November 27 – Happy Birthday, Dora Dougherty Strother

nPostednon November 27, 2016

nInknew that WASPs had veteran’s benefits – but I didn’t know that wencould thank Dora Dougherty Strother (among others) for that!

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Strother and two other WASPs.

nThenWoman Airforce Service Pilots existed because of the great demand fornmilitary pilots during World War II. The women pilots flew every sortnof military aircraft – but in non-combat missions. The goal was tonfree up the male pilots for combat roles; the women pilots flewnaircraft from factories to military bases, towed drones and aerialntargets, trained new pilots, and even tested new planes. n

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nStrother,nborn on this date in 1921, had earned her pilot certificate in 1940nand later became the sixth woman in the U.S. to earn an airlinentransport pilot license. So when the call went out for WASPs, she wasnone of the 25,000+ women who applied. Only 1,075 women were acceptedninto the paramilitary program – and Strother was one of them. n

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nStrothernachieved about as much as was possible within her WASP role. Shencommanded 23 different aircraft and was honorably discharged from thenU.S. Air Force in late 1944.

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One of the planes that Strother tested, demonstrated, and trained
male pilots on is the Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber.

nShenwent on to teach flight courses, including at the University ofnIllinois. She earned her doctorate in Aviation Education in 1955 andnwas Chief Research Pilot for her university. She went on to designnhelicopter cockpits and became a test pilot for Bell HelicopternCompany. She even set two world records in helicopter flying! n

Strother became a member of “Whirly-Girls.”

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nAfternher wonderful career, which included winning the Amelia EarhartnAward, becoming an inductee in the Military Aviation Hall of Fame andnthe Texas Women’s Hall of Fame, Strother put time and effort intonmaking sure that she and other women pilots gained veteran’s statusnand benefits. After all, a whopping 28% of the WASPs made thenultimate sacrifice, dying in training or on duty. They didn’t go intoncombat, but they flew in combat zones and in combat-like situations.nThe law giving WASPs veteran’s status was signed by President JimmynCarter on Thanksgiving Day in 1977.

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nThanknyou, Dora Strother, for flying so high, achieving so much, andnasserting the rights of women to gain fair benefits for theirnefforts!

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nAlsonon this date: