I've been busy the last few weeks sorting, liquidating and preparing an estate sale for a client whose father was a WWII pilot. I've stumbled across several interesting items and treasures. Among my favorites in this current estate was a photograph of a smiling young woman in in a flight jacket and pilot's hat. The photograph was labeled Faye Wolfe Olney WASP Class 44-4.
I was intrigued by this woman. Who was she? What was the WASP Class 44-4? Well, I've had a lot of trouble identifying this woman but what I do know is that she became a pilot in WWII. She was part of a limited group of women (just 1,074). These women served their country by flying non-combat missions for the Army. These wo
men had pilot's licenses and were trained "the Army Way". Over 25,000 women applied to the WASP program but ultimately only 1,074 earned their wings. WASP standing for Women's Airforce Service Pilot.Most of the women in the WASP were white. There were two Chinese American women, one of whom died after a collision on a runway. There was a single Native American pilot and no black women were allowed to join. The WASP were considered civil service and did not receive military benefits.
For a time morale was low among these brave women who stepped forward to serve their country and shine as examples for young women of future generations. In order to b
oost the spirits of these brave young women a newsletter was started called the Fifnella Gazette. The name Fifinella came from a story about flying gremlins by Ronald Dahl and the logo for these women's uniform patches and decals was drawn by Walt Disney.So, Miss Faye Wolf Olney still remains a research in progress. I've been able to locate her name several times as a graduate of the WASP program on websites and archives but I've yet to learn anything about Faye the woman. If anyone knows who she was contact me and tell me all about her. I believe these women should be remembered and honored not only for the service to their country but for pushing the envelope and opening doors for the young women to follow behind them.
