There from the Beginning Women in the US Air Force Marissa Kester Captain, USAFR Historian Air University Press Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama On the cover: Elizabeth L. Remba Gardner of Rockford, Illinois, WASP (Women’s Airforce Service Pilots), Class 43-W-6, at Harlingen Army Airfield, Texas, 1943. (Source: NARA) Published by Air University Press in August 2021 600 Chennault Circle, Building 1405 Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6010 Donna Budjenska, Project Editor Megan N. Hoehn, Print Specialist Tim Thomas, Illustrator Tameka Kibble, Distribution Air University Press https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/AUPress/ https://www.facebook.com/AirUnivPress https://twitter.com/aupress Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Kester, Marissa N., author. | Air University (U.S.). Press, issuing body. Title: There from the beginning : women in the US Air Force / Marissa N. Kester. Other titles: Women in the US Air Force Description: Maxwell AFB, AL : Air University Press, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: “Women have served in the United States Air Force since its inception, the first US military branch to rightfully claim that distinction. This monograph explores that history through research in archives, other published sources, and oral interviews”-- Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2021027376 (print) | LCCN 2021027377 (ebook) | ISBN 9781585663101 (paperback) | ISBN 9781585663101 (Adobe pdf) Subjects: LCSH: United States. Air Force--Women--History. | Women soldiers--United States--History. Classification: LCC UB418.W65 (print) | LCC UB418.W65 (ebook) | DDC 355.00820973--dc23 | SUDOC D 301.26/6:W 84 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021027376 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021027377 Disclaimer Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of the organizations with which they are associated or the views of the Air University Press, Air University, United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or any other US government agency. This publication is cleared for public release and unlimited distribution. Reproduction and printing are subject to the Copyright Act of 1976 and applicable treaties of the United States. This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This pub- lication is provided for noncommercial use only. The author has granted nonexclusive royalty- free license for distribution to Air University Press and retains all other rights granted under 17 U.S.C. §106. Any reproduction of this document requires the permission of the author. This book and other Air University Press publications are available electronically at the AU Press website: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/AUPress. Unless otherwise indicated, figures obtained via the US Department of Defense. The appear- ance of US Department of Defense (DOD) visual information does not imply or constitute DOD endorsement. This book is dedicated to all the women who have served to protect their nation, communities, and families, and to the men who have supported them. The difficulty lies not in new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones. —John Maynard Keynes Contents List of Illustrations ix Foreword xi About the Author xiii Preface xv Acknowledgments xix Abbreviations xxi 1 Pioneers: Inception–1947 1 2 Beginnings: 1948–1953 17 3 Survival: The 1950s and 1960s 37 4 Revolution Stirring: Public Law 90-130 and Vietnam 61 5 Turning Points: The 1970s 73 6 Having It All?: The 1980s and 1990s 97 7 A New World: 2000–2020 117 8 Conclusions and Observations: 2021 and Beyond 155 Appendix A: Women in the Air Force (WAF) Directors 171 Appendix B: Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948, Title III: Air Force 173 Appendix C: Recommendations for Further Reading 181 Chronology 183 Bibliography 191 Index 205 vii List of Illustrations Figures 1 Pioneer American aviator Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran 8 2 Four WASPs leave their B-17 Flying Fortress 9 3 Barbara Erickson receiving an Air Medal 11 4 Eight WASPs at the Army Air Force’s advanced single engine pilot school, 1943 12 5 Col Geraldine Pratt May 20 6 The first Air Force uniforms, early 1950s 25 7 Excerpt from 1957 WAF handbook offering makeup application routines 40 8 Members of the Officer’s Training School, 1960 43 9 Esther Blake McGowin, the first woman to enlist in the Air Force, 1948 46 10 Col Jeanne M. Holm with other directors of US women’s forces directors 62 11 Air Force nurse 1st Lt Linda V. Bowser, 1974 68 12 US Air Force Academy yearbook highlighting first female graduates, 1980 81 13 The first 10 Air Force women to graduate from Undergraduate Pilot Training, 1977 83 14 Aircraft mechanic A1C Janet E. Wuco, 1974 84 15 WAF air traffic controller assigned to the 2021st Communication Squadron, 1974 87 16 Airman 1st Class Scott during Exercise Bold Eagle, 1982 100 17 TSgt Tony Tesori briefs aircrews during Operation Desert Storm 104 ix ILLUSTRATIONS 18 General McPeak introduces the Air Force’s first female combat pilots, 1993 110 19 Amn Anne Moor, 24th Security Police Squadron, 1996 111 20 SSgt Melishia Francis prepares her breast pump, 2018 133 21 Lt Col Christine Mau, first female to fly the F-35 137 22 39th Security Forces Squadron Airmen in new body armor, 2021 139 23 Maj Christina “Thumper” Hopper 141 24 The first all- female C-130 combat mission, 2005 142 Table 1 Women in Regular and Reserve Components of Air Force 117 x Foreword This book documents the many significant and diverse contribu- tions made by women in the United States Air Force. Capt Marissa Kester has captured their legacy in this concise volume by tracing this important history from its inception. The contributions made by this group of Citizen Airmen parallel the history of the broader Air Force narrative, and this book provides the reader with insight into how women, over time, have served in all Air Force missions. The contributions of women have expanded to include all aspects of Air Force operations as they overcame challenges and pursued their goals with a relentless determination. Moreover, their history includes their rise to the highest and most sensitive leadership posi- tions and executing the most dangerous of missions. This volume documents those achievements by telling many of the stories of val- iant women war fighters serving their country while working in their communities and supporting their families. This narrative also illu- minates the story of how, in the face of doubt and criticism, women have met many challenges in quiet fashion and proved themselves to be highly capable professionals. These contributions and notable achievements provided over many decades add an important and significant depth to the broader Air Force history narrative. In 2002, Rebecca Grant referred to women Airmen as “quiet pioneers.”1 Since then, they have emerged as a loud voice by way of their accomplishments and leadership. This book captures that voice for the reader. I want to thank Captain Kester for her tireless effort in the pursuit of her research. The results are obvious in the following pages. It is my hope that her book will not only provide a recording of the past but will also light the path for the future of women in the Air Force. DONALD C. BOYD, PHD Director, History & Heritage Air Force Reserve Command 1. Rebecca Grant, “The Quiet Pioneers,”Air Force Magazine, 1 December 2002, https://www.airforcemag.com. xi About the Author Marissa Kester is a captain in the US Air Force Reserve currently serving as a senior historian and individual mobilization augmentee to the Air Force Reserve Command history and heritage office. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from the College of Charleston in 2010 and earned a master’s degree from American Mil- itary University in 2013; she served for five years on active duty be- fore transitioning to the Reserve in 2016. Captain Kester has served as an intelligence analyst and instructor and is widely published on both classified and unclassified domains. Her current research -in volves women and leadership through history. xiii Preface Until the lions have their own historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter. —Nigerian proverb In December 2015 Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced that as of 1 January 2016 women could enter any military career field and serve in any military unit for which they met the standard. This moment was a culmination of all moments prior. Since the Women’s Armed Forces Integration Act of 1948 first al- lowed women a permanent position in the regular and reserve forces, there have been doubts surrounding their inclusion in the military. Even after policy decisions were put in place, questions lingered. Was this the right choice? Should women be allowed in the services? To what extent? What should they be allowed to do? What are they ca- pable of? Is it worth the trouble of accommodating women in a “mas- culine” institution, both logistically and culturally? What are the ap- propriately “feminine” parameters of their inclusion? The history we collectively hold and share is primarily documented through the eyes and voices of men. The story of the United States Air Force is no different. This book is an attempt to understand the Air Force narrative from a different point of view. Not from the standard, inherently male, outside-looking-in-on women perspective, but from that of an Air Force woman looking around. Though all members of the Air Force, past and present, collectively refer to and think of themselves as Airmen, the experiences, available opportunities, and perceptions of all Airmen have not been the same. The point is not to sit in judgment or cast blame but instead to understand so we can move forward from this present moment with more awareness and understanding.