Earning their wings

Lolita Harper

It was a swinging time. Big bands and Duke Ellington moved the

country, and men from all over were heading overseas to war.

Back at home, the women did not sit dormant. History has reported

the efforts of women in communities, schools and factories while

their men were away. But females had a place in the skies that few

people know about.

The women of the Women Air Force Service Pilots (also known as

WASP) will come to Costa Mesa on Wednesday to share memories of their

military aviation days at Wingnuts restaurant in Costa Mesa. The

diner, which is decorated with dozens of historical aviation trinkets

and pictures, will honor the World War II veterans at 11 a.m. with a

permanent display featuring pictures of the women in their flying

days.

Vi Cowden, of Huntington Beach, who organizes the group’s

quarterly meetings, said she was “delighted to have earned a

permanent place of honor ... where the public can enjoy a glimpse of

history.”

Wingnuts owner Gregg Diganci said he was proud to recognize the

accomplishments of the little-known heroic women at his Costa Mesa

restaurant, especially in light of the 100th anniversary of aviation.

“Though they never received formal recognition then, military

leaders said at the end of the war that WASP pilots flew wingtip to

wingtip with their flying brothers,” Diganci said.

Peter Bartis, a senior program officer with the national veterans

history project, works daily with hundreds of groups such as WASP to

gather the stories, archives and memories of America’s veterans for

permanent display at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. He

said it is imperative to increase the general education about often

overlooked heroes of this country.

“We are actively seeking out the stories of both women and

minorities so we can create a complete picture of the American

veteran,” Bartis said.

The women’s aviation group was created by Jacqueline Cochran and

Army Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold to fill the void left by the lack of

qualified male pilots who were fighting overseas, officials said. The

WASP program was designed to organize and train women for essential

military flight duties domestically.

It was an exclusive program, accepting only 1,830 women of the

25,000 who applied in 1942. That number was cut even further after

seven months of rigorous training -- only 1,047 female aviators

earned their wings.

Altogether, the women flew more than 60 million miles in 78

different military aircraft, including fighters, bombers, trainers,

troop transports and cargo haulers. New planes and those that needed

repair were transported by members of WASP. The women also trained in

aerial gunnery, tracking and searching, chemical- and

smoke-disbursing flights, engineering tests and instrumental

instruction.

The squadron was disbanded in 1944 -- when male pilots came back

to resume their positions -- without proper military distinction.

Thirty-four years later, after the women had achieved numerous other

goals, such as raising their children and helping with grandchildren,

the government recognized their wartime contributions.

Wingnuts restaurant, with decor composed of everything aviation,

will join in that recognition Wednesday with a historic display of

these female freedom fighters.