The Texas Woman’s University (TWU) library has partnered with Women Military Aviators, Inc. (WMA) to expand the university’s existing archival collection of materials regarding Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP).
Currently, the TWU library is the official archive of WASP documents, photos, and oral histories. The archive consists of information regarding WASP Generation 1: the group of women who flew transport planes and trained male pilots for combat in World War II. In a recent partnership with WMA, the university has acquired materials regarding WASP Generation 2: the women aviators who flew near – and occasionally through – combat zones and advocated for lifting the combat exclusion on American women pilots.
Even though women pilots were essential to the United States military during World War II, the WASP program was shut down at the end of the war. By the 1960s, the country experienced an increased demand for more military aviators. In the 1970s, the Department of Defense allowed women to start flying again, but they were prevented from flying in combat zones. Despite women’s active and necessary participation in military aviation, it took decades to officially end the combat exclusion. In January 2013, the Department of Defense eliminated the 1994 Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule, effectively removing the barrier to integrate women into all military occupational specialities.
By adding WASP Generation 2 materials to the TWU library archive, leaders at the WMA hope to bring attention to the unique and groundbreaking experiences of women in military aviation.