PoliticsArlington Burial Honor Female PilotsArlington National Cemetery Women Airforce Service Pilots

Congress Backs Arlington Burial Honor For Female Pilots

The women performed training and transport missions in the United States during the conflict so male pilots could be sent overseas.
Patricia Zengerle

U.S. lawmakers cleared the way on Wednesday for female pilots from World War Two to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, the vast military cemetery just outside Washington.

The House of Representatives and Senate both unanimously approved legislation to allow the cremated remains of about 1,000 women who served as Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, in the 1940s to be buried there.

The Senate passed the bill late on Tuesday and the House approved it on Wednesday, sending it to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign into law.

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Congress unanimously approved legislation to allow the cremated remains of about 1,000 women who served as Women Airforce Service Pilots to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
ASSOCIATED PRESS

The women performed training and transport missions in the United States during the conflict so male pilots could be sent overseas.

Unlike male veterans, however, they could not be interred at Arlington, the best-known but very crowded U.S. military cemetery, because authorities have insisted their service was not the same as active duty.

The bill was sponsored by Republican Representative Martha McSally, who was the first woman U.S. Air Force pilot to fly combat missions.

An earlier version of the legislation - with a few technical differences from the final version passed on Wednesday - passed the House unanimously in March.

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Obama Welcomes Wounded Warriors To White House
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US President Barack Obama (R) and US Vice President Joe Biden (L) stand alongside Cpt. William Reynolds (C) during the Wounded Warrior Ride, a cycling event to help wounded members of the military restore their physical and emotional well-being, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, April 14, 2016. (credit:SAUL LOEB via Getty Images)
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US Vice President Joe Biden uses a cellphone to take a 'selfie' as he greets guests during the Wounded Warrior Ride, a cycling event to help wounded members of the military restore their physical and emotional well-being, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, April 14, 2016. (credit:SAUL LOEB via Getty Images)
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US President Barack Obama greets guests during the Wounded Warrior Ride, a cycling event to help wounded members of the military restore their physical and emotional well-being, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, April 14, 2016. (credit:SAUL LOEB via Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden greet guests after the start of the Wounded Warrior Ride on the South Lawn of the White House, on Thursday, April 14, 2016 in Washington, DC. The ride is held to help raise awareness of U.S. heroes who battle the physical and psychological damages of war. (credit:Mark Wilson via Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama signals the start of the Wounded Warrior Ride on the South Lawn of the White House April 14, 2016 in Washington, DC. (credit:Mark Wilson via Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama and Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Robert McDonald see off riders after signaling the start of the Wounded Warrior Ride n the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. (credit:Mark Wilson via Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama gives a high-five alongside Vice President Joe Biden (L), and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald (C) at the start of the Wounded Warrior Ride, a cycling event to help wounded members of the military restore their physical and emotional well-being, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. (credit:SAUL LOEB via Getty Images)
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US President Barack Obama gives a fist-bump at the start of the Wounded Warrior Ride, a cycling event to help wounded members of the military restore their physical and emotional well-being, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. (credit:SAUL LOEB via Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama gives a high-five to a girl at the start of the Wounded Warrior Ride. (credit:SAUL LOEB via Getty Images)
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US President Barack Obama greets participants at the start of the Wounded Warrior Ride, a cycling event to help wounded members of the military restore their physical and emotional well-being, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, April 14, 2016. (credit:SAUL LOEB via Getty Images)
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