Women's Air Force Service pilot flew in World War II

Women's Air Force Service pilot flew in World War II
WASP Marjory Munn, an aviation pioneer, dies at 88.

By Nancy Bartley

Seattle Times staff reporter


Marjory Munn received a three-year appointment in 1983 to the Defense Advisory Committee On Women in the Services, the equivalent of being a lieutenant general when visiting bases for inspections.

Marjory Munn was a West Virginia-born beautician when she won a contest that would change her life. The prize was flying lessons, and they opened a world Mrs. Munn had never experienced and for the first time made her feel totally free, she said in 1993.

Mrs. Munn, who in 1943 became a Women's Air Force Service Pilot, or WASP, continued flying and became one of a group of women who flew noncombat missions in the U.S. during World War II. She died July 25 of cancer. She was 88.

In early July, President Obama signed an order giving the more than 1,000 WASPs the Congressional Gold Medal for their service. Mrs. Munn will receive hers posthumously in January.

"She was a very remarkable woman and a great lady," said Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar, chief executive officer of the Museum of Flight, in which Mrs. Munn was deeply involved for years. "If you look back in history, women started flying not long after the Wright Brothers but never flew in combat. The WASPs were put together to train other pilots and test airplanes, and they did it before the era of good navigation. Their performance opened the door to many ... in aviation and space."
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Women Air Force Service pilot flew in World War II