General Henry Arnold and The United States Airforce Essay

Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War Two “You and more than 900 of your sisters have shown that you can fly wingtip to wingtip with your brothers. If ever there was doubt in anyone’s mind that women can become skillful pilots the WASPs have dispelled that doubt.”-General Hap Arnold. The Idea to have women flying planes in World War two started when a pilot named Jacqueline Cochran sent a letter to the first Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt. Another woman named Nancy Harkness

known to show strength, wisdom, bravery, and many other heroic characters. Jacqueline Cochran showed her heroic attributes when she came into WWII looking for a way for women to make a difference and fight in the war. Jaqueline founded WASP, Women Airforce Service Pilots, she made an impact in so many women’s lives by making them more included in the war instead of staying at home waiting for updates. Jacqueline shows the heroic traits that goddesses such as Athena showed in ancient Greece.

With a great amount of women in the workforce, the second World War was sure to change society’s perspective of women and women’s perspective of themselves. WWII changed the United States for women, and at the same time women changed their nation. Over 350,000 women volunteered for military service while 20 times as many stepped into civilian jobs, that were previously male-owned. More than 7,000,000 women who hadn’t earned a signal wage before the war, like me, joined the already 11,000,000 women

When one considers important events in US history, things like the American Revolution, the Westward Expansion, or the Civil Rights Movement come to mind. One in particular that I find compelling, is the creation of the Women Airforce Service Pilots better known as WASPs, during World War II. I find it interesting because prior to this time and after this period, woman had a very limited social status. But for a brief time in the 1940s, women achieved not only job equality but went above and beyond

and most even discouraged them. Because the many contributions of women during WWII went unnoticed, even today, Americans need to learn the sacrifices many women made while still being treated as less than a man. Only from these mistakes can the United States learn to recognize the women that serve this country on a daily basis.