Goes To President Obama For His Signature

The full Congress has passed the Women Airforce Service Pilot Arlington Inurnment Restoration (WASP AIR) Act and sent it on to President Obama for his signature.

The legislation was sponsored by U.S. Representative Martha McSally. (R-AZ). The U.S. House unanimously passed the bill on Wednesday of last week, the day after passage by the U.S. Senate.

The bill, H.R. 4336, is Rep. McSally’s second to be sent to the president. “It’s been just 19 weeks since the Army’s decision to kick out our pioneering female World War II pilots was brought to light, and we’ve been fighting ever since," said Rep. McSally. "We worked hard to build support in both chambers of Congress and make sure this bill would continue moving forward. I’m proud to see it now clear Congress and encourage President Obama to sign it immediately.”

The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) served in World War II ferrying airplanes, training combat pilots, and towing airborne targets. Thirty-eight WASPs died during their service.

In 2002, WASPs and other active duty designees were made eligible for military honors and inurnment at Arlington National Cemetery, however, in March 2015, then-Secretary of the Army John McHugh reversed this decision.

Rep. McSally has led the fight in Congress to restore the WASPs at Arlington. Her efforts to fight for the WASP in Congress include leading a letter cosigned by over 50 bipartisan House members to the Acting Army Secretary, holding a Special Order discussion on the House floor, hosted a press conference with House and Senate lawmakers, and publishing numerous op-eds.

(Source: Rep. McSally news release. Image from file)

FMI: http://mcsally.house.gov