Ola Mildred Rexroat
Ola Mildred Rexroat | |
|---|---|
 Ola Mildred Rexroat | |
| Nickname(s) | Sexy Rexy, Millie |
| Born | August 29, 1917 Ogden, Kansas, United States |
| Service | Women Airforce Service Pilots United States Air Force Air Force Reserve Command |
| Years of service | 1942– |
| Awards | Congressional Gold Medal |
| Other work | aviator, USAF Air Traffic controller |
Ola Mildred Rexroat (born August 29, 1917) was the only Native American woman to serve in the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP).[1][2] She joined them after high school and while with them she had the dangerous job of towing targets for aerial gunnery students.[3] After that she joined the Air Force, where she served for ten years as an air traffic controller.[2][3][4] In 2007 she was inducted into the South Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame.[5] She was the last surviving WASP in South Dakota.[1]
She was an Oglala Sioux from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.[6] She earned a bachelor's degree in art from the University of New Mexico in 1939.[7] She lived until at least early 2016.[8]
References
- ^ a b Nick Penzenstadler Journal staff. "Last surrviving South Dakota WASP, 'Sexy Rexy', recalls World War II service". Rapid City Journal.
- ^ a b "WASP filled with colorful pilots". St. George News. 11 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Warriors at Heart: Some of the Native Women Who Served in the Military". Indian Country Today Media Network.com.
- ^ William C. Sturtevant (1978). Handbook of North American Indians: Indians in contemporary society. Government Printing Office. pp. 13–. ISBN 978-0-16-080388-8.
- ^ "WASP OLA REXROAT".
- ^ "Women In Military Service For America Memorial".
- ^ "NATIVE WOMEN VETERANS - www.lakotacountrytimes.com - Lakota Country Times".
- ^ Long, Steve. "WWII WASP with Pine Ridge roots: "A Long the Way"".