Pictured: L to R: Frances Green, Margaret (Peg) Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborn leaving their plane, "Pistol Packin' Mama" at Lockbourne AAF in Ohio. All were WASP pilots who had been trained on B-17 "Flying Fortresses". c. 1944

This framed canvas features four Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Officially, the WASP was a civilian organization that cooperated with the Army. It's members did not have military status, but went on to fly essential missions for the AAF. They transported thousands of planes from the factories that built them tot he military bases that sent them to the front, a process known as "ferrying". They towed canvas banners behind their planes to serve as targets for gunnery practice. They instructed male trainee pilots and they served as test pilots, volunteering for the dangerous work of trying out aircraft that were new or that had been damaged and repaired.

Thirty eight WASPs died in the course of their service. Because WASP pilots were not military, the federal government refused to pay for their funeral expenses. The women's colleagues had to pool money to send their bodies home to their families.

This iconic image is a strong reminder of the sacrifices that women made towards the Allied victory in WWII.