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Beatitudes Campus Resident Receives Congressional Gold Medal
Geri Nyman Honored for Serving as a Women Airforce Service Pilots, WASP
PHOENIX – Geri Nyman – a pioneer, a role model, a hero, and a new resident of the Beatitudes Campus retirement community – received the Congressional Gold Medal for serving in the U.S. Women Airforce Service Pilots or WASP during World War II. Nyman is a survivor of the W1, the first WASP training class.
Nyman’s service, along with the other 300 surviving WASPs, was finally recognized as of July 1, 2009 when President Barack Obama and the United States Congress awarded each one of them with this highest honor. On March 10, 2010, 200 of the surviving WASPs, including Geri, travelled to the U.S. Capitol to accept the Congressional Gold Medal from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Congressional leaders.
Her remarkable story as a WASP began when she landed free flying lessons from her first instructor, who had hired her as his bookkeeper. She logged over 500 hours of flying time and then became an instructor. Nyman recalls, “Everything was shut down for 200 miles from the coast, so I got on a bus and headed east, and every time I stopped at an airport, they’d say ‘well, I don’t think the men in our area will take a flying lesson from a kid!’” She was only twenty years old.
In 1943 she met famous aviator, Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran, by chance when in New York City. Jackie’s plans for the Royal Air Force were changed when the United States Air Force asked her to “donate” her twenty-five women to work with them instead – with no future guarantees or recognition. Nyman and the others headed off to Houston, Texas for training. Already having more experience than the men on the base, Jackie’s pilots aced their tests in style and served their country.
These exceptional pilots were the first women in history trained to fly American military aircraft and they freed men for combat and tested the planes. Specifically, they would ferry them from factories to military bases and towed targets for gunnery training. Members of the WASP successfully demonstrated expertise and skill when flying military aircraft and their records showed that when women pilots were given the same training as men pilots, they were as capable as the men in non-combat flying.
Despite these accomplishments, the WASPs were not considered to be in the military under existing guidelines. “We were nothing,” Nyman remembers “we were not considered members of the Air Force – we were just working for the Air Force!” Because of their lack of recognition, they had to take up donations for the funerals of their classmates who perished in training operations. Thirty-eight WASP fliers lost their lives while serving during the war – 11 in training and 27 on active duty. Luckily, Geri Nyman was not one of them.
All records of the WASP service were classified and sealed for many years, so their contributions to the war effort were not known by many. But Nyman, and her fellow fliers, finally received the recognition they deserve. Although grateful to be acknowledged now, she thinks about her fellow WASPs and feels some sadness for those who did not live long enough to finally receive this recognition. Nyman will turn 90 this month.
In addition to the Congressional Gold Medal, Nyman also received a personal letter from General Norton A. Schwartz, USAF, current Chief of Staff of the Air Force. General Schwartz wrote, “…As one of the first women in history to fly American military aircraft over 60 year ago, you have undoubtedly contributed to the making of today’s Air Force. You were, indeed, a catalyst for the integration of women pilots in the United States military and we are forever in your debt! On behalf of the men and women of the United States Air Force, we thank you for your service.”
About the Beatitudes Campus
For more than 40 years, the Beatitudes Campus has served as an all-inclusive Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), including Independent Living, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, and Memory Support. Through our programs and services, our Campus offers a true community that recognizes and nourishes the spiritual, physical, social, and emotional needs of our residents.
The Campus is sponsored by the Church of the Beatitudes, a United Church of Christ congregation. The Church of the Beatitudes also founded the following related not-for-profit organizations: Beatitudes Agelink, an intergenerational child development center located on site of the Campus; and Duet: Partners In Health & Aging, serving homebound adults, family caregivers, nurses in faith communities, and grandparents raising grandchildren.
Nyman’s service, along with the other 300 surviving WASPs, was finally recognized as of July 1, 2009 when President Barack Obama and the United States Congress awarded each one of them with this highest honor. On March 10, 2010, 200 of the surviving WASPs, including Geri, travelled to the U.S. Capitol to accept the Congressional Gold Medal from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Congressional leaders.
Her remarkable story as a WASP began when she landed free flying lessons from her first instructor, who had hired her as his bookkeeper. She logged over 500 hours of flying time and then became an instructor. Nyman recalls, “Everything was shut down for 200 miles from the coast, so I got on a bus and headed east, and every time I stopped at an airport, they’d say ‘well, I don’t think the men in our area will take a flying lesson from a kid!’” She was only twenty years old.
In 1943 she met famous aviator, Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran, by chance when in New York City. Jackie’s plans for the Royal Air Force were changed when the United States Air Force asked her to “donate” her twenty-five women to work with them instead – with no future guarantees or recognition. Nyman and the others headed off to Houston, Texas for training. Already having more experience than the men on the base, Jackie’s pilots aced their tests in style and served their country.
These exceptional pilots were the first women in history trained to fly American military aircraft and they freed men for combat and tested the planes. Specifically, they would ferry them from factories to military bases and towed targets for gunnery training. Members of the WASP successfully demonstrated expertise and skill when flying military aircraft and their records showed that when women pilots were given the same training as men pilots, they were as capable as the men in non-combat flying.
Despite these accomplishments, the WASPs were not considered to be in the military under existing guidelines. “We were nothing,” Nyman remembers “we were not considered members of the Air Force – we were just working for the Air Force!” Because of their lack of recognition, they had to take up donations for the funerals of their classmates who perished in training operations. Thirty-eight WASP fliers lost their lives while serving during the war – 11 in training and 27 on active duty. Luckily, Geri Nyman was not one of them.
All records of the WASP service were classified and sealed for many years, so their contributions to the war effort were not known by many. But Nyman, and her fellow fliers, finally received the recognition they deserve. Although grateful to be acknowledged now, she thinks about her fellow WASPs and feels some sadness for those who did not live long enough to finally receive this recognition. Nyman will turn 90 this month.
In addition to the Congressional Gold Medal, Nyman also received a personal letter from General Norton A. Schwartz, USAF, current Chief of Staff of the Air Force. General Schwartz wrote, “…As one of the first women in history to fly American military aircraft over 60 year ago, you have undoubtedly contributed to the making of today’s Air Force. You were, indeed, a catalyst for the integration of women pilots in the United States military and we are forever in your debt! On behalf of the men and women of the United States Air Force, we thank you for your service.”
About the Beatitudes Campus
For more than 40 years, the Beatitudes Campus has served as an all-inclusive Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), including Independent Living, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, and Memory Support. Through our programs and services, our Campus offers a true community that recognizes and nourishes the spiritual, physical, social, and emotional needs of our residents.
The Campus is sponsored by the Church of the Beatitudes, a United Church of Christ congregation. The Church of the Beatitudes also founded the following related not-for-profit organizations: Beatitudes Agelink, an intergenerational child development center located on site of the Campus; and Duet: Partners In Health & Aging, serving homebound adults, family caregivers, nurses in faith communities, and grandparents raising grandchildren.
