Writing my first historical novel (She Flew Bombers) was purely a serendipitous experience, full of surprise adventures as I began my journey discovering unknown amazing powerful women.
I had been working full time as the owner and director of a large childcare center, and to make life easier my brother gave me a brand-new Mac laptop. I was thrilled at how it could copy and paste, and correct errors by simply pressing delete and not having to use the difficult “correcto-type” tape used with an electric typewriter. I used my new laptop for my business but soon felt compelled to use it to write a book.
I decided to go through my mother’s large scrapbook packed with information and memorabilia about her career in the Women’s Army Corp, (WACs) during WWII. Surely this would make an exciting novel since I had never met anyone else who had a mother in the army.
But I was disappointed to learn that she was never sent overseas for adventures, she remained stationed at the Columbia Army Air Base in Columbia, South Carolina working as a stenographer/ secretary, even though she had attained the rank of Colonel. Of course this was a necessary wartime job, but certainly not very exciting to write about!
I remember her telling me she joined the Army, at 25 years old on May 17, 1943, because she was tired of waiting for her husband to come home from the war, and since she did not yet have children, she wanted to do her patriotic duty for the war effort just like her husband was doing.
FACT: There were 300,000 women who served in uniform. by April 1945, there were 99,000 WACS.
My dad, when he was 26 years old, had left his career as a New York Forest Ranger and enlisted in the army on January 21, 1940. Discharged in 1945 with the rank of 1st Lieutenant.
My parents got married on Feb. 21, 1941 when my dad received a three-day pass from his Army Post in Virginia.
My mother was honorably discharged from military service in Oct. 16, 1944 from the Columbia Army Air Base, Columbia, South Carolina due to pregnancy with her first child.
FACT: WACs were first permitted to remain in the Army while pregnant if they were married and requested to do so on April 9, 1971. Prior to this, a pregnant WAC would typically have had to leave the service. This change was a significant step towards greater equality for women in the military.
Fortunately, as I searched through all of the weekly newsletters that my mother saved during her enlistment in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), I found a small 3-inch article titled, “WACs find WASPs in barracks.” WASPs was an anachronism for Women Airforce Service Pilots.
This tiny “WACS FIND WASPS IN BARRACKS” article sparked my research about the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
I was totally intrigued to learn there were women pilots during WW II and discovered that many people had never heard of the WASPs.
I determined that this would be an original subject, as well as fascinating to research and write about.
In 2006, my mother was showing signs of Alzheimer’s and was living alone in the next town. I asked her about the women pilots, but she couldn’t really comprehend what I was talking about.
One day she called me up and said, “There’s a FREE dinner for veterans on veteran’s day.” Super busy full-time me responded, “That’s nice mom.” She then repeated her favorite phrase, “IT’S FREE!” I answered, “You should go to it mom”. Mom raised her voice and yelled into the phone, “You know I can’t drive at night!” I rarely went out at night due to running my daycare center and caring for my own large family. I reluctantly gave in and took her to the Veteran’s dinner nearby, she was the only woman veteran at the dinner.
We sat at the large, long table where about 30 veterans were gathered. Making the best of a dull event, I asked several vets if anyone had heard of the women pilots.
One young Vietnam war vet said to me, “I think my home economics teacher was a WASP, she taught at the local high school here in Healdsburg.”
My eyes lit up as he told me that he thought she still lived here in town. I quickly wrote her name down.
The following day I looked up the name “Florence Wheeler” in the phone book, (remember those big fat books that were delivered every year to homes?) and it turned out she lived right around the corner from my mother’s house.
MEETING MY FIRST POWERFUL AND AMAZING WOMAN:
I felt a shiver go through me as I discovered that a WASP was living right near me; one of the only 1,074 women that had served in this role during WW II.
I called her up and she invited me over and told me all about the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
Florence was a sharp 83-year-old woman and was not only in the WASPs but was also flight instructor that taught WASPs how to fly a few of the 77 different types of aircraft used during the war.
At last, I could begin my research about women pilots!
Next time:
Stay tuned for my interview of the owner of one of the first airplanes most of the WASPs learned to fly in: the surplus World War ONE Curtiss Jenny’s (Curtiss JN-4D Jenny.)
Images:
Adele, age 25
My Dad, William Slone, Age 26
Florence Wheeler, Age 87