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
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