Yankee Doodle Gals tells the story of the WASPs (Women's Air Force Service Pilots) of World War II-the first women to fly U.S. military aircraft. In 1942 these pioneers opened up a new world for women in an era when flying was not considered "women's work". It is also the story of their almost 30-year fight for official military recognition, which did not come unti1970. Each chapter features real-life stories that focus on the courage and determination these women showed in fulfilling their wartime mission as well as on some of the fun they had. Although they never flew combat missions, they flew a whole range of other missions so that men would be available to fight overseas. WASPs helped train troops by dragging banners behind their planes so the men could practice shooting at moving targets. They learned to fly all kinds of planes-training planes, fighters, bombers, assault and cargo planes-so that they could deliver them from factories to bases from which the planes were sent overseas. They were also test pilots who had the dangerous job of flying repaired planes before these aircraft were approved for combat duty.
But they also knew how to have fun in their spare time, writing songs, putting on skits, going on picnics and to the movies. Thirty-eight WASPs lost their lives, yet because the WASPs were not officially part of the military their families received no death benefits. Everything they did they did because they wanted to do their part for the war effort and because they loved to fly, it was a crushing blow when the Army ended the program almost as quickly as it had started it. All these expert fliers had no place to go-commercial airlines weren't hiring women pilots, and it would be 30 years before women were allowed to fly again for the military. By that time, public opinion had changed. People thought women should have the same opportunities as men. In 1977 Congress passed a bill that recognised WASPs as veterans with full benefits. Today a bronze statue of a WASP stands at the Air Force Academy to inspire cadets to meet new challenges bravely just as the first WASPs did.
