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Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Profiles in Woment's History

As a young girl, Frances C. Wilson says she felt "a strong sense of duty to serve my country." The daughter of a U.S. Air Force colonel, she joined the Marines at age 22. Now, at 54, she is the highest-ranking woman in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Major General Wilson began her career guiding planes in the military's Air Traffic Control division. She eventually became the commander of troops at a U.S. base in Japan. "During my 30-year career, there has been a revolution in the opportunities available to female Marines," she says.

Today, Wilson coordinates assignments for U.S. Marines stationed around the world. Being a woman has not limited her opportunities, she says. "We're limited only by our imagination and willingness to try!"

They Led the Way

During World War ll, the U.S. military faced a shortage of male pilots. Women volunteered to enlist. In 1943, 1,074 women were selected to fly with the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs). They were the first females ever trained to fly American military aircraft.

The WASPs trained with the men and proved to be skilled pilots. Although they did not fly combat missions, they ferried soldiers and supplies to U.S. Air Force bases.

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