Military Honor For The Female Pilot Required An Act Of Congress

After a year of work by her family and an act of Congress sponsored by Arizona Republican Representative Martha McSally, the cremains of WASP pilot Elaine Harmon have finally been placed at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Harmon passed away last year at the age of 95. She flew military support and training missions during WWII, but was not technically a member of the armed services. WASPs were granted that status retroactively in 1997, and had regularly been buried at Arlington, but Army officials changed that policy in 2015, citing limited space at the cemetery.

According to a report from ABC News, Harmon's family began to lobby the Pentagon to reverse the Army's decision, and the cause was joined by McSally, who is a retired Air Force officer and the first woman to fly in combat. McSally crafted H.R. 4336 that would allow for the above-ground placement of the cremated remains of WASPs at Arlington. It passed unanimously

Not all veterans are eligible to be buried at Arlington, according to the report, because space is limited. But the rules for above-ground placement of cremains are not as strict.

Harmons ashes were placed at Arlington Wednesday.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4336