Liz Duca, USAF Veteran & FlyGirls Corps!

by Jess Clackum

Today we honor all the women who proudly display a pair of combat boots in their closet...right next to their favorite pair of heels. Women make up 16.5% of the approximate 2.2 million active duty and reserve personnel serving in the U.S. military.

Liz Duca was one those women, serving as an Air Force pilot for 9 years. She is now the proprietor of PreFlight Aviation Camp, whose mission is to transform beliefs about gender roles through aviation and inspire young girls to takeoff into their future.

(Statistics were taken from the 2014 Demographics Profile of the Military Community, published by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense).

We salute you, Liz, and we welcome you to the FlyGirls Vet Corps!

Meet Karl T. Hirsch, FlyGirls Editor

"Not only is FlyGirls an interesting facet of the American story of World War II, but it is one which has never been appropriately told before. Naturally, I was honored to join Matia and her team to create an effective trailer.

"After further research, I was quite surprised to discover that, to date, there are only a few dramatic films about strong American female military figures as protagonists. We have all seen countless war films and military films centered on male protagonists (perhaps with the occasional female supporting character).

"I believe that audiences today are quite eager for more films with strong female lead characters. I believe that they will want to learn about this part of American history. I believe audiences will want to meet these heroic women, to see them, to know them, to learn of their professional, social, and personal struggles in an era which openly oppressed independent women, and ultimately, audiences will revel in their successes, and sympathize with them in their failures.

"This is an epic project that I am thrilled to be a part of, and Matia Karrell is a filmmaker whom I greatly admire. She is an Oscar nominee, a veteran of film and television, an artist deeply in tune with the subject matter, and possessive of the acumen for creating an outstanding mini-series in FlyGirls."

FlyGirls Director Matia Karrell on FlyGirls

"Going through my mother's things one day I found these two photographs. I had no idea what group or organization these women belonged to, or what the uniform meant. My mother was no longer around to ask, so I began researching. I scanned the pictures and sent them back to Boston but no one could tell me anything. I did find out that the MWDC stood for Massachusetts Women's Defense Core. It was a volunteer group during WWII. Boston, because it was a harbor city, needed these women as plane spotters.

How was it that I had never heard about these women? It turns out that there was a lot of women's military history that I knew nothing about.

The power of storytelling can be seen in some of the most memorable mini-series and films. Band of Brothers (2001), Island at War (2004), Flags of our Fathers (2006), Days of Glory (2006), Red Tails (2012), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), American Sniper (2014). Narrative storytelling can humanize a time in history that makes that era come alive. It is by experiencing the characters’ lives through their eyes that makes us cry, laugh, or even scream back at the screen. This is palpable storytelling. This is what we want for FlyGirls."

Meet Maggie Dewan-Smith, FlyGirls Vet Corps

Maggie Dewan-Smith, LtCol (ret), USAFR, NC. on why the WASP‬ story matters to her:

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqtvJVANan4&w=854&h=480]

"At a time when roles were more gender-specific, WASPs bent the rules with favorable results. This positive demonstration likely influenced future attempts at gender bending, allowing greater equality and larger numbers of women integrating into previously male-dominated career fields. 

I am looking forward to learning more about the history of these pioneers and their forays into the wild blue yonder."

1977: The Year of the WASP

From the Director:

August 9, 1977: For the first time the Air Force is allowing women to fly its aircraft. The reaction of women pilots who flew for the Army Air Forces in WW II was immediate and indignant. They united and sought formal recognition from Congress that their flights were official military missions that ought to give them war veteran status. Their campaign for recognition proved successful, and 1977 was declared The Year of the WASP. 

On November 23, 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed into law a bill that recognized that WASP had flown on active duty for the U.S. armed forces during the war. All WASP would receive honorable discharges and veterans' benefits. 

In 2009, over 3 decades later, the WASP received the Congressional Gold Medal. And now in 2015, for the first time, an unprecedented dramatic mini-series in development that will let the world know what these women accomplished in World War II.

Meet Joanne Gaishin, FlyGirls Webmaster & Research Assistant

‪Joanne Gaishin, Senior Master Sergeant, USAFR (Ret.). 

"Meeting a member of the WASP, along with the opportunity to meet you all and to be a part of filming the FlyGirls crowd funding video made my entire 32.5 years of service worth it."
The WASP flew war aircraft and took risks for their country without military benefits and status, etc...it's about time we learn more about the WASP and their sacrifices. 

I feel I can relate to the WASP as I always wanted to fly.  I went in the Air Force wanting/trying to be a military pilot.  Although I didn't become a military pilot, I flew at military aero-clubs and did receive my FAA rated private pilot's license.  So I feel like I would have been right there with the WASP, had I lived in that era. 

I never cared much for ceremonial things, awards being given, the mandatory "attaboy" presentations, or even wearing the dress blues. However, doing so for a member of the WASP, holding her hand for a moment, her feeling honored by us, and the fun of shooting the FlyGirls crowd funding video, has literally made my time worth it. I know most any vet in my circumstance would at least think of it as a highlight if they had been there."

Meet ‪Hilary Prentice, FlyGirls Producer

Hilary Prentice, an award-winning producer for the film, Heavy Lifting, who's been working in the entertainment industry since 2001.

"Before I met Matia in 2012, I had no idea women flew airplanes for the military in WWII. I was a History major at one of our nation's leading academic institutions. I knew about the color barriers in the military at that time, and the Tuskegee airmen; I knew about the Navajo code talkers and other American Indian contributions to the military service, but I had never heard the stories of the women who sacrificed their lives as pilots in service of this country during WWII. Immediately I wanted to help Matia change that by bringing their story into homes across America and across the world. 
Why does their story move me to tears? I have the utmost respect for women and men in the service because they are willing to sacrifice their lives for complete strangers - for you and for me. My dad and three of his brothers served, and both of my grandfathers served in WWII. My paternal grandfather flew as a navigator in the USAFF, and my maternal grandfather was awarded the Purple Heart. However these female pilots never received any recognition or medals -- until much later in 1977 when they were first granted status as veterans, and then in 2010 when they were finally awarded The Congressional Gold Medal. They put their lives on the line and they didn't ask for anything in return. 
Our "Fly Girls" beat down the barriers put before them. It wasn't the norm for women to drive cars let alone fly planes in 1942. These women ferried planes, flew the planes towing targets for training exercises - with live ammunition - and tested newly over-hauled planes. However since they weren't considered military personnel by the U.S. Armed Services, when a female pilot died performing these tasks, the military was not required to pay for her remains to be sent home, or for her funeral. So her fellow women chipped in to cover those costs. 
The images of these women in their uniforms are thrilling. They were daring, bold, and fierce. Please watch our trailer, share our photos and tributes to these female pilots, as well as our recent veterans and current cadets. It's important for women and men of all ages to know about the sacrifice these forgotten fliers made. Thank you for your support".

Meet Jess Clackum - FlyGirls Director of Social Media & Veterans Liaison

Jess Clackum is Director of Social Media and Veterans Liaison for FlyGirls the Series. Jess served in the U.S. Coast Guard and is a writer with a background in History & Mass Communications and is a crucial member of the Production team.

"Joining the Coast Guard in the 1980s was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I traveled and met people from all different walks of life. I gained experience in search and rescue, firefighting, seamanship, tactical law enforcement and culinary arts. Being out on the water gave me a feeling of freedom and independence that I had never known. Serving my country made me proud to be a part of something bigger, something worthwhile. I gained confidence and learned the true value of working as part of a team, for the greater good.

When I joined, women were not considered equal to their male counterparts. At times, we faced roadblocks to the same opportunities and consideration. We persevered in spite of discrimination and sexual harassment by going above and beyond, embracing the opportunity to serve our country, with hopes of advancement as we asserted our worth.

A number of women I served with wanted to enter more traditional male jobs in the service but were discouraged from those paths. The headstrong, however, ignored the advice of supervisors and Commanding Officers and pursued their goals anyway, placing their names on lists for schools or participating in on-the-job training. For those who stayed with it, their struggles against the system were ultimately rewarded.

Women are more empowered now than they have been in any other time in history. Never-before-had opportunities to make our mark in the world comes abound but we didn’t get here on our own. We had lots of help from the generations of women before us and we owe them a debt of gratitude. Their struggles and sacrifices paved the way for us to be where we are today.

That’s why the Fly Girls project is near and dear to my heart.

Over the years, I’ve studied World War II history. I’ve read books and I've taken the time to talk to people who served during the war---including my grandfather who was a mine planter (his brother Arthur, an infantryman died in the Pacific Theater), my grandmother May and her sister Jeanine, both of whom were Rosie the Riveters, building bombs and aircraft for the war effort, PFC Benno Levi, who served with my great Uncle Arthur and who shared his war experiences with me, and countless others who served bravely and selflessly for the cause. The conversations I've had bring home to me that every American — men and women, of all ages — contributed to the war effort, and that the role that women played in winning the war is often overlooked.

Over seventy years ago, the Women Airforce Service Pilots refused to stand in the shadows and let their destinies be chosen for them. They each had a dream and they pursued it. They served with honor and distinction and deserve better than to be forgotten.

It’s time to honor them and their sacrifices and accomplishments, we who’ve benefited from such trailblazers.

That is exactly what our miniseries will do!"

Meet Matia Karrell, FlyGirls Series Creator/Director

Matia Karrell is an Academy Award Nominee, Fulbright Fellow, John Wells Directing Fellow, to name a few of her awards. 

"My love for these women started when I found an old photograph of my mother in her WW II volunteer uniform. She was part of a group of plane-spotters along the East coast. Then I discovered another group of women, they weren’t watching for planes…they were flying them. 

There were over 1000 Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), but why weren't they mentioned in my History text books or WW II films? Perhaps because the U.S. Government classified their service as "top secret" for 35 years. They were not granted Veteran's status, and the 38 women who lost their lives in service of their country were not honored as U.S. Military personnel. 

I began a quest to tell their story. I reached out to the pilots who were still living. One of these pilots was Violet Cowden, who I met through a mutual friend. Violet died at the age of 94 in 2011. One year before, she was still flying. I made a promise to Violet before she died. I promised that I would to tell her story and the story of The WASP.

After 20 years of research I know the time has come to make the Women Air Force Service Pilots' story known not just to the military, but to the world. We will not let them be forgotten".