You will love this wonderful story of a fallen hero and her upcoming honor by Congress.
Mabel was just one of 1,857 women selected (out of the 25,000 women that applied) to enter pilot training during WWII. She was also one of only 1,102 women who actually passed the rigorous training and received Army Air Corps wings. These few were the select Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP).
When Mabel Rawlinson tragically died while flying her Air Force plane, she became a member of an even smaller and more elite group of women. Mabel was, in the end, just one of 38 female pilots that died while serving in WWII. Not only did these brave and phenomenal women face blatant prejudice and receive lower pay, they also were not given full military status until 34 years after the war. The military did not even pay to transport the bodies of these fallen female patriots. Discrimination persisted for years afterward. Recognition for their service and their sacrifices has been painfully slow in coming and long overdue.
66 long years after Mabel's ultimate sacrifice for her country, she and her fellow WASP will be singled out by our current Congress with the highest honor available to Congress - the Congressional Gold Medal.
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and Senator Barbara Mikulski, D-Maryland, shepherded a bill through the Senate. When the bill was first introduced in March 2009, Sen. Mikulski's issued this press release and Sen. Hutchison issued this one.
The Senate passed it (S-614) "without exception" last Wednesday night in a mere 52 seconds. Now, this coming week, the House version (HR-2014) is expected to easily pass as well. To learn more about the medal that this young woman will soon receive posthumously, you may wish to visit the Clerk of the House web site to look at the history of the Congressional Gold Medal.
But first, please, allow me now to introduce my fallen hero to you. This is a story you will want to read!