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Women’s History Month
-By JoAnn Lomo
Wearing a dark blue Air Force uniform and holding a cane in one hand, former Women’s Air Force Service Pilot (WASP) of WWII, Betty Strohfus walked carefully to a seat reserved for her near a microphone in the Copper Mountain College (CMC) Café on March 15. It is almost too hard to believe that this woman loves to fly fast and fly hard!
In 1942, a man took Strohfus on her first, spinning, and acrobatic flight. She agreed to go since she was always one who enjoyed heights, such as climbing trees.
“Whatever you do, you’ve got to fly…nobody made me sick, but you did!” said Strohfus with a hearty laugh of the comment she remembers the man made after that flight.
“For me, it was love at first flight! I knew I had to fly those airplanes!” said Strohfus with bright eyes and a big smile.
She did fly often, starting with Minnesota’s Civil Air Patrol before she joined the WASP’s. When in WASP, Strohfus had to go through ground school in order to earn her silver wings. Only 1074 of the 1840 women earned silver wings. Strohfus spoke proudly of her time at ground school and of the difficulties she had with classes. Always, she spoke highly of the fun she had when flying.
In 1991, Strohfus was asked to write a letter about why she wanted to fly an F-16. She explained that she flew large aircraft in WWII and believes she should and could fly anything today. Strohfus was 72 years old when she was granted permission by the Pentagon to fly the F-16. She did fly that F-16 at 72 years old, and she didn’t mind the G-force either! Strohfus’s love for planes and flying was evident as she spoke highly of her experience flying the F-16.
“I really can’t express how fortunate I am to have had this experience,” said Strohfus of her time with WASP.
The WASP’s became a part of the Air Force 35 years after WWII, and this is also when Strohfus became recognized as an American Veteran. In helping speak up for women’s veteran benefits in Washington, Betty Strohfus is an important person in women’s history.
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WWII verteran Harry Tanzer and WWII WASP veteran Betty Strohfus
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