She Wore Silver Wings

In the 1940’s flying was still a man’s game. But when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese, the military’s need for more pilots became essential. That’s when young women pilots stepped up to the call. For the first time in the history of the United States, women pilots were recruited to volunteer their services by ferrying fighter planes, test flying new and repaired planes, and towing targets in the air for live artillery practice. Of 25,000 applicants, 1,800 met the strict requirements for military flight school and just over 1,000 made it through training. Though some of these women were wives and mothers, no exceptions were made; they trained like the men yet had to meet higher standards to be eligible. They were paid less and had no military benefits, medical insurance, or burial benefits. Thirty-eight women died while serving their country in this capacity, yet the WASP had to take up collections to send their sister’s bodies and clothes home. No flags on the coffins, no gold stars in their windows. Many believe that some of these deaths were due to sabotage within the military and although there was hard evidence (rudder lines cut, sand in carburetors and sugar in gas tanks) official investigations were never launched. These women still held true and were dedicated to the cause. Proud and motivated to do what they could to help. Then one sad day, after having flown over 60 million miles, the WASP were disbanded. It was less than two years into the program. It happened just like that. She Wore Silver Wings tells the whole story from the beginning to the abrupt end, through interviews and memorabilia of WASP Jean Landis as well as original photos and footage. In 2009 President Obama signed a bill to award the WASP The Congressional Gold Medal. On March 10th, 2010 a ceremony was held in Washington D.C. honoring the WASP for their service. There are approximately 300 WASP living today who are in their late 80’s and early 90’s.

Plays in

Film Pairing: She Wore Silver Wings & In Their Own Words: The Tuskegee Airmen

This film pairing brings two World War II stories about pilots. First, In Their Own Words: The Tuskegee Airmen chronicles the Airmen’s story from the rocky start in 1941 to the group’s acceptance of the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007. Second is She Wore Silver Wings, the true story of Jean Landis, a San Diego County resident who was part of an elite group of women that volunteered their services by ferrying fighter planes, test flying new and repaired planes, and towing targets in the air for artillery practice.