Auchterlonie, who left Anacortes about a year ago to live closer to her family in Snohomish County, was at the ceremony in Washington, DC. She graduated WASP training on Dec. 17, 1943, and was assigned to Williams Army Air Base in Ariz. She lived in Skyline for about 25 years. Auchterlonie is in her 90's.
The WASP program was launched during World War II to train civilian women to fly military aircraft in non-combat missions because so many male pilots were deployed overseas. These women pioneers paved the path for future female pilots who have pursued careers in wanted to join the Armed Forces.
Of the more than 1,000 women who received their wings through the WASP Program, approximately 300 are still alive; 11 of them live in Washington state. Among those from Washington, Mary Call from Mount Vernon, Nancy Dunnam from Bellevue, Dorothy Olsen from University Place, Mary Sturdevant from Tacoma, Josephine Swift from Seattle, Alta Thomas from Sequim, and a relative on behalf of Margaret Martin from Oak Harbor, attended the ceremony.
Over the past 60 years, WASPs have received little recognition for their accomplishments. Today all will be awarded a bronze duplicate of the original Congressional Gold Medal. Each medal is designed to specifically commemorate the individual or event being honored. The original gold medal will be donated to the Smithsonian Institution in honor of the WASPs. The WASPs have also been honored at an exhibit in the Seattle Museum of Flight.
For more on Lois Auchterlonie and WASP service, read our story from March, 2009.