During the World War II era, the United States military struggled to find enough able-bodied men to fly the military aircraft. General Henry “Hap” Arnold teamed up with Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran to create a task force of female pilots to help in the fight against the Axis Powers. The U.S. Air Force had difficulties finding a solution to their conflict: they needed women to fly aircraft on the homeland, but at the time women were prevented from being in the military. The Air Force finally compromised by allowing women to perform only noncombat jobs. Originally, the women were separated into two groups: the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) and the Women’s Flying Training Detachment (WFTD). Later these groups would combine into the group known as the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs). The hard work and perseverance of the WASPs led to the 2015 ruling allowing women into all military positions. Though they encountered much opposition, the WASPs proved that females deserve to be seen as equal to men.
