Joined: Feb 21, 2006 Posts: 4196 Location: Sanford, Fl
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 8:55 am Post subject: Article about female WW2 pilots and Disney
Female fliers were 'best-kept secret of World War II'
Eloisa Ruano Gonzalez | Sentinel Staff Writer
March 27, 2009
They weren't girls, as most men referred to them. The "Fifinellas" were strong women comfortable in their own wings.
Fifinellas were aviators in the Women Airforce Service Pilots who proved their valor and burst through gender barriers during the height of World War II. While the military and most history books neglected their contributions, Walt Disney provided them with a memorable moniker — a logo of a cartoon gremlin called Fifinella, an elflike superhero ready to go to war — created for a movie that never materialized.
Three WASP veterans will share their stories today and Saturday at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, which will host a symposium called "A Passionate Pursuit" to honor the unsung heroes.
"The WASP were the best-kept secret of World War II," said Nancy Parrish, a former Kissimmee resident and founder of Wings Across America, an organization that has recorded the women's experiences, and daughter of a WASP.
The special squadron — founded in 1942 by aviator Jacqueline Cochran, who would go on to become the first woman to break the sound barrier — ferried, tested and towed planes during training and taught cadets to fly.
About 300 of the pilots are still alive, and about two dozen reside in Florida, said Parrish, who now lives in Waco, Texas.
Ubiquitous Fifinella
The Fifinella logo was perhaps the most notable recognition the WASP received during World War II. The pilots in 1943 were given the right to use the Disney-drawn cartoon, an inspiration from British writer Roald Dahl's book The Gremlins. In the book, female gremlins were called Fifinellas.
The Fifinella was plastered on WASP stationery, flight jackets and administration buildings, said Janet Lee Hutchinson Simpson, 83. The patch can be seen on a T-6 trainer plane that's housed at Fantasy of Flight.
Although the "cute" cartoon acknowledged the pilots' service, Simpson said "it was just a logo." Widespread recognition and respect for the group didn't come until three decades later, in 1977, when Congress finally granted them military status and made them eligible for veteran benefits.
Additional appreciation may be on the way. Earlier this month, all 17 female U.S. senators co-sponsored a bill to award each of the pilots a Congressional Gold Medal.
"It's 64 years — it's sad it didn't happen long before," said Simpson, of Ponte Vedra Beach.
No easy task
While her husband was among the first foot soldiers sent overseas, Helen Wyatt Snapp, 90, became one of the first Fifinellas.
"I didn't have to ask permission to go," said Snapp, who joined in early 1943. She was 23 and had some experience flying after taking part in a civilian pilot-training program a year earlier.
But taking on the role of a WASP was no easy task.
Cadets on the ground fired live ammunition as they soared through the sky simulating enemy planes during target practice. Not all the men had good shots, and some women were killed. Of the 1,074 women who received their silver WASP wings, 38 were killed in accidents.
Many highly experienced female pilots were washed out of the program for not obeying the officer's flying instructions. Snapp said the male officers constantly yelled at them.
"We weren't used to having [someone] swear at us," Snapp recalled. "Some women had a hard time, and they were in tears back in the barracks."
While women in the '40s often were expected to become nurses or teachers, the WASP had already developed a thirst for flying among many. Their moxie, supporters say, opened the door for women who joined the Air Force.
The symposium marks the first time the WASP veterans will land at Fantasy of Flight, although there has been a permanent multimedia exhibit on their experiences for a year.
The aviation-themed attraction honors the WASP story because it highlights how the women's love for flying broke barriers and changed history, general manager Kim Long said.
"You talk about heroes ... a superhero in tights. These [women] are real heroes," Long said. "They deserve to be heralded for their groundbreaking service.
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