"Let us treasure their memory as women whose sacrifice has brought honor not only to their country, but also to their organization...we shall always keep and remember the brave heritage of the women (fliers) who gave their lives. It is the heritage of faith in victory and faith in the ultimate freedom of humanity.”
On behalf of Wings Across America and WASP on the WEB, this tribute, from our ABOVE AND BEYOND page:
"...WE WERE YOUNG. WE HAVE DIED. REMEMBER US. ...OUR DEATHS ARE NOT OURS; THEY ARE YOURS; THEY WILL MEAN WHAT YOU MAKE THEM... ...WHETHER OUR LIVES AND OUR DEATHS WERE FOR PEACE AND A NEW HOPE OR FOR NOTHING WE CANNOT SAY; IT IS YOU WHO MUST SAY THIS. ...WE LEAVE YOU OUR DEATHS. GIVE THEM THEIR MEANING. WE WERE YOUNG... WE HAVE DIED. REMEMBER US." from "Young Dead Soldier" by Archibald MacLeish.
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WASP / WAFS / WASP TRAINEES KILLED FLYING FOR THEIR COUNTRY
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JANE DOLORES CHAMPLIN
Class 43-W-4 Trainee
Born: May 14, 1917 Chicago, Illinois
Graduate: Arcadia College St. Louis University
Jane entered flight training to become a WASP at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on February 21, 1943. On the night of June 7, she and her instructor were killed in a BT-15 while on a training flight near Avenger Field.
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SUSAN PARKER CLARKE
Class 44-W-2
Born: 1918 Cooperstown, New York
Graduate: High school, Cooperstown Attended: Secretarial school, NY City.
Susan entered WASP flight training at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas in September, 1943 and graduated on March 11, 1944. She was then stationed with the 33rdFerrying Group at Fairfax Field, Kansas City, Missouri.
She lost her life on July 4, 1944 when the BT-13 she was ferrying crashed near Columbia, South Carolina.
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MARJORIE LAVERNE DAVIS
Class 44-W-9 Trainee
Marjorie learned to fly in Sparks, Nevada, and entered training to become a WASP at Avenger field, Sweetwater, Texas in June, 1944.
She was killed on the night of October 16, 1944 while on a cross country training flight in an AT-6 near Walnut, Mississippi.
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KATHERINE ‘KAY’ APPLEGATE DUSSAQ
Class: 44-W-1
Born: Dayton, Washington
Graduate: Harrington High School
Attended: Stanford, Washington State College, Pullman, WA.and Whitman College, WA
Kay entered flight training to become a WASP at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on August 9, 1943, and graduated on February 11, 1944. Her first duty station was Sioux Falls Army Air Base, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She was then transferred to Randolph Army Air Base, San Antonio, Texas (HQ/CFTC)), then to Fort Worth, Texas (FTC, Hq.)
She was killed when the AT-6 she was flying on an administrative cross-country flight crashed on the night of November 26, 1944 near New Carlisle, Ohio.
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MARJORIE DORIS EDWARDS
Class: 44-W-6 Trainee
Born: September 28, 1918 Fullerton, California
Graduate: Anaheim Union High School and Santa Barbara State College
Marjorie entered WASP flight training at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on December 7, 1943.
She died in the crash of an AT-6 near Childress, Texas, while on a cross-country training flight.
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JAYNE ELIZABETH ERICKSON
Class: 44-W-6 Trainee
Born: April 24, 1921 Seattle, Washington
Graduate: High School: Issaquah, Washington
Attended: University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
Jayne reported for WASP flight training to Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas in January, 1944.
While flying an AT-6, she was killed in a mid-air collision in the traffic pattern at Avenger on April 16, 1944.
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CORNELIA FORTWAFS
Born: February 5, 1919 Nashville, Tennessee
Graduate: Ward-Belmont and Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY.
Cornelia reported for duty as a WAFS in October, 1942. She lost her life on March 21, 1943 in a mid-air collision near Abilene, Texas, while on a ferrying mission in a BT-13.
Cornelia was the first casualty of an American woman pilot on active duty.Her death was attributed to the 'pilot error' of a young male pilot flew too close to her plane...causing a mid-air collision and Cornelia's death.
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FRANCES FORTUNE GRIMES
Class: 43-W-3
Born: Deer Park, Maryland
Graduate: High school, West Virginia, West Virginia University, University of Pittsburgh
Frances entered WASP flight training at Houston Municipal Airport, Houston, Texas on January 15, 1943 and graduated at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas, July 3, 1943.
Her active duty assignment was to the 5th FG/ATC at Love Field, Dallas, Texas. She was killed shortly after take-off from Otis Field, Massachusetts in an A-24 attack bomber on March 27, 1944.
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MARY E. HARTSONClass: 43-W-5
Born: January 11, 1917 Portland, Oregon
Graduated: Washington High School, Portland, Oregon
Mary entered flight training to become a WASP on April 6, 1943 at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas and was graduated on September 11, 1943. She was progressively stationed at four different bases: Dodge City Army Air Base, Kansas; Coffeyville ArmyAir Base, Kansas; Independence Army Air Field, Kansas and Perrin Army Air Base, Sherman, Texas.
She was killed on August 14, 1944, while flight testing a BT-13 at Perrin.
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MARY HOLMES HOWSONClass: 44-W-4 Trainee
Born: February 16, 1919 Wayne, Pennsylvania
Graduate: Smith College
Mary began her flight training to become a WASP on November 1, 1943 at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas.
While returning from a cross-country flight in a PT-19, Mary was killed in a mid-air collision in the traffic pattern at Avenger Field, on April 16, 1944-- just three weeks before her scheduled graduation.
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EDITH ‘EDY’ CLAYTON KEENEClass: 44-W-1
Born: Canton, Montana
Graduate: Pomona schools Pomona Junior College and UCLA
On August 9,1943, Edith arrived at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas to begin training to become a WASP, and graduated on February 11, 1944. She was assigned to Hondo Army Air Field, Hondo, Texas and later transferred to Moore Army Air Base, Mission, Texas.
She was killed on April 25, 1944 while on a routine flight in an AT-6 that crashed near Mission.
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KATHRYN BARBARA LAWRENCEClass: 43-W-8 Trainee
Born: December 3, 1920 Grand Forks, North Dakota
Graduate: High school, Grand Forks University of North Dakota
Kathryn entered training to become a WASP at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on July 10. 1943.
She was killed on August 4, 1943, while flying a PT-19 on a routine training flight at Avenger Field.
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HAZEL YING LEE
Class: 43-W-4
Born: August, 1912 Portland, Oregon
Attended: Commerce High School, Portland
Hazel entered WASP flight training on February 21, 1943 and graduated from Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on August 7, 1943. She was assigned to the 3rd Ferrying Group, Romulus, Michigan.
While flying a P-63, she was killed in a mid-air collision on the final approach at Great Falls, Montana, November 23, 1944.
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PAULA RUTH LOOPClass: 43-W-2
Born: August 25, 1916 Wakita, Oklahoma
Graduate: Manchester H.S., OK
Oklahoma College for Women Attended: Oklahoma A&M
Paula began her training to become a WASP on December 19, 1942 at Houston Municipal Airport, Houston, Texas and graduated at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on May 28, 1943. She was then stationed at Romulus Army Air Base, Michigan, with the 3rd FG/ATC, as a ferry pilot.
She was killed in the crash of a BT-13 near Medford, Oregon on July 7, 1944, while on a ferrying mission.
Embeded into Paula's granite tombstone--her precious silver wings
with these words: "Into The Mosiac Of Victory, This Priceless Piece Was Set"
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ALICE E. LOVEJOYClass: 43-W-5
Born: Scarsdale, New York, 1919On April 6, 1943
Alice entered WASP flight training at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas. She graduated on September 11, 1943. Her first assignment was to the 3rdFerrying Group,Romulus, Michigan, later being transferred for pursuit training to Brownsville, Texas.
During a training mission near Brownsville on September 13, 1944, she was killed in a mid-air collision in an AT-6.
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LEA OLA McDONALDClass 44-W-3
Born: October 12, 1921 Hollywood, Arkansas
Graduate: High school, Plainview, Texas
Attended: Wayland Baptist College and West Texas State Teachers College
Lea entered WASP flight training at Houston Municipal Airport, Houston,Texas on October 4, 1944.
She graduated at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on April 5, 1944. After graduation, she was stationed at Biggs Army Air Field, El Paso, Texas, and was killed while flying an A-24 attack bomber on a practice flight on June 21, 1944.
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PEGGY WILSON MARTINClass: 44-W-4
Born: Feb 8, 1912 Seattle, Washington.
Peggy entered flight training to become a WASP on November 1, 1943 at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas, and graduated on May 23, 1944. She was stationed at Marianna Army Air Base, Marianna, Florida.
She was killed while engineering test flying a BT-13 on October 3, 1944.
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VIRGINIA C. MOFFATT
Class: 43-W-2
Born: Los Angeles, California area.
Graduate: Fremont High School, Los Angeles
Virginia reported to the Houston Municipal Airport, Houston, Texas on December 19, 1942 to begin her flight training to become a WASP, and was in the first class of women to graduate at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas, May 28, 1943. She was then assigned to the 6th Ferrying Group, Long Beach Army Air Base, California.
She was killed while flying a BT-15 on a routine flight, 5 October 1943.
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BEVERLY JEAN MOSESClass: 44-W-5
Born: December 21, 1923, Des Moines, Iowa
Graduate: North High School & AJB Business School.
Beverly entered training to become a WASP on December 7, 1943 and graduated on June 27, 1944 at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas. She was stationed at Las Vegas Army Air Field, Nevada.
While flying as the co-pilot in an AT-11, she was killed in a crash in the mountains near Las Vegas on July 18, 1944.
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DOROTHY MAE ‘DOTTIE’ NICHOLSClass: 43-W-2
Graduate: UCLA
Dottie reported to the Houston Municipal Airport, Houston, Texas on December 19, 1942 to train to become a WASP. She was a member of the first class to graduate at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on May 28, 1943. She was assigned to the 6thFerrying Group at Long Beach Army Air Field, California.
While ferrying a P-39 from Buffalo, New York, she was killed just aftertake-off outside Bismarck, North Dakota on June 11, 1944.
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JEANNE LEWELLEN NORBECKClass: 44-W-3
Born: November 14, 1912, Columbus, Indiana
Graduate: Columbus High School, Washington State College, Pullman, Washington.
Jeanne entered WASP flight training at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas in October, 1943 and graduated on April 15, 1944.
She was assigned to Shaw Army Air Base, Sumpter, South Carolina (BT-13 Modification Center), and was killed there on October 16, 1944, while flight testing a BT-13.
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MARGARET SANFORD OLDENBURG Class: 43-W-4 Trainee
Graduate: University of California
Margaret was the first trainee fatality in the WASP program. She began her flight training to become a WASP at Houston Municipal Airport, Houston, Texas on February 21, 1943.
She was killed on a routine training flight in a PT-19 on March 7, 1943 at the training base at Houston.
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MABEL VIRGINIA RAWLINSONClass: 43-W-3
Born: March 19, 1917 Kalamazoo, Michigan
Graduate: Western Michigan College of Education, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Mabel reported to Houston Municipal Airport, Houston, Texas on January 15, 1943 to begin her flight training to become a WASP. She graduated from Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on July 3, 1943.
She was then assigned to a tow-target squadron at Camp Davis Army Air Field, North Carolina.
She was killed in the crash of an A-24 attack bomber on August 23, 1943.
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GLEANNA ROBERTS
Class: 44-W-9 Trainee
Born: January 11, 1919 Sharon Township, Iowa
Graduate: Sharon Center H.School & University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Gleanna entered training at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas in June, 1944 to become a WASP.
On June 20, 1944, she was killed while on a routine training flight in a PT-17 near Lorraine, Texas.
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MARIE MICHELL ROBINSONClass: 44-W-2
Born: Michigan
Graduate: National Park Junior College,Washington, D. C.
Marie began her flight training to become a WASP at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas in September, 1943 and graduated on March 11, 1944. She was stationed with the 5thFerrying Group at Love Field, Dallas, Texas, and later transferred to the Bombardier Training School, Victorville, California.
On October 2, 1944, Marie was killed when the B-25 she was co-piloting crashed in the mountains near Victorville, California.
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BETTIE MAE SCOTTClass: 44-W-3
Born: July 26, 1921 Monrovia,California
Graduate: Arcadia-Duarte High School Attended: Pasadena Junior College
Bettie Mae entered flight training to become a WASP in October, 1943 at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas and graduated on April 15, 1944. She was stationed at Waco Army Air Field, Waco, Texas, a Basic Flying Training School.
She was killed while flight testing aBT-13 on July 8, 1944.
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DOROTHY E. SCOTT
WAFS
Born: February 16, 1920 Seattle, Washington
Attended: University of Washington
Dorothy entered the WAFS in October, 1942. She wasfirst assigned to the 5thFerrying Division, Love Field, Dallas, Texas and later transferred for pursuit training to Palm Springs Army Air Base, California.
While flying with her instructor in an AT-6, she was killed in a mid-air collision on December 3, 1943.
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MARGARET JUNE ‘PEGGY’ SEIPClass: 43-W-5 Trainee
Born: June 24, 1916 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Graduate: Lawrence College, Appleton, Wisconsin
Margaret entered flight training atAvenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on April 6, 1943 to become a WASP. She, together with her instructor and a fellow class-mate, was killed in the crash of a UC-78 near Big Springs, Texas, August 30, 1943, on a routine training flight.
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HELEN JO ANDERSON SEVERSON
Class: 43-W-5 Trainee
Born: November 2, 1918 Marvin, South Dakota.
Graduate: South Dakota State University & University of Illinois
Helen Jo reported to Avenger Field,Sweetwater, Texas on April 6, 1943 to begin her training to become aWASP.
She, together with her instructor and a fellow class-mate, was killed on a routine training flight in a UC-78 near Big Springs, Texas, August 30, 1943.
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MARIE ETHEL SHARONClass 43-W-4
Born: April 21, 1917 Forsythe, Montana
Graduate: Jefferson High School, Portland, Oregon
Marie began her training to become a WASP on February 14, 1943 at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas. She graduated from Avenger Field on August 7, 1943. She was then stationed at Long Beach Army Air Base, California and assigned to the 6thFerrying Group.
She and her instructor were killed on April 10, 1944 near Tecumseh, Nebraska, while flying a B-25 on a night flying instrument training mission.
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EVELYN SHARPClass: WAFS
Born: October 20, 1919 Melstone, Montana. (Grew up in Ord, Nebraska.)
Everyn entered the WAFS in October, 1942. She was assigned to the 2nd Ferrying Group, New Castle Army Air Base, Wilmington, Delaware.
She was killed on April 3, 1944 when an engine on the P-38 she was ferrying failed on take-off at New Cumberland, Pennsylvania (Evelyn was one of the most experienced women pilots in America, with 2,968 hours of flying time when she entered the WAFS.)
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BETTY PAULINE STINEClass 44-W-2 Trainee
Born: Fort Worth, Texas
Attended: University of Arizona
Betty entered training to become a WASP at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas in September, 1943.
On February 25, 1944,during her last cross-country flight before graduation, she was killed when she was forced to bail out of her AT-6 over the mountains near Tucson, Arizona.
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Class: 43-W-8
Born: Aberdeen, Idaho
Graduate: Albion State Normal School & Eastern Washington State College
Marian began her training to become a WASP at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on July 10, 1943 and graduated December 17, 1943. She was stationed at a Basic Flying Training School at Lemoore Army Air Base, Lemoore,California.
She was killed near San Jose, California, while flying a BT-13 from Lemoore to Fresno, California on February 18, 1944.
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GERTRUDE TOMPKINS-SILVER
Class: 43-W-7
Born: October 16, 1912 Jersey City, New Jersey,
Graduate: Private School, Summit, New Jersey & Pennsylvania School of Horticulture.
Gertrude reported to Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas in June, 1943 to begin her training to become a WASP. She graduated on November 13, 1943. She was stationed at Love Field, Dallas, Texas, with the 5th Ferrying Group.
After departing on a ferrying mission from Los Angeles, California in a P-51 for the East Coast, she never arrived, and no traces of her were ever found. (She is the only WASP not accounted for.)
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MARY ELIZABETH TREBING
Class: 43-W-4
Born: Dec. 31, 1920 Royalton, Illinois
from Mary's brother Bill: "She attended the first four years of grade-school there and at that time our family moved to Lafayette, Colorado where she went to grade school. We then moved to Louisville, Colorado and she went to more grade school there. These were tough times for the whole nation and in order to find work we moved to Gowen, Oklahoma in the 30's. She graduated from High School in Hartshorne, Oklahoma in 1941 and from there went on to graduate from Oklahoma A&M college in Wilburton, Oklahoma.".
Mary reported for WASP training at AvengerField, Sweetwater, Texas on February 21, 1943, and graduated on August 7, 1943. She was stationed at Love Field, Dallas Texas, with the 5thFerrying Group.
She was killed on November 7, 1943, when the PT-19 she was ferrying crashed southeast of Blanchard, Oklahoma.
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MARY LOUISE WEBSTERClass: 44-W-8
Born: June 30, 1919 Ellensburg, Washington
Attended: Central Washington State College
Mary Louise went into training to become a WASP at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas in March, 1944 and graduated on October 16, 1944. She was stationed with the 33rdTraining Wing of the AFTS SE at Frederick Army Air Field, Frederick, Oklahoma.
She was killed on December 9, 1944, while flying as co-pilot in a UC-78.
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BONNIE JEAN ALLOWAY WELZClass: 43-W-6
Born: June 22,1918 Bridgeport, Washington
Attended: UCLA
Bonnie reported for training to become a WASP on Easter Sunday, April 25, 1943 at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas. She graduated and became a WASP on October 9, 1943. Bonnie was sent to Dodge City, Kansas for B-26 training, and was then stationed at Harlingen Army Air Field, Harlingen, Texas, (a B-26 Flexible Gunnery School).
She was killed in the crash of a BT-13 near Randado, Texas,while on an administrative flight.
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BETTY TAYLOR WOOD
Class: 43-W-4
Born: March, 1921 New Berlin, Illinois
Graduate: Sierra Junior College, Auburn, California
Betty began her training to become a WASP at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on February 14, 1943, and graduated at Avenger on August 7, 1943. She was assigned to Camp Davis Army Air Field, Camp Davis, North Carolina, an Anti-Aircraft Artillery School.
She was killed in the crash landing of an A-24 attack bomber on September 23, 1943.
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For photos and links to more information, visit "ABOVE AND BEYOND" at WASP on the WEB.
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For photos and links to more information, visit "ABOVE AND BEYOND" at WASP on the WEB.
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As Director of Wings Across America and the proud daughter of 2 Army Air Force pilots, for me, every day is a day to remember and to honor all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Every day is a day to pray that God will continue to watch over those who are serving and will continue to bless America, all of us, every single one.
Nancy Parrish
Every day is a day to pray that God will continue to watch over those who are serving and will continue to bless America, all of us, every single one.
Nancy Parrish
ps: this posting is a copy of an existing web page--but, in posting, it gives the information another format and another way to reach search engines and a broader audience. It is important, even if it is repetition.
