Elizabeth 'Betty Wall' Strohfus (Mom!) |
I escorted Mom - Elizabeth "Betty Wall"
Strohfus - to Nellis Air Force Base Near Las Vegas Nevada. She
was a WASP (Womens Air Force Service Pilot) during WWII, and had been
invited by the Airforce to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas. My
impression of Las Vegas was amazement that anyone would want
a town built in the middle of a gravel pit!
We arrived at the airport and brother Kevin picked us up and took us to
the hotel/resort Aliante in North Vegas.
Mom's room had a lovely view of the hotel swimming pool and the huge
gravel pit beyond, with beautiful mountains in the background.
On the Bus |
Thursday we were taken to Nellis Air Force Base, where we were met by a team of archaeologists. The archeologist are working to correct a history that they wrote that did not include the 10 WASPs that performed training duties at the base in 1943-1944. The records that mentioned them had still been sealed, and the archeologists were interested in correcting the history. (The last time mom was at Nellis, if was an Army airfield, and it was 1944!) After being loaded into an air-conditioned bus with mom, my two brothers, my sister and her daughter, Mom's sister, three photographers and two film crews with the archeologists, we headed for the Thunderbird's Hanger.
A number of years ago a young girl met mom after listening to one
of her presentations and became inspired to become a pilot. As a teen she wrote a story about mom, and on Thursday, that
young lady, Major Caroline Jenson, Thunderbird #3, Welcomed mom to the
Thunderbird hanger.
A Magic Moment |
We were all led into the hanger where we met the rest of the
Thunderbird pilots, and mom had her autograph book (provided by the Air Force)
autographed by the rest of the thunderbirds.
Thunderbird Pilots |
We were then led out to the
airfield where we watched the Thunderbirds prepare for takeoff and leave for an air show at McConnell Air
Force Base, Kansas. After watching the preparation for
takeoff and the takeoff, we spent some
time in the Thunderbird museum. After we
left the museum we were met by the female ground crew members and mom had more
new friends!
New Friends |
Female Ground Crew Members with Mom |
We were loaded into the bus and taken to the
control tower. One of the archeologists
mentioned that very few people are allowed into the control tower, and when they are, Cameras are never
allowed. We were told that our cameras
were okay! (I don't know what the
difference was!)
The Control Tower with two film crews |
The archeologists were very surprised to find that the office in
the control tower had a picture of the airfield from 1943, they had not seen or
even known existed. They were thrilled
to see it!
Las Vegas Army Air Base, 1944 |
We were encouraged to go out on the outside deck (access through a
2 foot by 2 foot door) and when were out there, we were to see a landing. The aircraft (an F16) made initially a flyby
(I got a great video but the vice commander of the base said NOT to share it!)
and the plane landed.
After lunch, we relaxed for a while and then mom gave her program
to some members of the airbase. She was
introduced by the 99th Air Base Wing Vice Commander Col. Carol C.
Yannarella, who presented mom with the Diamondback award for outstanding
performance as a WASP at the Las Vegas Army Airfield, Nevada.
Receiving the Diamond back Award |
Giving her Presentation |
The next day, Friday, my sister Juli and I accompanied mom back to
Nellis to the base television studio, where a documentary crew interviewed her
for almost 4 hours.
We were told that she was definitely the first female instrument
instructor at the Las Vegas airfield, and probably the first ever in the Army
Air corps.
It was an amazing trip.
Art Roberts