More than 60 years after the end of World War II, American lawmakers have paid tribute to the pioneering but long-overlooked role played by women pilots in the US Air Force.
About 1,000 women piloted fighter planes in the United States from 1942 to 1944 when they joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots, dubbed the WASPs.
Their mission was not to go into combat zones, but to move aircraft between bases, test fly planes which had undergone repairs and help in training. Their contributions critically freed up male pilots to participate in combat missions.
Some 38 women pilots died on the missions, and were never accorded any military honours. Fewer than 300 of the women are alive today.