, 'If you stay, and if you pass, you will be the first women in the history of the Army Air Force to fly a bomber.'  So, he left the room for us to talk it over and, of course, we all wanted to fly it.”  WASP Sandy Thompson     The WASP flew with an unwavering urgency and a passion for their mission: to free male pilots for combat. “The P-63 was quite an airplane.  I just loved it.  I flew as many as I could, as far as I could, as fast as I could.  There was one route where you’d have to take the lane West all the time, and the barn was on the left.  And if your barn was any place except on the left, you were off course. We always just had to fly by sight, for about, maybe a year.  Nothing, just go.  No radio.  No nothing.”   WASP Betty Archibald Fernandes     The pioneering service of the WASP was not without sacrifice.  Thirty-eight WASP were killed flying for their country, their bodies sent home in cheap pine boxes, their burial at the expense of their family or classmates. Still considered civilians, these heroic pilots were denied any military benefits or honors, no gold star allowed in their parents' window, no American flag to cover their coffins.      Three weeks before 44-W-4 trainee Mary Howson was to graduate, her mother received an official telegram from the War Department.  It simply said: "Your daughter was killed this morning.  Where do you want us to ship the body?"    AAF Telegram, 1944     The WASP did everything their country asked them to do and more. When handed orders to fly a military aircraft, no matter what kind it was, what the mission was, what the weather was, or what the destination was, they never flinched. “You either had a chance of doing it, or go home. Those who wanted transfers went home.  We did what we were assigned to do...with no regrets.”  WASP Ruth Florey “P-39   I had never flown with a tricycle landing gear. The Instructor stood on the wing, showed me where the instruments were.  So I get in and I buckle up and he jumps down.  I said, "Well, where are you going to sit?"   And he said,   "Lady, it is a one seater, you’re on your own!"   And he looked like he didn’t think he’d ever see me again.”    WASP Rosa Lea Fullwood “Two of the WASP are just as good as I am at this particular job, and hell, I think I’m the best in the Army!”    AAF male pilot, Camp Stewart, Georgia     WASP paid their own way to serve their country and, after 60 million extraordinary miles of flying, they were disbanded.  Though disappointed, they simply hung up their parachutes and paid their own way back home.       In 1977, 33 years after the WASP were disbanded; they were finally granted the Veteran’s status they had been promised.  The bill gave them the right to be buried with an American flag on their casket.     In 2010, the WASP were given an honor of extraordinary proportions by our nation, when Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award Congress can bestow, to the WASP of WWII.  “Over 65 years ago, we each served our country without any expectations of recognition or glory, and we did it without compromising the values we were taught as we grew up, honor integrity, patriotism, service, faith, and commitment.  We did it because our country needed us… All we ever asked for is that our overlooked history no longer be a missing chapter in the history of World War II, the history of aviation and the history of our country.”  WASP Deanie Bishop Parrish     As she spoke those words to the largest crowd ever assembled inside the capitol, I watched my mom, the WASP, and then the faces of the WASP in the audience.  Their eyes were sparkling, some moist with tears, but all shining bright with a contagious patriotic pride in a job well done.   Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony, March 10, 2010 click photo to enlarge     No doubt the WASP blazed the trail for women serving as military pilots today, but for me, discovering these remarkable women and their stories has always been about so much more than flying.  It is about living a life beyond what is expected, about being willing to risk stretching the boundaries and busting through the barriers.  It is about doing what you feel is right, even when no one is looking and ‘flying higher’ in everything you do.   That is not just history. It is inspirational history.          Today, more than ever before, we need that ‘can do’ spirit of the WASP to inspire us all!    Learning about the WASP inspires young boys just as much as it inspires young girls, because, ‘if a girl can do it, so can they!’ So, respectfully, from the walls of the Flygirls Exhibit in Denver and beyond, I pray you hear the WASP, whispering their encouragement to you all, and that you pass it on:
			“You fly the airplane, don’t let the airplane fly you. I think that’s the whole secret of life.  Take command of your life.  Get out there and do it." WASP Joan Michaels Lemley
			“Life is a challenge! Live it!   Don’t let turbulence slow you down or keep you from your goals.”  WASP Ann R. Holaday
			“Don’t let people tell you you can’t. Don’t let people tell you you aren’t good enough.   Be good enough!”     WASP Gayle Snell
			“Put God first, family next and then whatever you want to do...  CAVU.  Pilot talk:  ceiling and visibility unlimited.”  WASP Marion Stegeman Hodgson
			“Don’t ever put limits on your dreams.   Dream farther and higher than you can imagine.  I would never have flown if I hadn’t looked to the sky and beyond.”   WASP Scotty Bradley Gough
"You want to be the next 'Greatest Generation?' Then return to the values that we lived by in 1942, 1944: sexual relations are for marriage, marriage is for life, there's a right and a wrong, you are responsible for your own actions...and a strong faith in God."  WASP Ruth Dailey Helm And those final words still ringing true from mom: “With God’s help, nothing is impossible.”   WASP Deanie Bishop Parrish   Nancy and Deanie Parrish, March 10 , 2010 In honor of Women's History Month and the volunteer work Wings Across America continues to do showcasing the inspirational history of the WASP, please consider supporting this unique cutting-edge, 501c-3 digital history project at Baylor University through a gift in honor or memory of one of these incredible pioneers.  We are determined to continue our mission, but WE NEED YOUR HELP! God bless you all... HAPPY WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH! ________________ Nancy Parrish is the Creator/Designer of the “Fly Girls Traveling WASP Exhibit,”  volunteer Director of Wings Across America at Baylor University, Author of “WASP IN THEIR OWN WORDS, An Illustrated History of the WASP”  and Creator of WASP on the WEB. CSPAN'S VIDEO COVERAGE OF THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL CEREMONY WINGS ACROSS AMERICA'S Congressional Gold Medal Photo Album PLEASE SHARE THIS MESSAGE AND SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE AMAZING WASP!

Maggie Kennon's interiew with a WASP!

WWII Female Pilot Tells Exhilarating Secret Stories of Wartime Exploits

by MAGGIE KENNON July 3, 2012

My Interview With 

 

Deanie ParrishWorld War II VeteranWASPWhy They Served"We did it because our country needed us."

On February 29^th, I interviewed Deanie Parrish. I learned of Deanie and her WWII history by researching the women of WWII. I was amazed by what I learned and what she shared with me. Come listen to our conversation...

During World War II, women stepped up into the jobs once held by men. They became mechanics, steel workers, plumbers and, for Deanie Parrish and 1,101 other women, pilots for the U.S. military. The Women Airforce Service Pilots, known as the WASP, helped train male pilots for combat, ferried aircraft, military personnel and cargo around the country, and allowed more men to serve overseas. 
But Deanie never talked much about her adventures in the air; it wasn't until 1993 that she began to share the stories of her service. Now Deanie and her daughter are recording interviews with surviving WASP. Of the more than 1,102 women who volunteered and flew every type fighter, bomber, transport, cargo, and trainer aircraft in the Army Air Force inventory 68 years ago, only about 200 are still alive. 

MAGGIE: Thank you for allowing me to speak with you. My mom and sister are also listening in on the speaker phone. We are honored that we can share in learning about your time as a WASP.
DEANIE: Thank you. I did get your questions ahead of time. We can go through them if you like. Why don't you begin.  
MAGGIE: Do you remember the moment that you realized you were going to enter the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)
DEANIE: No, I don't remember the exact moment that I realized I was going to enter the WASP. What I do remember is the letter that was sent to me from Jackie Cochran who was the second most famous woman pilot. (After Amelia Earhart) Jackie sent me a letter stating I was accepted if I could pass the tests.

I was twenty when I received that letter. Twenty one was the age requirement, and I sent in my application as soon as I turned twenty-one. In all the twenty-one years that I had lived, I remember I thought that day that I got the letter as the best. I actually had no idea that you could lie to the authorities and give a false birth date.
I had to take and pass a physical exam before I could be accepted. The physical was the first time in my life that I had ever been to a doctor. I took the exam at an Army base near my home town in Florida, After I passed the physical and was accepted, I went to Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas to enter military flight training.  
There was a height requirement of 5 foot 2 ½ inches. I may have been ¼ inch shy...but I told the doctor I "needed" to be listed as 5 foot 2 ½ inches, and he helped me.

MAGGIE: Did your family approve or disapprove of you becoming a pilot during the war?
DEANIE: I don't recall them being one way or the other. They never rejected the idea.
I remember the good looking cadet instructors, that interested me and I wanted to show them that girls could fly.
When I was 18, three years before becoming a WASP, I had my first solo flight. As you know, that means that I would be flying all alone in the plane.  Can you believe that the joy stick came off as I was up in the air?
A joystick was the most important control in a plane at the time.  I really didn't get scared. I knew my instructor was watching from the ground - wondering what the heck I was doing.
I actually climbed, from the back seat, into the front cockpit in order to gain control of the plane.

MAGGIE: Did you have any siblings that served during WW2?
DEANIE: I was the middle child of 7 children in the family. Yes, I had one brother that was a marine, another brother that was in the Air National Guard and two of my sisters worked at the Army's Bombing Range.
MAGGIE: Did you have friends that thought this was not the "proper" thing for a woman to pursue at the time?
DEANIE: Not that I remember, some other gals from home became air wardens and Rosie the Riveters. When the war began, it really changed the roles for women in the USA.

MAGGIE: What was the hardest part of your Army training?
DEANIE: It was 7 months long. There was only one place in the USA for women to train to become pilots. That was at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. The primary training was 70 hours. Then you went to basic training and then advanced training.  I enjoyed all of the training.

MAGGIE: Did you get teased by the men in the military or do you think they respected you?
DEANIE: I never had a problem with any of the men.  However, "some" commanding officers weren't necessarily happy about us.
But, Sister Theresa, (formerly Anita Paul) from Nashua, New Hampshire had to spend time stationed with some WACS (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps.) The WACS were not behaving properly. They were having men hang out in the women's quarters.

 MAGGIE: Were you ever scared?
DEANIE: No.
Okay, there was one time during my primary training. I landed a plane on the field and I was taxiing the plane. You understand, that it wasn't possible to go in reverse or to back these planes up. There was a barbed wire fence and I could not tell if my wing of the plane would hit the fence. What made me so nervous about this was that the rules were "One error was considered a wash out" and you would be sent home.

Deanie in a B-26 

MAGGIE: Did all of the female pilots have to pass physical and mental exams that were the same or different from the tests that male pilots had to pass?
DEANIE: For the most part, the physical and mental exams were the same.
We flew every type of plane. The same planes as the men. We flew every type of mission that could be flown in the USA.
I use to fly B-26's  "Twin Engine Bomber"  It was called a "flying coffin!"  We would be used as "target" practice for the men. We would tow a target behind our plane and up in the sky, the men in their bomber planes would shoot live ammunition from their gunners of their B-24's at our target. We did this over the Gulf. The bullets were color coded so they would know which men had shot which bullets at our target.  One of those B-24 pilots, Lt. Bill Parrish, instructed his gunners to aim close so he could meet the blonde girl pilot - they came so close, they put a few holes in the tail of my airplane. 
MAGGIE: Did your plane ever get hit with bullets.
DEANIE: Yes, twice in the tail. But...I ended up marrying Lt. Bill Parrish! 

MAGGIE: Why were your records sealed after the war?
DEANIE: Because we were women, they seemed to think it would degrade them. Maybe they were embarrassed to have relied on womanpower during the war and saw that as a desperate action that needed to be hid. Some of the records were marked secret and some were marked classified.

Because our records were sealed, historians never wrote about us in any history textbook or any book they wrote. In 1977 the Air Force announced they were graduating the first ten women pilots in American history to fly military aircraft. Well you can imagine how we felt. This was the final straw. We had flown military aircraft during World War II, and that made us the first women to fly military aircraft. It was as if they had just forgotten about us. So we organized ourselves. We became a force to be reckoned with. It took months, but a group of WASP went to D.C. with Barry Goldwater - a U.S. Senator at the time, along with General Henry "Hap" Arnold's son. We lobbied Congress to open our sealed records. Unfortunately, I was not there at that protest. At that time, I was with my husband at Haneda Air Field in Tokyo, Japan. If I had known and could be there, I would have been there. After that seven months, which I did help contribute to when I discovered about it, Congress approved that we should be given Veteran status.
President Jimmy Carter signed this into law on November 23, 1977. Although it would have been nice for us and thoughtful on Congress' part, none of the WASPs were invited to the signing ceremony. Still, this opened up to us many benefits of Veterans - even if it was thirty-three years late.
However, the most important part to many of us is that we will now be able to have an American flag on our coffins.  Sadly, we had thirty-eight WASPs killed in training or after graduation that had not been allowed us to put the American flag on their coffins. 

Congressional Gold Medal

 

Deanie Parrish (C) of Waco Texas, accepts the Congressional Gold Medal while flanked by House Minority Leader John Boehner (L), Sen. Harry Reid (2nd R) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)(R), during a ceremony at the US Capitol on March 10, 2010 in Washington, DC. The ceremony was held to honor the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) of WWII. The WASP was a pioneering organization of civilian female pilots employed to fly military aircrafts under the direction of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.

In 1984 we were awarded World War II Victory Medals and Theater Service Medals. And finally, in 2010, we were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. It was given to the WASP to honor our service, and a ceremony was held in our Nation's Capitol in Washington for us. Over sixty years after we had answered the call of the nation, and after many of us have already passed on, our country is finally able to look upon and acknowledge the wonderful effort given and achievements that  we made as pilots in WW II. 
MAGGIE: What do you think is the best way to educate Americans about the female pilots of WWII?
DEANIE: We have interviewed 115 WASP pilots. There were at total of 1102 and sadly less than 200 are alive today. Having their interviews on file and on our website is a source for educating people about the warriors of WW II. Additionally, my daughter has helped do a documentary because she was upset when she found out there was not any information out there. She said to me "That's wrong!"
We have also written a book that we would love to see in every school library in the country. Personally, I think the best way to educate American students would be history textbooks which included the WASP.

Click here to purchase book

MAGGIE: Why don't you sell your story to Hollywood - after all, they just made the movie "Act of Valor" so this subject seems like a hot topic now.
DEANIE: Sure would be nice but we don't know where to begin.
MAGGIE: What about textbook publishers - have you approached them or vice versa?
DEANIE: Again, no - we haven't done this but would like to try. 
MAGGIE: Were you ever Privy to Classified Information that you still know but can't reveal?
DEANIE: No, but later, after I married an Air Force Pilot - I had other jobs at bases where I was privy to classified information.

MAGGIE: Have you ever reached out to female pilots from allied WWII countries, like Great Britain? Were there any from other allied countries?
DEANIE: Yes, 20 WASPs made a trip to Russia to meet up with Russian women from WWII. The Russian women were pilots that actually flew in combat. They were called "Night Witches" and flew single engine planes.

Russian Night Witches

Jacqueline Cochran, the most outstanding U.S. female pilot, was both the Founder and Director of the Women Airforce Service Pilots.  In 1943, twenty-eight civilian women pilots, who had been hired as civilians to ferry aircraft for the Air Transport Command, together with their Squadron Commander, Nancy Love, merged into Jacqueline Cochran's WASP and became WASP.

Jackie Cochran

Some of the WASP transported parts of the Atom Bomb.
MAGGIE: Are you in contact with female warriors from current American wars? Whether you are or not, what would you advise them?
DEANIE: Yes, in fact we are meeting at a convention this weekend in Dallas.  There are two groups:   - Women in Military Aviation, and Women in Aviation International that I am a member of.

WASP Deanie Parrish meets A-10 PILOT and USAF Captain Kim Campbell

MAGGIE: Did you keep up your flying after the war, whether professionally or as a leisure time activity?
DEANIE: No, I became a wife and mother and left the flying to my husband.
MAGGIE: Did you stay in touch over the years with other pilots?
DEANIE: Yes, putting together reunions.
Gateway to Arlington - the women's memorial and the Kalamazoo Museum in Michigan are projects that we are involved. Of my five "baymates" there is just one other that is alive today. 
MAGGIE: What do you want us to know about you - more than anything else?
DEANIE: I (we) never forgot our values: Honor, Integrity, Patriotism, Service, Faith and Commitment
I also always remember what Jackie Cochran (a pioneer American aviator, considered to be one of the most gifted racing pilots of her generation. She was an important contributor to the formation of the wartime WAAC and WASP.) had told us when we were training. ""Remember you are a lady and when you get out of the plane act like a lady."  Jackie always looked like a million bucks. Many of us kept brushes and lipstick in the planes with us.

Jackie Cochran 

MAGGIE: Thank you Mrs. Parrish, this was so nice of you to give me your time and to share your story.
DEANIE: Thank you Maggie and please spread the word so others will learn. Good luck with your school project. A great month for this as you know it is Women's History Month!

 

 

DEANIE PARRISH, Women Airforce Service Pilots: Every single one of these ladies deserves to be standing where I am standing. Over 65 years ago, we each served our country without any expectations of recognition or glory. And we did it without comprising values that we were taught as we grew up: honor, integrity, patriotism, service, faith, and commitment. 

Learn more about the WASPs - click here
This publication is based on Maggie's handwritten notes of her telephone conversation with WASP Deanie Parrish, and re-written as if in Deanie's own words.

Maggie Kennon is a 7th grade student at St. Augustine School in Westchester County, New York. She completed this interview as part of a special Social Studies project.

Read more: Family Security Matters
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Reposted with respect by Wings Across America -- GREAT JOB, MAGGIE!

Impossible? NOT FOR MY MOTHER THE WASP!

I post this in honor of my mom and all the other WASP mom's out there, who share certain characteristics, not the least of which is DETERMINATION!

by Nancy Parrish,
(Daughter of WASP Deanie Bishop Parrish)

I’ve been writing and sharing stories online about my mother, the WASP, for  16 years.  It is her fault. She is interesting,  she is inspirational,  and she has set the bar so high, I’m still striving to reach it!   

After my dad passed away in 1993, my mother became my partner.   Together, we created Wings Across America, have traveled to 19 states, and have interviewed over 100 WASP. It is a partnership of common purpose, love,  respect  and faith.     

I share a story--NOT  about the good old days of the 1940‘s.  This is a story I witnessed, but trust me when I say that it is absolutely a ‘WASP story’.  This is about one WASP’ determination, persistence, hard work and faith that,  ‘With God’s help, nothing is impossible’. It is about my mother, the WASP, who did something extraordinary in 1992 that she had never done before--in fact, no WASP had ever done before-- or has since. 

The WASP were planning their 50^th reunion,  to be held at the Officer’s Club at Lackland AFB in San Antonio.  As part of the festivities, mom had volunteered to head up the “LUNCHEON ENTERTAINMENT”.

Several weeks before the big event,  mom had one of her ‘lightbulb moments’.  When she gets that sparkle in her eye--something small is going to turn into a much bigger deal.  This was no exception.

“Why don’t you write a song for the luncheon,” she asked me.  “In fact, why don’t you write a ‘RAP’?   Pause. I was processing where in the heck she had ever heard the term ‘RAP’ when she continued.  “A WASP RAP!”   Then, there was mom’s “look”.  It is a special look, known only to WASP and their children. When you experience it, you instantly feel like you are about to disappoint a WASP.  “You’re the songwriter”, she said. (To be fair, I am a song writer and was a member of the musician’s union back in the days of harmony and music that didn’t sound so angry.)  But-- not this--not RAP!)


I made a small mistake.  I spoke before thinking: “Mom, RAP is NOT music.”  I instantly sensed I was about to disappoint her--so I quickly added, “but, if you want a rap song, why don’t you write it yourself?”  Pause.   “I’ll give you the background beat--and you can put words to it.”  I had thrown down the gauntlet.  I had challenged her.  She picked up her pencil.  “How do I do this?”

I got out my little drum machine and laid down a rhythm track.  After I handed it to her and left the room, I heard the tape recorder over and over--play, reverse, play, reverse, over and over as she tried to put words to the beat.  It took hours.  It took many, many hours.  She worked very, very hard.

Dad and I were not completely convinced she could do it, but, from the moment I challenged her, she was absolutely determined that she would do it. NO GOING BACK for her!   Finally, she found the rhyme pattern and a good solid line for the chorus.  A few hours later, the RAP “WE GOT THE STUFF, THE RIGHT STUFF’  was born.

Not only did she write a RAP song, the lyrics told the entire history of the WASP--in RAP, and it does it in just about 4 minutes!  Then, she asked, ‘Will you sing this?’  Never mind my original  ‘rap is not music' argument.  This time, I was NOT going to disappoint my mother,  the WASP.   Yes, I arranged it,  ‘sang’ it, and recorded it!  

Mom contacted WASP Julie Stegge, a former Zigfield Follies dancer. Julie put on her sequined hat and danced to the WASP RAP.  Boy, could Julie kick high! Ask any WASP who attended that convention and she will tell you that it was that single semi- musical moment that was the hit of the entire convention! The rap was "sung", Julie kicked,  and mom smiled.   Talk about your standing ovations--it was awesome!

It has now been TWENTY years, and WASP still talk about the only WASP rap ever written: “We Got the Stuff, the RightStuff.”  When you read the lyrics, you may be surprised by mom’s ‘frank’ lyrics.  “But that’s the way it was,” she says, so that’s the way she wrote it.  However, she admits that she had a little help.  She believes absolutely that, ‘With God’s help,  ANYTHING is possible.’  Yes,  indeed it is! 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM!

Nancy Parrish

WINGS ACROSS AMERICA

nancy@wingsacrossamerica.org

Article originally shared with NPR -- 2010

WASP Bee Falk Haydu inducted into Women in Aviation International's "Pioneer Hall of Fame"

Bee Falk, WASP Class 44-7, was assigned to a U-78 training base where she flew as a utility pilot and an engineering test pilot. After the WASP were disbanded, Bee worked ferrying,  flight instructing, flying a comedy air show act, and she was one of the first women aviation executives in New Jersey, owning her own Cessna dealership. Bee never lost her love for aviation, and after her marriage to fellow pilot and airplane enthusiast Joe Haydu, owned many airplanes, including a Stearman and a Link trainer, and flew air races for fun.

Bee is best known for her service to the WASP organization (Order of Fifinella) as its president from 1975 to 1978. During that time, she worked with Col. Bruce Arnold (Gen. Hap Arnold’s son) and Senator Barry Goldwater to bring about militarization of the WASP and to gain them veterans’ benefits.

The WASP had the support of all the women serving in both the House and Senate at the
time. Haydu and several other WASP testified at the various hearings, and their efforts were
rewarded when President Jimmy Carter signed  The G.I. Bill Improvement Act of 1977, granting the WASP full military status for their service.

In 2003 Bee published her memoir—Letters Home 1944-45.  Bee remains a much sought after
spokeswoman for the WASP, proudly wearing her WASP uniform on many occasions.
Haydu has her dress uniform on display in the Smithsonian, and joined President Obama and
other women military aviators in the Oval Office in July 2009 as he signed S.614, a bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the WASP. Haydu was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame & Museum of New Jersey in May 2000.

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