On December 7, 1941, Japanese Navy Air Services launched a surprise military strike on Pearl Harbor, an American Naval base located in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

This along with other important events led up to the beginning of War World II for the United States. This war enlisted 8 million American men and women to serve our country. Among these are the legendary WASPS, a group of women aviators.

Meet Hannah “Nancy” Lincoln Harkness Love born on February 14, 1914, in Houghton, Michigan. When Love was a teenager, a pilot offered residents in her hometown plane rides for a small fee, sparking Love’s passion for flying. Despite their disapproval, Love's parents agreed to get her lessons. She obtained her private pilot’s license at the age of 16 after one month.

Nancy Harkness Love

Love, an accomplished pilot and leader, was an early supporter of women’s equal involvement in military service. She formed the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron or WAFS, which enlisted women pilots to transport training aircrafts from factories to training bases for the military.

Now meet Jacqueline Cochran, born on May 11, 1906 in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, she was known to live life on her own terms. In her early twenties, her husband convinced her to get her pilot's license. She attended Roosevelt Flying School, where she attained her license in three weeks. 

   Jacqueline Cochran

Cochran, one of the most well-known aviators of her time, tried to interest the US Army Air Corps in women pilots who could be trained to fly military aircrafts. After being rejected, Jacqueline recruited several women pilots for the Women's Flying Training Detachment or WFTD in 1941.

Since most of the men in the air force were called out for combat duty during the war, it left a gap in the air force. And on June 28, 1943 Love and Cochran were brought together to merge their two groups into what was known as the Women's Airforce Service Pilots or WASP to fill in for these men.

I thought it meant WASP like the insect!

After finishing their training, Women Airforce Service Pilots were handed orders to report to one of 125 Army air bases or airfields across the U.S.; 23 of those bases were located in Texas.

              What were WASP's duties?

Their missions included transporting other soldiers, ferrying planes, tracking radar, providing instrument training to cadets, testing engineering repairs, as well as multiple other assignments.