Female WWII pilots were barred from Arlington. Not anymore.

During the war, Congress voted down a bill that would have granted the female pilots military status. The Army wouldn’t even pay to send home the bodies of the 38 women who died during their service. While the WASPs were recognized as veterans in 1977 and awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2010, the Army argued that because Arlington Cemetery is run by the Army rather than the Department of Veterans Affairs, they could not be buried there unless the law was changed. Read More…