March is Women's History Month. I would like to take a few minutes to tell of some women that have served and are serving their country in a big way. In 1948 Harry S Truman established the WAF (Women in the Air Force) not long after the Air Force became a separate service in 1947.
The WAF served in many career fields but were mainly clustered in the medical and clerical fields. Staff Sergeant Esther Blake was the first WAF and she was the first female to enlist in the new AF on July 8, 1948. In 1976, women were recruited into the AF with the same standards as men and the WAF was a thing of the past.
When I enlisted in the Air Force in 1981, women were serving in many fields but were still mainly in the medical and clerical fields. During my 22 years, women moved from those fields to Security Police, aircraft maintenance, pilots, weather forecasters, munitions, vehicle operators, and the list goes on. Today almost 20% of the Air Force is female and they are driving through the dangerous streets of Iraq and Afghanistan, flying airlift missions and combat missions, guarding bases and camps, as well as riding gun positions on convoys.
Things have come a long way and today's Air Force is getting the mission done with men and women in key roles. My hat's off to the men and women that I have had the honor to serve with and those that are serving today and tomorrow.
Comments(6)