W.A.S.P. Training Base: Avenger Field

W.A.S.P. Training Base: Avenger Field (HM1NZ9)

Location: Sweetwater, TX 79556 Nolan County
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Country: United States of America
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N 32° 27.185', W 100° 28.311'

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Inscription

(A quarter of a mile to the north)

Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) trained here in military aircraft during World War II, from Feb. 21, 1943, through final graduation day, Dec. 7, 1944.
Avenger Field first served as a training base for British Royal Air Force Cadets in 1942, then for U.S. Army Air Forces Cadets Aug. 1942 - April 1943.
The WASP program was started under General H.H. ("Hap") Arnold to train women to fly every kind of mission short of combat, releasing male pilots for overseas duty. Jacqueline Cochran was director of women pilots; Ethel A. Sheehy, WASP staff field executive; Nancy Harness Love, WASP staff executive-ferrying division; and Leoti Clark Deaton, WASP staff executive-training bases. Of 25,000 girls who applied for WASP flight training. 1,830 were accepted; 1,074 won their silver wings. The WASPs flew 60 million miles on operational duty; 37 lost their lives serving their country. WASPs had civil service—not military—status, but were granted eligibility to apply for reserve commissions in the Air Corps after the WASP program ended when the allies were winning the war in Europe and the U.S.A. pilot shortage was past.
Avenger Field was closed after a short post-WASP span of service as a missile base.

Details

HM Number	HM1NZ9
Tags	World War 2, Military, Air and Space
Marker Number	5667
Year Placed	1972
Placed By	State Historical Survey Committee
Marker Condition	No reports yet
Date Added	Wednesday, September 16th, 2015 at 5:01pm PDT -07:00

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Locationbig map

UTM (WGS84 Datum)	14S E 361657 N 3591611
Decimal Degrees	32.45308333, -100.47185000
Degrees and Decimal Minutes	N 32° 27.185', W 100° 28.311'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds	32° 27' 11.1" N, 100° 28' 18.66" W
Driving Directions	Google Maps
Area Code(s)	325
Which side of the road?	Marker is on the right when traveling North
Closest Postal Address	At or near 10144-10302 I-20 Frontage Rd, Sweetwater TX 79556, US
Alternative Maps	Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap