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Women Pilots Fight For Arlington Burial Rights

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An Arizona congresswoman is trying to get the Army to reverse a recent decision that prevents female pilots from World War II from being buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP, were the first women to fly military aircraft. They fought for years to win status as war veterans. And they had rights to burial at Arlington, but the Army rescinded it last year.

Rep. Martha McSally and 94-year-old former WASP Nell Bright tell Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson what burial at Arlington means to them.

Guests

  • Martha McSally, Republican U.S. congresswoman representing Arizona's 2nd district. She is a retired United States Air Force Colonel and was the first woman to fly in combat in 1991.
  • Nell Bright, one of about 100 surviving WASPs.

This segment aired on March 8, 2016.

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