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Mabel Rawlinson was one of the 38 WASP that made the ultimate sacrifice and she definitely deserves the congressional medal.

Since WASP were technically considered volunteer civilian pilots and not Air Force pilots, no monetary compensation was available to the Rawlinson family for her funeral expenses.

The other female pilots at Camp Davis pooled their extra money and assisted in the expense of transporting Mabel’s casket back to Kalamazoo for burial.

Read the whole story about this fallen hero here:

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And an update about the Gold Medal for Mabel here:

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Congratulations for an honor well deserved! Your determination at age 19 to overcome the barriers to become a pilot is impressive.

My Dad was Army Air Force (the name of the Air Force through WWII) on Oahu for the entire war-their planes could not have eventually made their way to the airfield without you and your sister WASPs...

"President Barack Obama signed the bill to award the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) the medal, which is the highest civilian award, equivalent to the Medal of Honor."

Yes, honor her service, but don't put it at the level of the Medal of Honor. Too many men have paid too high a price, to have their sacrifice dimished to a civiilian level. Not even close.

(I'll bite, flame-bait or not.)

If I'm not mistaken, men who did the same jobs as the WASPs ended up doing got full military benefits and recognition. So, because they have the "wrong" reproductive parts, the WASPs don't deserve high recognition?

Way to go, Margaret Phelan Taylor!

The Merchant Marine, during WWII got no GI benefits, and generally, got grief from the Navy enlisted, even though their officers were officially part of the Navy. Yet, the MM had some of the greatest casuality ratios of the war.

My issue on this subject is "the highest civilian award, equivalent to the Medal of Honor." It is NOT! Not even close. All those dead MM would have received the equivalent of the Medal of Honor, based upon this weak standard.

Honor this woman for her service but, please, do not make her a hero...she was not. Many WWII vets, who died in service, did much more, and were not so honored.

I'm not sure if the subject of this article was involved in this specific aspect of WASP service, or not, but it really struck me how much guts it must have taken to "tow targets for gunnery trainees on the ground and in the air." Volunteering to get shot at? That takes some serious...well, you know.

Bravo! Thank you to all the women pilots! You were wonderful!

"don't put it at the level of the Medal of Honor. Too many men have paid too high a price, to have their sacrifice dimished to a civiilian level. Not even close."

Easy there, Gary. She served. You didn't.

What a wonderful story and honor - so many great people here in Palo Alto!

Got to wonder though about 60,000,000 miles (60 million, really?!;-) in two years... Unless I'm reading it wrong, that'd be flying about the speed of the space shuttle nonstop 24/7 for each hour during those two years. Guess the pilot in me that wants the numbers to make sense!

Oh, of course I read it wrong (realizing it just after hitting submit) - 60,000,000 by all the pilots in WASP makes a little more sense! If there were 1074 as stated, then that's about 60,000 by each pilot if they served the two years - a very respectable, and believable, distance.

Well deserved! I salute your wonderful, brave service to our country. Brava, and bless you, Mrs. Taylor.

In response to Gary's complaints about the WASPS receiving the Congressional Gold Medal, wouldn't it be better to honor others appropriately rather than to withhold the medal from the WASPS? I don't know a lot about the subject, but if the MM was part of the Navy, offered courageous service, and received no benefits, then I would think the Navy should honor them in a way specific to the nature of their service. Alternatively I wouldn't object to their receiving the Congressional Gold Medal themselves. Sacrifice without compensation, on a voluntary basis, deserves recognition. That said, I think women who undertook these roles in the context of the limited opportunities for women at the time deserve special recognition for their moxie. Or, you know...

Congratulations to Mrs. Taylor, I see by your maiden name that you're Irish-American, you'll be part of Irish-American history now! It took the efforts of all young Americans, male and female, to win the war, whether in actual combat or not (you might take a look at levels of males in actual combat, it was still very low in percentage of male veterans). As the niece of a Navy pilot killed in 1942, an uncle who had a Silver Star from the Batlle of the Bulge and a father who prosecuted war crimes in Japan, I admire your determination to serve your country at such a young age. I hope you get to Washington and meet the President.

Congratulations! You and all Wasps have the undying admiration from the generation which came after you. Your stories inspired me to get my pilot's license at age 40. I've read about all of you, talked with you at Oshkosh, even camped with one of you who flew her airplane there. What a marvelous group!! (Senator Hutchinson of Texas said on Monday June 29 at a talk in Grapevine, TX that you were all deceased. Send her an email; I did!) Do not pay any attention to MEN who say you don't deserve this honor. They have no idea what you women went through. Those of us who care enough to educate ourselves about your heroism do. Let them pull a drone while live bullets tried to hit it! Men refused this job, I understand.

"In response to Gary's complaints about the WASPS receiving the Congressional Gold Medal, wouldn't it be better to honor others appropriately rather than to withhold the medal from the WASPS?"

If the medal is equal to the Medal of Honor, no medal should be struck. To do so would diminish and dishonor those who made the sacrifice "beyond the call of duty".

It would be much more appropriate to send a letter of appreciation to everyone who served, and did their expected duty. The Merchant Marine guys did not even get that. It is long overdue, but they do not deserve the Congressional Medal of Honor, even though many of them signed up for near-suicide missions. Even Edwin J. O'Hara, of the MM, did not get the Medal of Honor...and he probably deserved it.

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Let's not make heroes out of people who just did their duty. Honored, yes, but not glorified. The heroes earned it by their actions.

Let's not go overboard here.

Gary, you a cowardly piece of right wing garbage

"Gary, you a cowardly piece of right wing garbage"

I will consider the source of that statement, as always. However, if you are stating the the Medal of Honor is of no higher honor than a civilian plane taxi service, please just say so.

Gary, the Wasps were hardly a "a civilian plane taxi service." When you have done something comparable you might have the standing to comment. Otherwise, keep your peace, please.

"Gary, the Wasps were hardly a "a civilian plane taxi service."

That is precisely what they were. They taxied planes from one base to another. Some of them towed targets. It was a valuable service during WWII, but it was not, particularly, extraordinary. If it was just men doing the same thing, there would be no talk about a civilian equivalent of the Medal of Honor.

Perhaps someone would like to ask Margaret Taylor if she thinks she deserves the Medal of Honor (equivalent). I seriously doubt that she does. She did her job, and that is a good, and honorable, thing. Leave it at that.

Really, Gary, have you no shame that you, who has never served his country in any way, is against this woman finally receiving a commendation for her brave service during WWII. You are really a piece of work, Gary. Shame on you.

I honor the service of WASPs and the Merchant Marines, but agree with Gary that the Medal of Honor requires a higher test than just doing your job. As long as I have the power I salute any Medal of Honor winner I meet. My late brother in law was a naval armed guard aboard, one of the gun crews on merchant marine vessels. While the mariners received very good pay, allowances and hazard pay, and could refuse any voyage, the navy boys got $21 a month and went where they were ordered. I even salute any enlisted recipient of the Bronze Star[ossifers had a different level of merit] because I remember what Nedza, our wireman, did to earn his. Ferry pilots served an important function maintaining front line strength.

But, Walter, this woman is not receiving the Medal of Honor, she is receiving an honor,the Congressional Gold Medal, that is said to be equivalent to it. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you get in touch with your elected officials and register a complaint. This honor was not just invented for her.

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"Per committee rules, legislation bestowing a Congressional Gold Medal upon a recipient must be co-sponsored by two-thirds of the membership of both the House of Representatives and the Senate before their respective committees will consider it."

Looks like you and Gary are trying to stir up a tempest in a teapot. I do understand your comments since you have served, but Gary, clearly has not and is just trying to create a new controversy for him to comment on.

Perhaps the "equivalency" stated is that the Gold Medal is the highest award that can be bestowed upon non-military personnel, just as the MoH is the highest military award - does not mean the stakes are the same