W.A.S.P. TRAINING BASE: AVENGER FIELD WAR MEMORIAL

W.A.S.P.=WOMEN AIR FORCE SERVICE PILOTS

Site of World War II drama. Here girls, like male cadets learned to fly United States Army Air Forces planes. WASPs had civil service status rather than military. Of the 25,000 applicants, 1,830 were accepted; 1,074 won wings and flew 60 million miles for the U.S. Army Air Forces, receiving high praise for their record. At the request of the Air Forces’ Commanding General H.H. (“Hap”) Arnold, Jacqueline Cochran became director of women pilots. On November 17, 1942, when the first 28 trainees entered the women’s flying training detachment at Houston Municipal Airport, the program began. On February 21, 1943, it was relocated at Avenger Field, 3 miles west of Sweetwater. The last class of WASP’s graduated on December 7, 1944.