Maj. Eugene Morrow with Maj. Adela Scharr, pointing to the "Q" tube on the tail of the C-135. Photograph courtesy of The Patrice Press.

On March 10, 2010, approximately 200 women pilots were honored on Capitol Hill with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor (along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom) given by Congress.

Nearly 70 years after the war, these women, among the surviving members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), are being recognized for their service during World War II. During the war, the women, under direction of the U.S. Army’s Air Forces, flew military aircraft domestically in order to allow the male pilots to fly aircraft in combat missions overseas.

Although these women blazed a trail in the sky—being among the first women in our country’s history to pilot military aircraft—they weren’t afforded any military benefits because they weren’t considered “vets” until Congress passed a law in 1977.

More than 1,000 women from all over the United States served in the WASP, including St. Louisan Adela Riek Scharr (1907–1998). In 1935, Scharr began taking flying lessons. In five short years, she had the distinctions of being the first woman commercial pilot, ground instructor, and flight instructor in St. Louis. It was a natural fit when she was invited to fly as a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron in 1942, which later became the WASP.

After the WASP was disbanded in 1944, Scharr went back to work as a teacher in St. Louis. Her two great loves were flying and reading. In 1988, Patrice Press published her book, Sisters in the Sky: The WASP. In 1990, she created the Adela Riek Scharr Endowment at the St. Louis Public Library to fund programs and exhibits on aviation. In addition, each year the library awards the Adela Riek Scharr Medallion to someone who has contributed to aviation.

We tip our hat to all of these women pioneers! If you’d like to learn more about the WASP, including viewing video interviews, click here.

—Keri O’Brien, Editor