BGuthrie Photos: VA -- Arlington Natl Cemetery -- Women's Memorial

VA -- Arlington Natl Cemetery -- Women's Memorial:

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Description of Pictures: Including the Fly Girls exhibit.

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. ARLW_091229_029.JPG: "Women Airforce Service Pilots WWII" display pics follow
2. ARLW_091229_045.JPG: Fly Girls. Wings Across America's Visual History of the WASP During the early months of World War II, there was a critical shortage of combat pilots. Jacqueline Cochran, America's foremost woman pilot, convinced General Hap Arnold, the Commanding General of the Army Air Force, that women pilots, if given the same training as the male aviation cadets were receiving, would be equally capable of flying military aircraft. They could then take on some of the military flying assignments in the states, which would release male pilots for combat duty. 25,000 young women pilots applied for this experimental flight training program, but only 1,830 were accepted and took the "oath." 1074 graduated and, together with 28 WAFS (Women Auxiliary Ferrying Service) became WARP (Women Airforce Service Pilots), the first women in history to fly America's military aircraft. The WARP forever changed the role of women in aviation. Avenge Field, Sweetwater, Texas is the only air field in history used exclusively to train women pilots to fly military aircraft. It is also the only field where all three phases of military flight training (primary, basic and advanced) were taught simultaneously. WASP trainees were under the command of, and supervision of, 40 Army, Air Force commissioned officers and 81 enlisted men, who were stationed at Avenger Field. Aviation Enterprises, Ltd. (civilian contractors), with 700 civilian employees, maintained the aircraft and facilities and trained, housed and fed the WASP trainees. Trainees lived in wooden barracks with rooms called "bays." Six trainees lived in each bay which contained 6 Army cots, 7 lockers, 2 study tables and 6 chairs. It was connected to another bay, with six more trainees, by a latrine, with 2 showers, 2 sinks, and 2 commodes. From bugle call at 6am to lights out, trainees were required to march everywhere they went. As they passed by the wishing well, they often tossed coins into the fountain and made a wish, usually to pass a check ride or an exam. It was also used to "dunk" the first trainee to solo in each phase of training. Winter of 1943: Trainees are weathered in due to a terrific snowstorm which blanketed West Texas and grounded all the aircraft at Avenger Field. The primary phase of training (70 flying hours) was primarily flown from the auxiliary fields, due to the congestion of basic and advanced training planes flying from the main field, PT-19s (Fairchild) were flown until Nov. 1943, then phased out and replaced with PT-17s (Stearman). One half of each day was spent on the flight line and one half in ground school (560 hours). College level required courses included physics, math, meteorology and navigation. Other requirements included Morse Code, physical education, Link Trainer, and military training. The AT-6 advanced trainer (70 flying hours) was used to teach night flying, cross country flying and aerobatics (minimal). Both AT-6s and AT-17s were used until Oct. 1943, when the AT-17s were phased out. The basic phase of training (70 flying hours) was flown in BT-13s, learning to fly by exclusively relying on instruments. Most of the training was done "under the hood," with an accompanying instructor, or another trainee, as the "observer." After 7 months of training; it's graduation day! WASP trainees and the Big Spring AAF Band pass in review at each graduation. Jacqueline Cochran (Director of Women Pilots), Army Air Force "brass," government officials and other dignitaries attended graduations. Each graduate received her silver wings and official Army Air Force orders to report for duty at a specific Army air base or Army air field. As victory in Europe seemed certain and combat pilots began returning home, the civilian flight instructors realized their draft exempt jobs would soon be in jeopardy. They successfully lobbies the predominately male Congress for the deactivation of the WASP, so they could take over some of the women pilots' flying duties and avoid being drafted into the "walking Army." On 20 December 1944, the WASP were unceremoniously disbanded, with no honors, no benefits and few thanks. They had to pay their own way back home. The Rest of the WASP Story The WASP records were sealed, stamped "secret" or "classified" and filed away in the government archives for 33 years, unavailable to the WWII historians who recorded the history of WWII, left out of the history textbooks in America's classrooms and forgotten by the country they had so courageously served. In 1977, after months of lobbying Congress, with the help of Sen. Barry Goldwater and Bruce Arnold (Gen. Arnold's son), the WASP were finally granted the Veteran status they had earned. Seven years later, their medals came in the mail.
3. ARLW_091229_061.JPG: Jacqueline Cochran, founder and director of Women Airforce Service Pilots, WWII.
4. ARLW_091229_071.JPG: PT-17 Nicknamed the "Kaydet", the Boeing PT-17 was one of the most widely used training planes, powered by a 220 hp Lycoming radial air-cooled engine, with a 32'2" wing span and a top speed of 120 mph. In December, 1943, the PT-17 (Stearman) replaced the PT-19 (Fairchild) as the primary trainer at Avenger Field and was used until the program ended. The Stearman had a propensity to ground loop, even with the most qualified instructor pilots, because of its narrow landing gear.
5. ARLW_091229_113.JPG: Classes 43-W-4, 43-W-5, 43-W-6: Wings for these three classes were created from observer wings, as regulation pilot wings were no longer available. The observer shield was cut away, and the WASP scroll and class shield were then applied.
6. ARLW_091229_119.JPG: Classes 44-W-1 through 44-W-10: Classes 44-W-1 through 44-W-10 received the new, official WASP wings. The diamond shaped shield is said to be the shape of the shield carried by the protector of the brave, the Greek Goddess of War, Athena.
7. ARLW_091229_124.JPG: WAFS The women pilots in the Air Transport Command/Ferrying Division wore regulation ATC civilian pilot wings until official WASP wings were issued. The shield border is red and blue enamel, spelling out "A.T.C." in Morse code.
8. ARLW_091229_128.JPG: Fifinella (Fifi) WARP Mascot Fifinella: Fifinella was created by Walt Disney animators who were inspired by a story written by Roald Dahl. Using the Disney cartoon character illustrations, Roald Dahl later turned his story into a book, "The Gremlins." The little Fifinella character had been languishing in the "future projects" files in the Disney Studios, awaiting development for the animated version of "The Gremlins." Mr. Disney received a request, through a relative of WASP trainee, Byrd Granger, to use Fifinella as the mascot of the newly created 319th Army Air Force's Flying Training Detachment in Houston, Texas. Mr. Disney granted the request, and Fifinella first appeared as the name of the 319th's newsletter, the "Fifinella Gazette," on February 10, 1943. She was soon known as "Fifi". When the 319th Detachment was moved to Avenger Field and became the 318th, the little Fifi mascot moved with them. She was soon embedded on patches worn on every trainees' A-2 leather flying jacket. Fifi's mission: "Watch over them and keep them safe as they train to fly the Army Air Force's military aircraft in the skies over West Texas."
9. ARLW_091229_156.JPG: North American AT-6 "Texan" Flying overhead, in the gear-down landing position, is a model of the AT-6. The AT-6 advanced trainer, the favorite airplane of most WASP, had a 42 foot wing span, a retractable landing gear, was powered by a 600 hp Pratt and Whitney engine, had a top air speed of 210 mph and was nicknamed the "Texan." During WWII, 17,000 AT-6s (the most widely used trainer ever) were built by North American Aviation. Every WASP trainee, as well as every Army Air Force aviation cadet and Naval aviation cadet, flew the AT-6 (Navy SNJ) for advanced training before graduating and becoming military pilots. After graduating, some WASP (Ferry Command) ferried AT-6s from the factories in Dallas, Kansas City, and Columbus to air bases all over America and to points of embarkation for shipment to Great Britain. Other WASP (Training Command) flew it as engineering test pilots, low target pilots to train fighter pilots, and on photographic missions.
10. ARLW_091229_179.JPG: The picture is made up of pictures of women who served
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AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Description of Subject Matter: The Women in Military Service for America Memorial is a semi-circular memorial and information center built into the hill right at the entrance of the cemetery. There's been criticism of it that a memorial shouldn't be a museum and if you have to explain it, it really doesn't belong there but it's kind of interesting anyway. It was designed by the New York wife-and-husband architectural team of Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi.
Wikipedia Description: Women in Military Service for America Memorial
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Women in Military Service for America Memorial (WIMSA) is a memorial established by the U.S. federal government which honors women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. The memorial is located at the western end of Memorial Avenue at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States. The structure in which the memorial is housed was originally known as the Hemicycle, and built in 1932 to be a ceremonial entrance to the cemetery. It never served this purpose, and was in disrepair by 1986. Congress approved the WIMSA memorial in 1985, and the Hemicycle approved as the site for the memorial in 1988. An open design competition was won by New York City architects Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi. Their original design was leaked to the public, and caused significant controversy. Two years of fund-raising and design revision followed. A revised preliminary design was approved in July 1992, and the final design in March 1995. Ground was broken for the memorial in June 1995, and the structure dedicated on October 18, 1997.

The memorial is notable for its successful mixing of Neoclassical and Modern architecture. The memorial largely retained the Hemicycle, but added a widely praised skylight on the Hemicycle terrace that incorporates not only memorials to servicewomen but also acts as a transition to the memorial below. Construction of the memorial, however, generated a lawsuit when a nearby pylon (part of the gateway to the cemetery) was damaged. Raising funds to pay off the construction debt incurred by the memorial took several years.
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Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (VA -- Arlington Natl Cemetery -- Women's Memorial) directly related to this one: [Display ALL photos on one page]:
- 2005_VA_Arlington_Womens: VA -- Arlington Natl Cemetery -- Women's Memorial (7 photos from 2005)
- 2000_VA_Arlington_Womens: VA -- Arlington Natl Cemetery -- Women's Memorial (6 photos from 2000)
- 1998_VA_Arlington_Womens: VA -- Arlington Natl Cemetery -- Women's Memorial (7 photos from 1998)
Same Subject: Click on this link to see coverage of items having the same subject: [Arlington National Cemetery (Everything)] [Arlington National Cemetery (Non-Events)] [Display ALL Arlington National Cemetery (Non-Events) photos] [Cemeteries] [Memorials]
2009 photos: Equipment this year: I mostly used the Fuji S100fs. I've also got a Nikon D90 and a newer Fuji -- the S200EHX -- both of which are nice but I still prefer the flexibility of the Fuji. Trips this year: Niagara Falls, NY, New York City, Civil War Trust conferences in Gettysburg, PA and Springfield, IL, and my 4th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including Los Angeles, Yosemite, Death Valley, Kings Canyon, Joshua Tree, etc). Ego strokes: I had a picture of a Lincoln-Obama cupcake sculpture published in Civil War Times and WUSA-9, the local CBS affiliate, ran a quick piece on me. A picture that I took at the annual Abraham Lincoln Symposium appeared in the National Archives' "Prologue" magazine. I became a volunteer with the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Number of photos taken this year: 417,000.
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