On the recordMarch 3, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 239. As Chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel and as co-Chair of the Women's Caucus Task Force on Women in the Military and Veterans, I am privileged to recognize their service. We are all familiar with the icon of Rosie the Riveter, working in war factories during World War II. Her motto was, ``We can do it.'' Well, the Women Airforce Service Pilots did it, too. Almost 70 years ago, they became pioneers for women's equality in the armed services. As civilian pilots under the direction of the U.S. Army Air Forces, flying noncombat missions from 1942 to 1944, they bravely stepped into service while their male counterparts were sent to combat. The Women Airforce Service Pilots are referred to as the ``WASP.'' Unlike many acronyms used in the military, this is an apt name. For like WASP, their work demanded a unique combination of feistiness and strength, underlined by loyalty to their fellow WASP and their country. They flew every type of military aircraft in every kind of mission except combat. They ferried aircraft from factories to military installations. They towed aerial targets, transported cargo, and served in training exercises. There were 38 of them, roughly, 1,100 women who lost their lives during the war. There are only about 300 surviving WASP. I am astounded by their tenacity and by their bravery.
