Congressional Gold Medal ceremony

Submitted by:

LaVone Kay

Location:

Archive photos courtesy National WASP WWII Museum in The Portal to Texas History, University of North Texas Libraries.

THE OBVERSE: It depicts the portrait of a WASP with three pilots in the foreground in flight uniforms walking toward their aircraft. The clean lines of the edge are strategically broken by the aircraft, the pilot, and the feet of the women pilots ‘crossing the boundaries’ and ‘breaking thru the barrier’ of the edge. The AT-6 on this design, indicated by the number 264, represents the North America AT-6 "Texan" advanced trainer flown by pilots who went through Army Air Forces flight training. EVERY pilot had to master the AT-6 before graduating

Almost 70 years after the Women Airforce Service Pilots were disbanded with little fanfare, they finally received the Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony in the Capitol July 1st, 2009.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest award Congress can award to a civilian or group of civilians. Past honorees include the Navajo Code Talkers in 2000 and Tuskegee Airmen in 2006.

Each WASP received a smaller version of the medal to keep. The original medal will be donated to the Smithsonian Institution for display later this year with the “Women in Aviation” display at its Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.

President Barack Obama signs S.614 in the Oval Office July 1 at the White House. The bill awards a Congressional Gold Medal to Women Airforce Service Pilots. The WASP program was established during World War II, and from 1942 to 1943, more than 1,000 women joined, flying 60 million miles of noncombat military missions. Of the women who received their wings as Women Airforce Service Pilots, approximately 300 are living today. (Official White House photo/Pete Souza)

Learn more about The Portal to Texas History, University of North Texas Libraries.

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