Claudia Anthony "WWII female pilots now can be buried at Arlington"

President Obama recently signed a bill into law allowing the ashes of women who flew in the Women Airforce Service Pilots program (WASP) to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. This is a very important decision for women like Tiffany Miller, who created an online petition last year to have her grandmother's ashes be buried at the cemetery. Miller says that her family has not yet been able to have a funeral for her grandmother, because they wanted to honor her last wish, which was to be buried at Arlington. Women in WASP flew U.S. Army Air Force planes for noncombat missions during WWII, which freed up men for combat roles. In 1977, these women were given veteran status and in 2002 they could be buried at Arlington. In 2015, then-Army Secretary John McHugh reversed this right after lawyers determined that women in the WASP program listed as "active duty designees" did not meet army eligibility rules. Obama changed the decision made in 2015, stating "The Women Airforce Service Pilots courageously answered their country's call in a time of need while blazing a trail for the brave women who have given and continue to give so much in service to this nation since."

I think it is important that these women get the recognition they deserve, and that Obama did the right thing my over turning the 2015 decision. This is related to other roles women played during WWII, like filling the openings in traditionally male jobs while the men were at war. Women also joined the nurse corps to allow more men to have combat roles in the war.

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