Dr. Sarah Myers, a 2009 graduate of Missouri State University’s MA in history program, recently published her first book, “Earning Their Wings: The WASPs of World War II and the Fight for Veteran Recognition” through the University of North Carolina (UNC) Press.

“Earning Their Wings” examines the history of the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program during and after World War II.

A UNC press release states the book reflects on the “long-term consequences for the women who participated and subsequent generations of servicewomen and activists.”

Myers currently teaches courses in U.S. women’s and gender history, public history, oral history, human rights, veterans studies, aviation, and war and society at Messiah University.

She earned her PhD in history from Texas Tech University in 2014.

Discovering the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots

Myers first encountered the story of the WASP veterans while doing other research as an undergraduate.

“I was intrigued by their story and the fact that they were the only women’s unit during World War II that did not receive veterans’ status or military benefits until decades later,” Myers said. “Women were shut out of military aviation for three decades.”

“I found the entire situation infuriating and I needed to know more,” she added.

Myers reached out to some WASP members through a website and grew committed to telling their stories after she heard back from them.

“I was hooked,” Myers said. [Read more…] about History alum Sarah Myers “flying high” with new book on Women’s Airforce Service Pilots