From 1980 to 1984 I was the only girl on the county high school boys ice hockey team. I was an individual, just doing what I loved. I wasn't alone, as I would later discover; there were many girls like me all over the country doing the same thing. During World War II there was a group of women called WASP, Women Air Force Service Pilots. They were doing what they loved, placed in a situation that is normally filled by men, all individuals, doing what they loved, not for fame or fortune, but for the love of their country. Nancy Harkness Love and Jacqueline Cochran were the two main female pioneers for the WASPs during World War II. Seeing a shortage of experienced pilots for the Air Transport Command, both women submitted proposals to the Air Force. One proposal was to use female pilots to transport the planes from the factory to the embarkation point. The other proposal was to train female pilots to do so. Each woman was unaware that the other had submitted her own proposal. Unfortunately each proposal was rejected early in the war, but as the war progressed and the loss of male pilots, the Air Force reconsidered both proposals. Although women were able to fly and train, they were not treated the same as male pilots. To qualify for the job they had to have more flying time, had to have a high school diploma and could only fly the smallest planes. Everyone also had to be interviewed before being accepted into the program. Another snag that posed a bigger problem was that female pilots could not be commissioned until Congress passed a new law to do so, a process that could take months. An initial team of 25 of the most qualified female pilots in the country would be hired as civil service employees and... middle of paper... received. The story and history of the WASP is not simply flying is about doing your best even when things get tough. I know I am the person I am today because of what I went through playing hockey when I was young. To quote WASP, BJ Williams “If you have a dream of something you want to do and you prepare and stay focused, make it happen!” And so they did. Works cited Cole, J. H. (1992). Women pilots of the Second World War. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. Donelly, K. (2004). American women pilots of World War II. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group. Holden, H. M. (2003). American women of flight, pilots and pioneers. Berkley Heights: Enslow Publishers.Merryman, M. (1998). Wings clipped. New York and London: New York University Press. Nathan, A. (2001). Doodle yankee girls. Washington DC: National Geographic Society.