Patricia Marie Jones Perry
October 9, 1921 – February 5, 1995
Class: 43-W-8
Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.)
Assigned Bases: Gardner Army Air Base (Taft, Calif.)
Planes flown: PT-19, BT-13, AT-6, PT-17
Patricia Marie Jones Perry was a member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II, trained in Class 43-8 at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. She was one of more than 1100 women who served as civilian pilots ferrying aircraft to free up men for combat.
Patricia joined WASP in 1943, becoming part of the pioneering group of women who flew military aircraft to support the war effort, often flying dangerous missions that included ferrying, test flying, and towing targets. The WASPs were initially not recognized as military, and they had to fight to receive veteran status, not doing so until 32 years after WWII, in 1977.
Patricia’s heroic story – and that of several other WASP – is featured in the April 2026 issue of The Atlantic magazine in the article titled “The Women of Avenger Field,” written by her granddaughter, journalist Ellen Cushing.
Sources:
Texas Women’s University in Denton, Texas, WASP Collection
Findagrave
The Atlantic
