On August 29, 2009, Wings Over Miami honored three local Women Airforce Service Pilots—Frances Rohrer Sargent, Ruth Shafer Fleisher, and Helen Wyatt Snapp—who were among the 300 living WASP aviators to be honored with Congressional Gold Medals for their service in World War II.
Today, these three pilots and about 200 of their peers were present on Capitol Hill to receive their long overdue recognition for the sacrifices they made in the war effort.
“Women Airforce Service Pilots, we are all your daughters; you taught us how to fly,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to serve as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. She said the pilots went unrecognized for too long, even though their service blazed a trail for other women in the U.S. military.
You can read more about today’s ceremony here and about last year’s ceremony honoring the South Florida WASP aviators in our September news archive.
Miami