MARCY'S FLIGHT NUN TRAVEL BLOG- BRINGING A WORLD WAR II HEROINE TO HONOLULU !

 In the late 1980's there were still World War II vets who traveled to Hawaii for Memorials, Ceremonies, or to receive recognition!  This is a story of one.

Boarding first in Detroit, a woman and her husband came to First Class with several "in flight" oxygen containers. She was a World War II vet. As I set up the first container, I casually asked about the reason for travel, etc. Her husband told me they were going to a ceremony honoring the vets from World War II. Also there was a gathering of fellow WASP's, women who flew during WWII !

I came to find out that she suffered from asbestos poisoning, potentially from working on  in a navel war plant.  (I found that heartbreaking, since every one of my relatives who worked in War Plants during that war died from some sort of cancer.  I wondered if there was a correlation between the two! There sure seemed to be.)

As I monitored her oxygen and kept an eye on her condition I had a chance to spend time listening to her story!  She was newly out of high school when the war broke out.  She got a job in one of the Navel War plants, working there about a year.  But she had heard of women being recruited to fly -her real goal was to be a pilot! That was not something heard of in the military! She saved every cent she could and went to join the WASP's!

Over the course of the flight non-stop from Detroit to Honolulu I was able to chat often with this couple.  Often it was the husband who would answer the questions, since a lot of talking would make the woman breathless.

I was fascinated by her story!  So many things I didn't know about the WASP's!

Even though they flew for the military, thy were considered civilians! They had to pay to get to training, pay for their uniforms, and if one of them died while on duty, the military did not pay for the funeral!

All together 11 died in training, and another 27 died in the line of duty!

She flew many different types of aircraft across the U.S. , aircraft that often had secret cargo onboard. Sometimes her flight day consisted of 18 hour days!

She said she loved flying!  It gave her a sense of freedom she never felt before!  And the friendships she made were life long friendships! 

One of her friends died during a training flight and another due to  mechanical failure. The women got together and scrapped up enough to send their fellow WASP's bodies home for burial! The military would not pay for them, since they were considered civilians.

She often would ferry soldiers from one place to another, which is how she met her husband!  Her husband told the story: They were both just young kids.  They took one look at each other and that was it! They kept in touch, and married shortly after the war ended. 

I didn't realize that the women of WASP were considered civilians even after the war, therefore no military status or benefits for these ladies! In fact, it wasn't until 1977 that they were granted military status and veteran benefits!

So now this wonderful former pilot was going one last time to Honolulu.  She had promised herself she would go meet her fellow WASP friends, share again the memories of friendship and the wonderful world of flight!

As we neared Honolulu she grasped my hand and thanked me for listening to an "Old war horse" -as she put it!  I gave her a hug and thanked her for sharing her memories with me! I wished her well.

I was hoping I would be on her return flight, but never saw her again. I know that with needing continual oxygen for her she probably was on her last flight to Honolulu.  It broke my heart, but I also was in awe of this wonderful tiny lady who took to the skies and defied the military's discrimination of female pilots back then.

As they deplaned her husband gave me a hug and again thanked me for taking good care of them. 

I, in return Thanked them for sharing the first hand, extraordinary story of the WASPs during WWII!

Until next time, Dear Readers.

Life Is Indeed An Adventure! And Part Of The Adventure Is The Privilege Of Meeting A War Heroine Along The Way!