Taking Mom to Nellis Air Force Base

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