Discussions of the American women who participated in
World War II has a tendency to revolve around the Women’s Army Corps (WACs),
Women’s Nurse Corps, or of the thousands of women who worked in defense plants
all across the country, who had picked up where their husbands, sons, and
fathers had left off. While most people have basic understandings of women’s
participation in the Navy via the WAVES and in the Air Corps via the WASPS during
World War II, less is known about the women who started it all – the women who
paved the way for female service in the United States military.
For this Women’s History Month, it is important to pay
tribute to the women who opened the door to and began conversations about
women’s involvement, treatment, and equality in the United States. When
thinking of the World War II generation of women who had a great influence on
our position in society today, my thoughts ran to Eleanor Roosevelt and the many
Rosie the Riveters. However, this post is dedicated to all the unsung heroes,
such as the lovely Jacqueline (Jackie) Cochran, who not only was a founder of
the Women’s Army Service Pilots (WASPs) during World War II, but also helped
normalize women in aviation in America. Jackie Cochran’s story is lesser known
and for someone who was instrumental in American aviation and military history,
she deserves to be recognized on this platform and many others.
Jacqueline Cochran was born May 11, 1906 in Florida. Soon
an orphan, Jackie spent much of her childhood living with a foster family and
grew up in poverty. As a teenager, Jackie began training to be a beautician,
and as a young adult, made her way up the social ladder while residing in New
York City and working in a prestigious salon on Saks Fifth Avenue. In 1932,
Jackie married millionaire financier Floyd Odlum, which provided her the means
and supported her in pursing other interests, such as taking flying lessons. In
her 1953 autobiography, Jackie stated that, “at that moment, when I paid for my first
lesson, a beauty operator ceased to exist and an aviator was born."
By the time World War II broke out in 1939 in Europe, Jackie had
already established herself within the aviation community, having set and broke
various flying records. Believing that she and other female pilots could put
their passion and skill to good use serving their country, Jackie appealed to
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to create a “squadron of female pilots…who [in the
eventual U.S. involvement in the conflict] could fly military aircraft on
support missions, releasing men for combat duty.” However, it was not until
1941 and 1942 did Jackie see her dream of flying for the military come to fruition.
After being inspired by the female pilot squadrons utilized in England, Jackie
returned to America and with the blessing of President Roosevelt, “hand-picked
25 American women recruits” to implement female aviation into the U.S. Army Air
Corps by ferrying planes. After their success, Jackie was asked to organize a
program for training women pilots in the United States. In 1943, Cochran’s
program became known as the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs).
The WASPs boasted impeccable flying records, and in “January 1944, the
War Department announced that the Army Air Forces women's fatal and non-fatal
accident rates were lower than the men's.” Cochran and the WASPs continued to
train and fly non-combative missions for several months more, but the end of
1944 and the turn of the war in the Allies’ favor deemed the WASPs’ service
obsolete and unnecessary. Jackie hoped that Congress would make the WASPs an
official branch of the U.S. military, but this dream was not to be. The WASPs
were grounded and absolved on December 20, 1944.
Jackie’s flying career did not end with the disbandment of her
creation, the WASPs. After the war, she continued to fly and break more
records. She competed in many races, such as the Bendix Race, “coming in second
with a time of four hours and 52 minutes.” Moreover, the 1950s saw further
aviation accomplishments for Jackie, including record speeds for “propeller
driven aircraft” and becoming the “first woman to break the sound barrier.”
Jackie continued to derive passion for flying until her health and her
husband’s death began to inhibit her career. After Floyd died in 1976, Jackie,
who was aged 70 at the time, saw her health deteriorate further, and she passed
away on August 9, 1980. Jacqueline Cochran loved flying until the day she died,
and was instrumental in creating more roles for women in not only the U.S. Air
Force, but within the aviation community as a whole. If Jackie had been alive
in 2009, it would have pleased her immensely to witness President Obama sign the
bill that awarded Congressional Gold Medals to veterans of the WASPs.
-Meika
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