The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), including Gloucester resident Margaret Ann Hamilton Turner (1917-2009), transported and flight tested aircraft and towed targets for the U.S. military during World War II. More than 25,000 female pilots applied but only 1,074 completed the rigorous training and were accepted. The WASP delivered more than 12,260 aircraft, often with only a road map for navigation, but Congress disbanded them in 1944 without benefits. Due largely to the efforts of surviving WASP like Turner, in 1977 Congress acknowledged their military service and granted them Veterans status. In March 2010, all WASP were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
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