Instructor: Don Jarman

Hear the story, told by the son of Phyllis Mae Jarman, a member of the WASP whose mission was to test and ferry aircraft during World War II. Although attached to the Air Force, WASP members were federal civil service employees, who had no military standing and did not receive military benefits. The organization was disbanded Dec. 20, 1944, and given a certificate similar to an honorable discharge. Records of the WASP program were classified and sealed for 35 years so little was known of their contributions to the war effort. In the early ‘70s, Sen. Barry Goldwater attempted to gain veteran status for WASP members but failed. Finally, in the late ‘70s, President Jimmy Carter signed a bill granting them veteran status, giving the WASP members their deserved recognition.