Desert Messenger

September 20, 2023 www.DesertMessenger.com 35 P��� 12 D����� M�������� F������� 18, 2009 WASPs in Quartzsite Voices from the Past The Desert Messenger is proud to feature excerpts from Rosalee Wheeler's "In the Shadow of Saguaros." Volume I, circa 1540 to 1839, begins with the fi rst recorded history in Southwestern Arizona; Coronado and the Conquistadors searching for the Seven Cities of Cibola. Volume II covers local history from 1840 to 1939. Volume III will feature stories from 1940 to the present. Her books are available at the Tyson Well's Stage Staion Museum, Reader's Oasis Bookstore, Quartzsite Mercantile and the Quartzsite Library. Excerpts from "In the Shadow of Saguaros" By Rosalee Oldham Wheeler K & B TOOLS Vendor Supplies Ladies' Stuff, too! Tarps RV Supplies Tools OPEN 9AM-5PM - 7 DAYS A WEEK 121 Kuehn, Tyson Centre, space #1 "Where we stack it deep and sell it cheap!" CHECK OUT: GREEN CARPET NEXT DOOR! Desert Rose Beauty Salon 928-927-8953 Shampoo, Cut, Style, Perm, Color, & Nails 165 E. Main (west of Q Laundromat) NOW OPEN! Mon. - Fri. 8-5 Stylists: JO, SHALA AND JANNA (Previous story was: BILL KEISER - Quartzsite's Man of Many Talents.) During World War II, when America was rationing gasoline and enlisting most of our young men into military service, patriotism also drove 1,830 young American women pilots to leave behind their families, jobs, and the safety of their homes to serve their country. In 1942 there was a severe shortage of pilots. Colonel Jacqueline Cochran was our foremost woman pilot. She convinced General Henry "Hap" Arnold, Chief of the Army Air Force, that she could bring together a corps of women pilots for non-combat service. She believed women pilots could be essential in fl ying duties ranging from towing target sleeves for anti-aircraft gunnery practice, to breaking in new engines, or testing-out repaired planes. In June of 1943, General Arnold ordered the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD), the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), and the Women's Air Flying Service (WAFS) to consolidate under Colonel Cochran's command into the Women's Airforce Service Pilots. On August 20, 1943, by an order from General Arnold, the fi rst women in the history of America authorized to fl y military aircraft would be known by the acronym WASP. Only 1,074 of the original 1,830 that signed up graduated after spending 6½ months in "Cochran's Convent". The graduates were honored with a dress parade at a graduation ceremony where they received their offi cial WASP diploma and wings. Colonel Cochran paid for the special wings herself. At the beginning of the program there wasn't a suitable base available for training women pilots. The fl ight training program of the Women's Airforce Service Pilots was at a high tempo and pilots were being trained in some rather unlikely places. One unlikely place was Quartzsite. The Army paid Quartzsite's Buck Conner to provide a graded airstrip and barrack. That airstrip is the same one that can be seen graded east of Love's Truck Stop. The Conner's desert home and their winter retreat from Los Angeles became the barracks for the WASP's and today can been seen on the south side of I-10 about half way down the airstrip. There would be no special treatment for the group of trainees when they arrived at Quartzsite's dusty little airfi eld. The lady pilots lived in the converted Conner home, where each room in the "barrack" housed six cots. The trainees ate in the mess, followed a strict set of regulations, and learned to march. Like all soldiers (although technically WASPs were civil servants), the student pilots sang as they marched. The standard uniform of the workday was from a supply of mechanic overalls dredged up from the Army's surplus, and found only in sizes 44 and larger. The baggy outfi t quickly became known as their "zoot- suit". The "zoot-suit" was complemented by a piece of ladylike head-gear nick-named "Urban's Turban'' for Major Robert K. Urban, who began serving as base commander in June of 1943. In the early days of the program, trainees didn't have a uniform to wear for dress occasions, such as their graduation or a visit by dignitaries. So an offi cial trainee's uniform became a white short-sleeved shirt with the WASP logo, a pair of man's khaki pants (which had to be altered to fi t the anatomy of a WASP), and an overseas cap. Each of the ladies was dedicated pilots and defi nitely knew how to keep their spark plugs in ship-shape. They were always ready for inspection and made certain that their hair was shampooed and well-groomed. There wasn't a beauty shop in Quartzsite, but I was a licensed cosmetologist and did hair in my home. Scamper, our son's pet red squirrel, usually wasn't very interested in the ladies who came to get their hair done. However, one day while a WASP pilot quietly waited her General Arnold, the fi rst women in the - SEE WASPS PAGE 12 F������� 18, 2009 D����� M�������� P��� 13 "ADDICTED TO DEALS" ��COLLOIDAL SILVER 2 oz. RE- TAIL $29.99. While they last, only $10! ��PEDIGREE DENTA STIX $4.99 retail. With ad, $1 ��QUAKER RICE SNACKS CO-ENZYME Q-10 $30.99 retail coupon - WASPS FROM PAGE 12 "One of the proudest things I've ever done in my life was to be associated with the WASP while flying in World War II. I've often recounted the stories of your flying. How much I enjoyed flying with you and how much reliance and confidence in your ability as pilots that I placed in all of you, and still do." Senator Barry M. Goldwater at a WASP Reunion, May 5, 1994 turn for a shampoo, Scamper decided to investigate. Up her pant leg he went, continuing on up to her shoulder. She was startled and jumped up to shake him off. Scamper's dash up to her shoulder to check her out was foiled, and now she was on the lockout for any more surprises. In less than two years the WASPs fl ew more than 60 million miles for their country. They fl ew every kind of mission the Army Air Force had (except combat), and 39 of them made the supreme sacrifi ce. They, too, went home, but without the assistance of the country for whom they had given their lives in service. The great-niece of humorist Will Rodgers, Betty Pauline Stine, while in basic training was fl ying an AT-6 near Quartzsite around 4:00 p.m. on February 25, 1944. There were strong gusting winds wafting across the desert. A later report investigating the incident stated that sparks from the engine exhaust had set fi re to the tail of the plane. Just before the plane crashed into a mountain, a local miner spotted Betty coming down in her parachute. A rescue team found Betty still attached to her parachute. She had been dragged across the rocky terrain by the strong wafting winds and was in very bad shape. She later died of her injuries over at the hospital in Blythe. Eleven days later, on December 20, 1944, over the objections of General Arnold, the WASP was disbanded. At hundreds of air bases all over America, the WASP hung up their Army Air Force parachutes for the last time, packed their bags, and paid for their own way back home. There were no GI benefi ts, no fringe benefi ts, and no dress pa- rades—just the satisfaction of knowing that they had done their duty and had completed their mission. Despite Gen- eral Arnold's pledge that the Air Force would never forget them, it did, and for the most part, so did America. (Next story will be Fred & Elsie Kuehn's Tamarack Lodge.) WASP Logo by Walt Disney DONNA DAE'S CRAFTS 63 W. Cowell (behind Post Offi ce) Quartzsite - Open 9-5 Mon. - Sat. 928-927-5944 monks cloth 24 colors MASA - Medical Air Services Associ- ation representative will be providing a Free Lunch and Presentation Thurs. Feb. 19 at noon, Quartzsite Senior Center regarding medical transporta- tion in case of an emergency. Members and non-members are wel- come. Learn about what MASA's full service plan involves. For more infor- mation contact Roger & Mary Ander- son, 800-350-6449. MASA Meeting, Feb. 19 D����� M�������� P��� 13 with the WASP your flying. confidence in your ability 1994 There were strong wafting across the desert. investigating the incident from the engine to the tail of the the plane crashed local miner spotted in her parachute. A Betty still attached to had been dragged terrain by the strong back home. There were no GI benefi ts, no fringe benefi ts, and no dress pa- rades—just the satisfaction of knowing WASP Logo by Walt Disney DONNA DAE'S CRAFTS MASA - Medical Air Services Associ- ation representative will be providing a Free Lunch and Presentation Thurs. Feb. 19 at noon, Quartzsite Senior Center regarding medical transporta- tion in case of an emergency. Members and non-members are wel- come. Learn about what MASA's full service plan involves. For more infor- mation contact Roger & Mary Ander- son, 800-350-6449. MASA Meeting, Feb. 19 D����� M�������� P��� 13 my life was to be associated with the WASP often recounted the stories of your flying. much reliance and confidence in your ability all of you, and still do." a WASP Reunion, May 5, 1994 February 25, 1944. There were strong gusting winds wafting across the desert. A later report investigating the incident stated that sparks from the engine exhaust had set fi re to the tail of the plane. Just before the plane crashed into a mountain, a local miner spotted Betty coming down in her parachute. A rescue team found Betty still attached to her parachute. She had been dragged across the rocky terrain by the strong wafting winds and was in very bad shape. She later died of her injuries over at the hospital in Blythe. Eleven days later, on December 20, 1944, over the objections of General Arnold, the WASP was disbanded. At hundreds of air bases all over America, back home. There were no GI benefi ts, no fringe benefi ts, and no dress pa- rades—just the satisfaction of knowing that they had done their duty and had completed their mission. Despite Gen- eral Arnold's pledge that the Air Force would never forget them, it did, and for the most part, so did America. (Next story will be Fred & Elsie Kuehn's WASP Logo by Walt Disney DONNA DAE'S CRAFTS 63 W. Cowell (behind Post Offi ce) Quartzsite - Open 9-5 Mon. - Sat. monks cloth 24 colors MASA - Medical Air Services Associ- ation representative will be providing a Free Lunch and Presentation Thurs. Feb. 19 at noon, Quartzsite Senior Center regarding medical transporta- tion in case of an emergency. Members and non-members are wel- come. Learn about what MASA's full service plan involves. For more infor- mation contact Roger & Mary Ander- son, 800-350-6449. MASA Meeting, Feb. 19 SPECIAL SECTION February 18, 2009 F������� 18, 2009 D����� M�������� - WASPS FROM PAGE 12 "One of the proudest things I've ever done in my life was to be associated with the WASP while flying in World War II. I've often recounted the stories of your flying. How much I enjoyed flying with you and how much reliance and confidence in your ability as pilots that I placed in all of you, and still do." Senator Barry M. Goldwater at a WASP Reunion, May 5, 1994 turn for a shampoo, Scamper decided to investigate. Up her pant leg he went, continuing on up to her shoulder. She February 25, 1944. There were strong gusting winds wafting across the desert. A later report investigating the incident

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