Earning Their Wings

“A valuable contribution to the history of women in uniform during World War II. . . . Myers’s attention to how [Women’s Air Force Service Pilots] fought for veteran status is noteworthy.”—Journal of American History

“Myers . . . has written an engaging, well-documented book, taking the reader from the dusty desert training facility of Sweetwater, Texas, to the passage of the Congressional Militarization Bill of 1977.”—Journal of America’s Military Past

“[Earning Their Wings] is a good historical narrative that educates the reader on the role of [Women’s Air Force Service Pilots] and their contribution to the larger historical argument: who is a veteran?”—H-War

“Myers emphasizes how women in the U.S. military have continued to navigate and negotiate the social constructions of gender . . . chronicl[ing] the trials and achievements of this trailblazing group of women.”—Women and Social Movements in the US

“An inspiring story of women who, though dismissed by many as mere novelties, combatted public suspicions and fears, subterfuge, and congressional resistance as they demanded an opportunity to serve in World War II and then waged an even longer war to be recognized as veterans. [This book] returns a fierce group of women pilots to their rightful place in history, at the center of vital questions about the meanings of women’s wartime service.”—Kara Dixon Vuic, author of The Girls Next Door: Bringing the Home Front to the Front Lines

“By introducing us to the WASPs, Myers reminds us that equating 'veteran' with 'combat' misunderstands the highly technical nature of modern US warfare. WASPs didn’t just free men for combat but brought an essential skill to the US military.”—Heather Marie Stur, University of Southern Mississippi

“An excellent contribution to women’s history, aviation history, and military history.”—Lynn Dumenil, author of The Second Line of Defense: American Women and World War I

“Myers’s work illustrates that servicewomen today are the latest generation of women in the air, and their position has been strengthened by the work that WASPs undertook to achieve recognition of their roles.”—Tanya L. Roth, author of Her Cold War: Women in the U.S. Military, 1945–1980