Celebrating
Women’s History Month Since 1987, in the United States the month of March has been observed as Women’s History Month. At Growing Bolder we’re fortunate to cross paths with women who have lived extraordinary lives. Many times our interviews with them are among their last, and include valuable reflections of long, well-lived lives. Here are three special women we met, no longer with us.
Betty Wall Strohfus In 1942, with World War II raging on, America needed pilots. Uncle Sam put out the call and 25,000 women responded. Just 1,000 of those earned their wings as Women Air Force Service Pilots, or WASPs. Betty Wall was one of them. “They thought I was crazy. What, fly airplanes? I said, women do fly,” Strohfus said. “We can fly anything they had. We flew 77 different types of aircraft. Not me alone but our group, we flew 77 different types of aircraft. “You know the only thing I wanted to show them was that I could handle the airplane,” Betty continued. “They were very skeptical. I understand we were the first women to fly those aircraft and they were sure that they liked having us flying them. And I understood that, but I showed them I could do it. And I tried to do it in a nice way so they would like me afterwards.” WASPs were never considered an official part of the military. In fact, the families of the 38 who gave their lives had to pay to have the body shipped home. Betty and many others believe that full recognition, even decades later, was worth fighting for to honor the sacrifice, to document the contribution, and to legitimize the legacy of the WASPs in World War II. She and seven others went to Washington with one final mission. Thirty-five years later, the WASPs were finally recognized as veterans of military service. Betty Wall Strohfus passed away at the age of 96. Her final takeaway? “That anybody can do anything they want if they work hard enough,” Strohfus said. “I think that's the way it is. That's what I tell the children. I said, ‘Follow your dream.’ You want to do something, do it, because it's so important for us to do what we'd like to do.” 36
GROWING BOLDER / MARCH 202 2 DIGE S T
