World War II pilot concerned about new roles for women in combat
World World II pilot Florence “Shutsy” Reynolds listened with interest this week as the U.S. Defense Department secretary announced the lifting of a ban that prevents women from serving on the front lines of combat.
While she is supportive of the young women that commit their time, talent and sometimes their lives in service to their country, she has some reservations about the new policies.
“When you are 20 and 21 years old, you are gung ho and ready to try anything,” she said Friday. “I want these young women to have every opportunity. However, my concern is will they have a choice as to whether they want to be on the front lines or will they be required to do so.”
On Thursday Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, signed an order wiping away generations of limits on women fighting for their country. The change overturns a 1994 rule prohibiting women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units, and is expected to open up more than 230,000 combat positions that have been off limits to women.
Reynolds said that many women have fought and died for their country while serving in combat roles.
More than 280,000 women have been sent to Iraq, Afghanistan or to jobs in neighboring nations in support of the wars. And of the more than 6,600 U.S. service members who have been killed, 152 have been women.
Reynolds knows a little about wanting to serve, and being told that women can’t do the same job as a man.
A scholarship allowed her to enter the government’s Civilian Pilot Training at the then-Connellsville Airport after graduating from high school in 1941. However, as the war raged in Europe, the government closed the training program to women in order to train male combat pilots.
The move created a void in the available stateside aviators to ferry aircrafts from the manufacturer to the distribution points.
Pilots Jacqueline Cochran and Nancy Harkness proposed a Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) to the government to fill the male pilot positions, and in 1942 began accepting candidates into the program.
A very young Reynolds applied, but was told she did not meet the age requirements. She launched a weekly writing campaign to Cochran and in 1944 became one of the 1,830 applicants that were accepted for duty. About 25,000 women applied.
“My parents didn’t tell me I couldn’t do it, but wasn’t really happy with my choice,” she said. “So I understand what these new young women will be facing.”
The government did not recognize the WASP until the late 1970s when they were awarded veteran’s status, the American Campaign Medal and the Victory Medal. In 2010, Reynolds and about 200 other women service pilots were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
Countries around the world have different policies regarding women in the military.
In Canada, female soldiers have served in combat jobs since 1989 and today hold about 14 percent of all active duty positions in the Canadian military but only 2.4 percent of the combat slots.
In Britain women make up about 9 percent of the country’s all-volunteer military but are barred from ground force units whose primary mission is to “close with and kill the enemy.” However, they are permitted to serve on warships, artillery, as engineers and on combat aircraft.
Staff Sgt. Matt Jones, Pennsylvania Army National Guard public affairs officer, said Friday that he is still uncertain how the new policy will affect the National Guard.
Of the 15,000 soldiers in the Guard, about 2,000 are women, said Jones.
“The Secretary of Defense has allowed time for the service chiefs of the five military branches to request exceptions to the lifting of the ban and provide justification for their specific exceptions,” he said. “So we will not know how the plan will impact us until those are exceptions, if any, are filed. So to speculate on what (new) jobs will now be available to (female soldiers) in the future, there is no way to tell.”
Women now serve as pilots and in human resource, intelligence and operations’ positions, among others.
“They serve in about 98 percent of the jobs available within the National Guard,” said Jones.
Women do not serve within the infantry, cavalry, armor or field artillery units.
Former U.S. Army Capt. Linda L. Bray, who led a platoon of military police officers through a firefight during the 1989 invasion of Panama, said she was pleased with the lifting of the ban.
“I think it’s absolutely wonderful that our nation’s military is taking steps to help women break the glass ceiling,” said Bray. “It’s nothing new now in the military for a woman to be right beside a man in operations.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.