WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an overdue victory for the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), President Obama today signed bipartisan, bicameral legislation into law to restore the inurnment rights of the WASP at Arlington National Cemetery. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) along with Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Congresswomen Martha McSally (R-AZ) and Susan Davis (D-CA) offered this legislation to return the right to these heroic women.
“Today is a victorious occasion for a revolutionary group of women who deserve to be celebrated and remembered by all. The Woman Airforce Service Pilots were early pioneers in military aviation. They willingly put their lives on the line in service to our great country, and made tremendous sacrifices to join a ground-breaking flight program to free up their male counterparts for combat duty, during World War II.
“Restoring what was once the right of the WASP to have their ashes placed at Arlington National Cemetery is undoubtedly the right thing to do in honoring these extraordinary women for their remarkable military service.
“The WASP stand in history as role models for women in the military, proving their strength and fortitude in the missions they carried out. I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with Senator Mikulski and Congresswomen McSally and Davis to honor the legacy of these truly remarkable female trailblazers within our military.”
Iowa was at one time or another, home to at least 25 courageous WASPs. While the WASP were eventually granted veteran status in 1977 “for the purposes of all laws administered by the Veterans’ Administration,” it was not until 2002 that the Army allowed these women to have their ashes placed in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. In 2015, that honor was revoked by the Army. The family of Elaine Harmon, a WASP who passed away one year ago, has been working tirelessly to reverse the Army’s decision.
