00:00:00.000 - 00:00:11.000

[BEEP] OK. If she's just learning, she's learned a lot. Oh, no, no, no.

00:00:11.000 - 00:00:16.240

I just learned that I learn something new every time I meet her. Of course you do. It's a different set up, different people,

00:00:16.240 - 00:00:23.520

different faces. It's interesting. I bet. Different backgrounds.

00:00:23.520 - 00:00:33.840

Her master's is in theater, but she's worked a lot [BEEP] producing for PBS station. So she's very knowledgeable.

00:00:33.840 - 00:00:44.000

Deanie Parrish. I'm Deanie Parrish. We're in the home of Frankie Yearwood in Memphis, Tennessee. She was a WASP, class 4410.

00:00:44.000 - 00:00:59.480

Today is August 13, 2000. OK, Frankie. I'm Frankie Yearwood. I was born in Rutherford, Tennessee, July the 10th, 1921.

00:00:59.480 - 00:01:14.880

We lived there until-- my father was an engineer. He produced the electricity for the city and worked there. But we left there and all bundled up in the car. I had two sisters at that time, and my mother

00:01:14.880 - 00:01:32.760

was pregnant with twins. And we went to Oklahoma in a car that had no air conditioning. We didn't even have good roads then, but she made it fine. We had the little plexiglass windows.

00:01:32.760 - 00:01:44.800

You've heard of them? For air conditioning, we'd open those up. Anyway, we went to Oklahoma, and he went to work in a compress, running a compress.

00:01:44.800 - 00:01:54.880

Let me ask you, Frankie, how old were you? I was four years old when we left Rutherford. What are your recollections of that trip? Very little.

00:01:54.880 - 00:02:03.800

I remember going in the car. I liked cars. I remember riding in a car before we left there. And I liked it.

00:02:03.800 - 00:02:19.880

It was a stripped down car that my dad had. And I stood up there, and it scared me to death. But I liked it. But we got to Oklahoma in January,

00:02:19.880 - 00:02:39.240

and my brothers were born January the 26th, 1926. Yeah. And twin boys. So I have two sisters older, and I have two younger brothers.

00:02:39.240 - 00:02:51.800

We stayed there, and after that, we went to the oil field, Seminole Oil Field. >> Okay, let me ask you in that first place, what are your recollections of what you did there?

00:02:51.800 - 00:02:57.600

Did you start school there? How long were you there? >> No. I was still four years old. I was four years old, and the thing

00:02:57.600 - 00:03:06.560

that I loved to do most was skate. I had a pair of skates. They belonged to my sisters. But when they'd go to school, I would take a little hammer

00:03:06.560 - 00:03:18.760

and beat them down to about that long. And I skated, and I loved it. And I guess I started out being pretty active in my life, because I was only four, and I was --

00:03:18.760 - 00:03:32.760

they said I was pretty good with skates. So I enjoyed that. And I guess we were about -- in about two years, we went to Seminole, where they had an oil field.

00:03:32.760 - 00:03:46.800

And we lived there, and that's where I started to school. I can remember that they're saying -- they're telling the truth when they say that I cried every day of school.

00:03:46.800 - 00:03:53.560

I did not like it at all. I guess I felt lost. I don't know. But of course, I overcame that.

00:03:53.560 - 00:04:03.200

We moved from there to Seminole Oil Field -- I mean, to the town of Seminole. We were in the oil field first for a short time, a year's school. >> Do you remember the home that you lived in?

00:04:03.200 - 00:04:12.840

>> In the oil field? No, I do not. We lived in the oil field proper, and they did not have many homes.

00:04:12.840 - 00:04:26.920

We just -- I don't remember the home. But we were there for just that school year, as I recall. Then we moved to Seminole Oil Field -- to the Seminole town. And my daddy built a house for us there.

00:04:26.920 - 00:04:47.760

And we were there for two school years, that I can recall. And from there, we moved to the ranch out of Sulphur, Oklahoma. The ranch belonged to my aunt and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Davison.

00:04:47.760 - 00:05:01.240

And the ranch was an Aberdeen Angus ranch. And at my age, it was really nice. We enjoyed it very much, and I did. We rode horses.

00:05:01.240 - 00:05:15.600

We rode hay wagons. And we stayed there three or four years, and then we were sent to Gladewater, Texas. >> How far were you in school?

00:05:15.600 - 00:05:26.420

>> I was in junior high by then. So we stayed there about four years, I think. >> Do you remember anything outstanding about your elementary school?

00:05:26.420 - 00:05:43.280

>> Yes, I do. I got my only whippin' that I ever got in school. The teacher said that we must learn to spell the months of the year, and the next day, I was ready for that.

00:05:43.280 - 00:05:57.460

But she didn't give us the test. She waited another day or two, and then she gave the test. And of course, you know which month I missed. February was the first one.

00:05:57.460 - 00:06:05.660

After that, I knew I'd missed it, and I got a spanking. And I was heartbroken. >> From the teacher? >> Oh, yes.

00:06:05.660 - 00:06:14.340

Just like she said. >> What did she use to spank you? >> A paddle. The only girl in my family to ever get a spanking.

00:06:14.340 - 00:06:30.080

Now, my brothers got some, but the girls didn't. And it nearly killed me. >> How did your mother and dad feel about that? >> My mother and daddy didn't -- they did not comment much.

00:06:30.080 - 00:06:45.160

They knew that the teacher could not be chastised or anything for it. I think they thought, as I do now, that it was not deserved. But they backed the teachers then,

00:06:45.160 - 00:06:57.540

which is something the parents don't do now. And it's not good for the children in many ways. But anyway, that passed, and we moved from there and went to Gladewater.

00:06:57.540 - 00:07:14.300

And I stayed in school there until my senior year. And then we moved back to Ardmore, Oklahoma. >> Okay, let's go through that junior high school. >> Well, junior high school was not very eventful

00:07:14.300 - 00:07:27.660

because we lived outside of town, and I could not participate in any sports after school because I didn't have a way home. But I liked it while we were in school.

00:07:27.660 - 00:07:37.220

I remember we played soccer more than anything else, and I liked that. I liked the activity. Other than that, there was not too much

00:07:37.220 - 00:07:49.580

that I participated in. I did not have a chance -- I did not have a chance to really cultivate friends much. I was pretty well a loner then.

00:07:49.580 - 00:08:01.940

>> At this point, where were your grandparents? >> Where were my grandparents? They lived in Alamo, Tennessee. And we would take trips back to see them.

00:08:01.940 - 00:08:11.680

>> As you were growing up, Frankie, what was a Christmas like at your house? >> Oh, it was lovely. There were many Christmases that were not lavish,

00:08:11.680 - 00:08:24.900

but there were many Christmases later in life that were -- that made up for anything that we lacked when we were younger and moving about so much. We had some wonderful Christmases, the whole family.

00:08:24.900 - 00:08:36.460

>> With your grandparents? >> No, with my aunt and uncle in Ardmore, Oklahoma. I never spent a Christmas with my grandparents. My mother's mother and father were dead.

00:08:36.460 - 00:08:46.780

I never knew them. But my father's mother and father were in Alamo, and I knew them both, and we visited. But I never spent a Christmas with them.

00:08:46.780 - 00:09:04.900

>> Tell me what a visit was like with your grandparents. >> Well, when we traveled from Oklahoma to Tennessee at any time, it was a long trip. And at that time, there was five children and mother and daddy.

00:09:04.900 - 00:09:14.460

There was seven of us. So it took all of the grand -- all of our relatives almost to -- they prepared for us to be there, and it was quite a thing when we did.

00:09:14.460 - 00:09:27.420

We did not come every year. One of the twins got sick, and it was two years before we ever went after the boys were born. And they were delighted.

00:09:27.420 - 00:09:39.020

They're always delighted to see us. And some of them lived on the farm in Dyersburg, out of Dyersburg, in Bogota, Tennessee. That's where my mother's people lived.

00:09:39.020 - 00:09:49.260

She had sisters that lived there, and they had families, and we loved going there. >> Do you remember your favorite meal when you would go visit your grandparents?

00:09:49.260 - 00:10:01.180

>> Oh, yes, corn on the cob. All corn on the cob and butter beans out of the garden. They were all of my favorite, and still they are. Yes.

00:10:01.180 - 00:10:17.060

>> And then you moved again, and you're a senior in high school. >> I'm a senior in high school in Ardmore, Oklahoma, and I graduated. While I was there, I became acquainted and made friends with several people, and that's where I started --

00:10:17.060 - 00:10:34.940

when school was over, we started playing softball, and we went skating, we played tennis, and my activities really bloomed after we finished high school. One of the girls had a car, and there would be about six of us

00:10:34.940 - 00:10:44.060

that would ride in that car. We went as far as Oklahoma City, which is over 100 miles to play softball. >> And what were you called?

00:10:44.060 - 00:10:57.420

>> We were -- the six of us, we called ourselves the Silly Six, because we had so much fun, and it was silly. >> Let me ask you, in high school, what subjects did you enjoy most?

00:10:57.420 - 00:11:10.980

Do you remember? >> I had one year of algebra. I had one year of shorthand, and one year of typing, and I cannot say that I enjoyed any of it.

00:11:10.980 - 00:11:25.340

I was not a scholar. I did not really enjoy going to school, possibly because we moved so much, and I couldn't make friends, and I think that is a big thing that you need to do.

00:11:25.340 - 00:11:39.620

You need to be there long enough to cultivate friends and enjoy being with them and do things that they do. But I didn't do that until my senior year, and much of it was done after I graduated from high school.

00:11:39.620 - 00:11:53.380

>> Do you remember as you grew up, what were your dreams? >> Not any particular dreams. I just liked to be active. I liked the outside.

00:11:53.380 - 00:12:05.740

I did not like home chores. I would rather, when we lived on the ranch, we had a wood fire place, and I would rather bring the wood in than wash the dishes any day.

00:12:05.740 - 00:12:17.260

I was a tomboy, I guess. I was the third girl, and I think my father was ready for a boy, and he almost made one out of me, I guess. But I enjoyed that kind of work.

00:12:17.260 - 00:12:30.620

I liked being outside, riding horses, doing things like that. >> Right. >> And I loved to skate, like I said, early in life. >> As a senior, did your school have a senior prom?

00:12:30.620 - 00:12:40.500

>> Yes, but I don't think I went. I cannot recall going to a senior prom. I don't believe I went. >> Okay. Okay, let's go forward then.

00:12:40.500 - 00:12:54.780

After you graduated, then what did you do? >> Well, it was not long. It was in August, I believe, that we came to Memphis, Tennessee. We made another major move, and it's been the last.

00:12:54.780 - 00:13:09.700

And I left my friends, and I missed them. But I've made other friends, and I made them quickly here. I started out at Postal Telegraph, and I made friends that I still know today.

00:13:09.700 - 00:13:25.580

And then I went to Fisher Aircraft and made more friends. And it was from there that I knew about the WASP and started qualifying myself or preparing myself to maybe be able to go.

00:13:25.580 - 00:13:36.900

>> Okay. Let me ask you, do you remember where you were and how you felt when Pearl Harbor happened? >> Yes, I do. I remember.

00:13:36.900 - 00:13:48.700

And it was a terrible thing. And of course, it was shocking. It was a surprise to everyone. And I was old enough to remember that and to suffer about it.

00:13:48.700 - 00:14:05.060

>> Do you remember how the attitude of our country, the people in our country changed, and what they began doing that they had not done before? >> Yes. They started soon after that preparing women to work

00:14:05.060 - 00:14:16.300

in the defense plants. And I myself started to school. I was working in Postal Telegraph. But the defense plants started giving lessons

00:14:16.300 - 00:14:26.580

so that women could work there. And I went to school. I would go to school 6 o'clock in the morning until noon, and then I would work from 1 until 9 at night

00:14:26.580 - 00:14:41.460

at Postal Telegraph until I got prepared to be hired by Fisher Aircraft. After that, I, of course, I had to quit the telegraph people, and I worked at Fisher Aircraft as a riveter.

00:14:41.460 - 00:14:50.960

>> Describe your job. >> Oh, I loved it. It was, I was the one who used the gun to shoot the rivet. I was Rosie the Riveter.

00:14:50.960 - 00:15:08.820

And they had another lady who backed the rivet up to make it mash and stay in place. We made ailerons and flaps for the B-25. And it was fun.

00:15:08.820 - 00:15:19.500

It was good. We were in competition. They had, up to that point, only had men. And, of course, they said we need more production.

00:15:19.500 - 00:15:30.200

So, it was our challenge to produce more in a day than the men did. And we did. >> How did the men treat you?

00:15:30.200 - 00:15:41.440

>> Very well. Very well. They did think it was rather foolish that we worked so fast. They said, "You'll wear out too soon."

00:15:41.440 - 00:15:52.180

But we didn't. We didn't. It actually was, it actually got a little bit monotonous because we did the same thing every day.

00:15:52.180 - 00:16:08.400

We put the metal in the jigs and we welded, and we riveted them together. And so, I got a little bored with that. So, I started going to night school, blueprint school,

00:16:08.400 - 00:16:21.880

which I finished. And I was taken back at Fisher as an inspector. And I was put in the same department where I had been working with these ladies.

00:16:21.880 - 00:16:32.760

And there was quite a few tricks played on me to say, "Ah, you missed one over there. There's a piece of metal in that one," and all that. But it was fun.

00:16:32.760 - 00:16:41.940

It was all in fun. And it was there that I learned and heard about the WASP. >> Could you tell me how you heard about it? Do you remember?

00:16:41.940 - 00:16:56.480

>> There was a Chinese girl there who knew about it. I had not heard about it. And she told me about it. And she said that she was going to get to pursue it.

00:16:56.480 - 00:17:08.840

And I did, too. I did never, I never ran into her at the airport, though. I don't know exactly where she got her training, but I went to West Memphis Airport.

00:17:08.840 - 00:17:22.280

>> What made you think that you could do that, that you could learn to fly, when women were not really in that business? >> I guess I never thought that I couldn't.

00:17:22.280 - 00:17:37.840

I think I always thought that I could do it. I think I was competitive enough to feel that if the men and the boys could do that, I could do it, too. So I started after working hours.

00:17:37.840 - 00:17:49.940

I would hitch a ride with some of the ladies who lived in West Memphis, and I started flying. And -- >> Tell me about your first instructor and about your solo.

00:17:49.940 - 00:18:02.660

>> Well, my first instructor later turned out to be an airline pilot. His name was Bob Parker. And he was a very nice man.

00:18:02.660 - 00:18:16.640

And I enjoyed it. I was told that I could not solo before having accomplished eight hours. I soloed at eight hours and ten minutes.

00:18:16.640 - 00:18:38.880

So my dad said, when I told him that I wanted to go into the WASP and fly planes, he said, "You and your crazy ideas." But my dad took me to the airport, and I let him fly. Oh, yeah, when I got my license, I said, "Dad, come on."

00:18:38.880 - 00:18:48.040

And I let him fly. >> And how did he like it? >> Oh, he was scared to death. He was scared to death, but he enjoyed it very much.

00:18:48.040 - 00:19:00.480

And he would tell later that we flew for 20 or 30 minutes that I thought it would take us at least that long to get back. But she said, "I think we better quit flying. It comes down."

00:19:00.480 - 00:19:10.980

And in two or three turns, we landed. He didn't know where we-- you know, he didn't know that we were just right over the airport. >> Right. How did your mother feel?

00:19:10.980 - 00:19:23.160

>> Mother said, "Frankie, are you sure you want to fly that high?" She was a little dubious. But I assured her that the higher you flew, the safer you were in many cases.

00:19:23.160 - 00:19:39.020

>> And at the time you decided to learn to fly, what were your siblings doing? Were they interested at all in airplanes or-- ? >> No. My sister was-- older sister was married.

00:19:39.020 - 00:19:55.480

My other sister was working at Greyhound. And she had people trying to entice her to go into the service. But she was doing a job that was necessary. She was cashier at Greyhound Company in Memphis.

00:19:55.480 - 00:20:14.160

My brothers-- one was 4F. He had a bad foot some way or another and couldn't-- was not accepted, but one of the brothers went into the Navy. And that was where he stayed until after the war was over.

00:20:14.160 - 00:20:32.440

>> And what did those siblings think about you flying? >> The two boys were so busy with their own lives that-- not much, not much. >> When you had your required number of hours,

00:20:32.440 - 00:20:47.840

then what did you do? >> I must have corresponded some way with a person and an address. I was told-- we both were told that we would have to go

00:20:47.840 - 00:21:00.200

to Washington, to the Pentagon for an interview. And this we did. We took a train. And the two of us went to Washington in the Pentagon.

00:21:00.200 - 00:21:17.560

I had never been on a plane-- on a train by myself. And I had certainly never seen the Pentagon. And we had some-- we had the-- one of the senators from Arkansas met us and took us

00:21:17.560 - 00:21:34.640

to where the interview was to be held. We both were interviewed and we returned home. And we were contacted by mail to appear at the Steric Building to take the Air Force test

00:21:34.640 - 00:21:44.200

that all of the men were required to take. >> What was the name of the senator? Do you remember? >> You know, I cannot remember.

00:21:44.200 - 00:21:50.800

I wish I could. He's long gone. And I cannot recall him-- >> Okay.

00:21:50.800 - 00:22:03.880

>> It's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't really tell you what it is. We received these letters to be at the Steric Building at a certain date, certain time.

00:22:03.880 - 00:22:17.320

And we went. And we took our written test. We were the only two women in the room. There was about 30 of us, I guess, and all 30 or 40 maybe.

00:22:17.320 - 00:22:22.520

And-- >> Who were the other people in there? >> Men. Men. >> And what were they doing?

00:22:22.520 - 00:22:38.740

>> They were taking the required Air Force test to be put into the Air Force. We finished that and went back to work. And later, I was-- I received notice that I had passed my test

00:22:38.740 - 00:22:54.880

and to report to the air base for an interview and a physical. Unfortunately, she did not pass her test. >> Could I back up and ask you who did the interview in the Pentagon, do you remember who interviewed you?

00:22:54.880 - 00:23:05.060

>> You know, I don't know. I do not think that it was Miss Cochran. But I don't know. This was rather late in the deal.

00:23:05.060 - 00:23:16.480

You recall, we were the last class. And I do not think she was there. I do not know the name of the person who interviewed me. I wish I did.

00:23:16.480 - 00:23:26.200

>> Okay. So, you've had your interview. Did you have to take a physical? >> Yes, unfortunately. >> Tell me about it.

00:23:26.200 - 00:23:44.600

>> The air base was-- it had-- it was a moving air-- it was a physical air base and-- but it had only men. There was not a restroom in the building that was for women. There were no women out there.

00:23:44.600 - 00:23:59.760

I had the interview with one little problem that we won't go into, but I survived that. Then I had the physical in another at the Army Depot where they had a doctor.

00:23:59.760 - 00:24:14.960

And he was just about as nervous as I was. I will tell you this, I was-- they said that we had to be 5'3". And I was afraid of that. I was close to 5'3".

00:24:14.960 - 00:24:31.640

I was 5'3 and a quarter maybe or a half. But I was afraid if I had to go out there and sit for three or four hours, you know, you can lose a half an inch. So, before my time to be there, I went to a chiropractor.

00:24:31.640 - 00:24:46.880

And I said, "I want you to stretch me at least an inch." Well, he didn't an inch, but he did stretch me enough that I was 5'3" when I took my physical. The other part of the physical where the doctor was

00:24:46.880 - 00:25:02.120

so nervous and so was I. He whistled all the way through. And I, for the life of me, cannot tell you what it was he was whistling. It was rather-- it was different.

00:25:02.120 - 00:25:13.360

It was different. There was a nurse there, a nurse in attendance, of course. But they were all very embarrassed to have to go through this with a woman.

00:25:13.360 - 00:25:21.240

>> Did that flight surgeon, perhaps he was, did he know what you were being examined? >> Yes. >> What you wanted to do?

00:25:21.240 - 00:25:32.360

>> Yes. >> And what was his reaction to that? >> Well, they were rather slow in moving my papers. As a matter of fact, they were so slow that I called them.

00:25:32.360 - 00:25:47.840

And they said, "Well, they'll be processed soon." And evidently that moved them to process them. Because the next notice that I got was to come to Sweetwater. >> Were you living at home during this time?

00:25:47.840 - 00:25:59.360

>> Yes. Yes, I was. >> And then how did your mother and dad feel about your leaving home to go to Texas? >> Well, I was pretty determined

00:25:59.360 - 00:26:10.520

so they didn't give me much static. >> So how did you get to Sweetwater? >> I took a train. Actually, I drove to Ardmore and took my mother

00:26:10.520 - 00:26:21.960

and we visited there for a day or two. And from there I took a train to Sweetwater. It was a long trip. >> Give me your first impressions

00:26:21.960 - 00:26:33.440

of Sweetwater and Avenger Field. >> Oh, my goodness. Have you ever ridden, did you ever ride a cattle truck before? I did, I had.

00:26:33.440 - 00:26:42.320

I was familiar with cattle trucks, having lived on the ranch. But I never had one that had seats in it. And we did have seats.

00:26:42.320 - 00:26:57.360

But we were a motley looking crowd to be going and doing what we were doing. High heels, short skirts, fancy blouses, hairdos. Sometimes even some of us had hats.

00:26:57.360 - 00:27:13.640

And when we approached Avenger Field, I can say without a doubt, everybody in there thought we'll never be able to fly those big planes. We voiced it to each other.

00:27:13.640 - 00:27:25.720

I never thought, I just know I can't do it. But it was a challenge. And we took every day, one day at a time. We were kept busy.

00:27:25.720 - 00:27:39.560

And we did not think of failure. Some failed. We wouldn't let ourselves think of it. How did you feel when one of your class members

00:27:39.560 - 00:27:48.800

would wash out? Was very sad. Because they didn't want to wash out, or they would not have gone to the trouble to be there.

00:27:48.800 - 00:28:00.200

And it was very sad. And we knew, we knew it could happen to us in three days. If we gave three bad rides, we were on our way home. And we knew it.

00:28:00.200 - 00:28:14.120

And my bay mate, she would get a pink slip. And then the next day, she'd have to ride with another instructor. And she'd get back on.

00:28:14.120 - 00:28:23.280

She'd be all right. But it was a bad experience to even be around someone that had gotten one. And I knew I could get one.

00:28:23.280 - 00:28:36.440

I never did, though. I never got a pink slip. I was very fortunate. But then I was-- I don't know if there was any other WASP there

00:28:36.440 - 00:28:47.800

who had not been to college. I knew I hadn't. And nor had I had any extra education other than a high school.

00:28:47.800 - 00:29:01.480

I did later, but I hadn't at that time. I knew that I had to give it everything I could drag up to stay there. My size didn't help.

00:29:01.480 - 00:29:11.360

That parachute was heavy. And those two fellas is the only thing that got me going. But-- Not having a college education, did that

00:29:11.360 - 00:29:27.920

make you feel inferior? Yes. I felt that they knew more than I did. And I was not prone to talk a lot, but I sure listened.

00:29:27.920 - 00:29:49.320

Describe your bay mates and the areas that came from and how they were different from you. Well, there was six of us in the bay. There was one that was a-- it's hard to describe.

00:29:49.320 - 00:29:58.480

They were educated. All of them had been away to school. And they were pretty knowledgeable. To talk to them, you'd think they knew everything.

00:29:58.480 - 00:30:07.760

When I finally got acquainted with them, I found out they didn't know them when I did. But they thought maybe they did. They put that on.

00:30:07.760 - 00:30:18.600

They put it over real well. And they were educated in other ways that I was not. I had not traveled a lot. I had not been to big places like they had.

00:30:18.600 - 00:30:35.160

But there was a debutante. There was a schoolteacher. And in the wing, there was one that had been a Rockette. Their lives were so varied that it was a new story every day

00:30:35.160 - 00:30:49.320

if you talked to them. Some of them had husbands overseas. Most of them-- a lot of them had boyfriends overseas. But they still could not dwell on all of that

00:30:49.320 - 00:31:01.840

too much because they had things to do. But the bay mates were nice. But we did not have six bay mates throughout the whole course.

00:31:01.840 - 00:31:15.160

By the time we graduated, there was three of us left in that bay that had started. -Tell me about the three that washed out. Do you have any idea why they washed out?

00:31:15.160 - 00:31:28.840

-No, I do not. One especially was a schoolteacher. And she was very good in math. And I made a friend with her because I was short, I felt.

00:31:28.840 - 00:31:41.160

And so she would help me with my mathematical studies. And I agreed to help her with her cockpit procedure. And we swapped out. And she must have done a better job than I

00:31:41.160 - 00:31:52.680

did because she washed out. There were some people who were just not suited, I think, for it. And they found it out.

00:31:52.680 - 00:32:07.520

They just couldn't endure the pressure. They were intelligent enough. But they just didn't have the desire or the makeup to go through with it.

00:32:07.520 - 00:32:23.280

And they washed out. -What did you mean by pressure? -Pressure. Well, it's pressure to have to wake up at 5 o'clock

00:32:23.280 - 00:32:35.000

in the morning and go eat breakfast when you're not hungry, and then be in formation to go to the flight line in the morning, put your zoot suits on, and go and sit on the flight line,

00:32:35.000 - 00:32:47.960

and have an instructor show you something about an airplane that you thought you'd never be able to get off the ground. There was pressure every day. Nothing unduly, but just the routine.

00:32:47.960 - 00:32:59.640

Then when you came in, you had to hurry to change your clothes and go to lunch and come back and then go to ground school and go to calisthenics, take calisthenics. And there was some time after that that we

00:32:59.640 - 00:33:11.560

could go play tennis. We had all of our own. We were not duly pressured into anything, but unduly. But it was different from what our lifestyle was.

00:33:11.560 - 00:33:21.200

Much different. It was mine, and I'm sure it was for the rest of them. -Describe for me the ground school. -The ground school?

00:33:21.200 - 00:33:41.640

Well, the ground school was books and study and learning about the airplane, about the engine, about how the flaps work, how the ailerons work, and everything about the airplane

00:33:41.640 - 00:33:58.160

that we could learn that would maybe help us to understand why it works like it does. And the ground school, compared to flying, was boring. But we knew we had to have it, and we had to pass it.

00:33:58.160 - 00:34:06.480

And that's why I got some help from a teacher that was good in math. She taught math. And we had problems that we solved,

00:34:06.480 - 00:34:21.560

and we had papers that we turned in. And it was a school. But it was the manual that we had to learn. -Do you remember one particular subject

00:34:21.560 - 00:34:32.080

that you really enjoyed in ground school? Morse code, meteorology? -Not code. Not code.

00:34:32.080 - 00:34:40.760

Put it at the bottom of the list. I liked link trainer. And I would have liked it better had we not been there at 7 o'clock in the morning.

00:34:40.760 - 00:34:55.040

But we were. -Describe for me what a link trainer is. -A link trainer is just a small airplane instruments with only instruments that you maneuver the same way

00:34:55.040 - 00:35:16.480

that you would an airplane, given like situations. And you were graded about the success of your ability to maneuver it the way they wanted you to. -Tell me about your meals, about your cafeteria.

00:35:16.480 - 00:35:29.200

Where did you eat? -We had a cafeteria. We formed a line, and we marched to the cafeteria. And we had, most like any other cafeteria,

00:35:29.200 - 00:35:42.040

metal plates with sections on it, trays. And we were served good food. It was cooked by civilians. And it was good food.

00:35:42.040 - 00:35:53.960

We got tired of it. Sometimes they didn't have what we liked to eat or whatever. But it was considered good food. It was better than I can understand that they

00:35:53.960 - 00:36:09.200

got in the regular service. -Describe for me the uniforms or the clothing that you wore to fly in and to go to ground school in. -To go to ground school, we had to wear khakis

00:36:09.200 - 00:36:23.800

with a white shirt. To fly, we were in an oversized coverall. I think that they were oversized because they just didn't make them for us.

00:36:23.800 - 00:36:40.440

They were handed down from the military, the small suits. Some of the ladies were tall, and they fit better. But for the short ones, they were pretty lumpy. They were pretty big.

00:36:40.440 - 00:36:50.080

And the only thing that kept them up was the tight belt you put around the middle to keep them on. -Tell me, what was the biggest adjustment

00:36:50.080 - 00:37:12.160

that you had to make in training? -I can't say one is any bigger than the other. I was just prepared to adjust my whole life to it. I was just willing to do that.

00:37:12.160 - 00:37:29.840

And it was not very hard to get in the swing of things. The main thing that I had a problem with was the inspections. If I did it right, made up my bed right and everything,

00:37:29.840 - 00:37:42.920

it was the wrong day. And so I'd get a demerit. I'd get a demerit. And when I didn't do it, it was the day they inspected.

00:37:42.920 - 00:37:55.760

I couldn't seem to coordinate my housework with their schedule some way or another. Maybe it was because I didn't much like housework anyway. But I got demerits.

00:37:55.760 - 00:38:11.160

And I was confined to the post one time because of that. And I might tell you that while I was there, they made us OD, officer of the day. And that's when I would call home and talk with my sister.

00:38:11.160 - 00:38:19.560

And she'd say, oh, why are you calling? I said, well, I'm officer of the day. I can use the phone. Oh, well, that's great.

00:38:19.560 - 00:38:34.400

It was two years later I told her after I got out why I was there. Another time I was confined to the post, we were having flight tests.

00:38:34.400 - 00:38:44.960

And they were scheduling them. And they would put them on the board after the flight was over in the afternoon. And we were not supposed to be on the flight line

00:38:44.960 - 00:38:59.560

at that time. But we would go in twos and slip over there and see whose name came up so they could worry all night about having to be tested the next morning.

00:38:59.560 - 00:39:08.120

And we got caught. The two of us got caught. And so we were confined to the post. That made seven demerits.

00:39:08.120 - 00:39:18.280

And we were confined to the post. I called my sister again. And she thought that was just great. Can you tell me when you were in training,

00:39:18.280 - 00:39:32.080

what were your expectations about what you would be doing when you finished training? I honestly thought and hoped that I'd be sent to a base, that I could do something that

00:39:32.080 - 00:39:42.320

had been trained for that would be worthwhile. And I honestly thought we would. That didn't last very long, though, because the rumors started that we

00:39:42.320 - 00:39:55.480

would be doing real well to finish, which was the truth. Let me talk-- let you talk about flying. You want me to change tape? Because I'm about to run out on this one.

00:39:55.480 - 00:39:58.680

OK. OK. Let's change the film. Let's see if she wants something to drink.

00:39:58.680 - 00:40:03.200

You need some water? Water? I'm about to ask you about the airplane. OK.

00:40:03.200 - 00:40:14.760

OK, can you tell me about your solo flight and your bachelor instructor? My solo flight in the Stearman? Oh, man, I forgot his name.

00:40:14.760 - 00:40:31.880

It was wonderful. I liked the Stearman. It was rugged. And it was scary because of the wings that

00:40:31.880 - 00:40:41.720

are so susceptible to drag. You know, they're long, they're wide, long. And it's the only airplane that I had a mishap in. But I did.

00:40:41.720 - 00:41:00.000

We were shooting stages, I think. That's later on. And we were at the auxiliary field. And as I came in to land, a little ground whirlwind

00:41:00.000 - 00:41:09.280

got under my wing. And it went down, and I said, oh, year wood, you've done it. And I had. It scraped a little piece on there.

00:41:09.280 - 00:41:20.680

And my instructor was watching with another instructor. And they saw what happened. It was a little whirlwind. And you know, they had a lot of them.

00:41:20.680 - 00:41:35.600

So anyway, I had to go see-- to the medical department. And they checked me over. Now, I was physically all right. But I had to take a check ride with my instructor

00:41:35.600 - 00:41:42.720

the next morning. This was an afternoon flight. So the next morning, I got out there. And he said, come on, let's get this over with.

00:41:42.720 - 00:41:59.520

And we flew back to the auxiliary field. And there was a rabbit on the field. And he said, let me have it. And he buzzed that rabbit.

00:41:59.520 - 00:42:12.680

He said, OK, take us home. And that was the end of that. You asked, though, how I liked it. I liked every one of them.

00:42:12.680 - 00:42:27.080

And I liked my instructors. And I got along well with them, I guess, because I didn't ask an awful lot of questions. But I tried to do exactly what they told me to do.

00:42:27.080 - 00:42:38.400

And then when we went to ground school, our instructor, we knew, had taken his information, a lot of it, from the books that we were learning about the mechanism of the airplane.

00:42:38.400 - 00:42:52.440

And between the instructor and the ground school, you got a pretty good knowledge of every plane that you flew. Tell me about anything unusual that might have happened while you were at Sweetwater.

00:42:52.440 - 00:43:01.760

Anything unusual about a cross country, or anything that you did? Yeah. OK.

00:43:01.760 - 00:43:16.040

Well, for one thing, our class never did go to Houston, I believe, where they did the high pressure schooling. We never did get to go to that.

00:43:16.040 - 00:43:24.480

The weather would not permit. Sometimes we would be scheduled to go, but it would suck in or something, and we didn't get to go.

00:43:24.480 - 00:43:45.360

The only thing, other than dragging that wing, was on our cross country in the 86. We went to El Paso, and we were going on across the line to California.

00:43:45.360 - 00:44:04.040

What was the name of that little place? Anyway, we had to cross over some restricted area. And instead of going directly across, we had to go north until we hit a beam, and then go west again.

00:44:04.040 - 00:44:22.560

And I missed the beam. My radio, I declared, never got it. Nevertheless, I went too far, and I knew I was. And I landed in a phoenix.

00:44:22.560 - 00:44:38.180

Then I saw 86s on the ground, so I went in. And I didn't even get out of the airplane. Someone came up on the wing, and they said, are you Frankie Yearwood?

00:44:38.180 - 00:44:44.080

I said, yes. And I've got to go in and call my instructor and tell him where I am. He said, he knows where you are.

00:44:44.080 - 00:44:55.680

He has contacted us. And he said for you to high tail it where we were supposed to RON. I said, all right, I want to gas up first.

00:44:55.680 - 00:45:07.960

And they did. They gassed me up. And I flew-- I don't know why I can't remember where it was. But anyway, I flew there.

00:45:07.960 - 00:45:19.560

And I didn't drag my feet. When I got there and landed, the instructor jumped up on the wing. And he says, we've changed our plans.

00:45:19.560 - 00:45:31.280

We're not RON in here. We're not staying overnight. We're going back to El Paso. He said, and you're the last one off.

00:45:31.280 - 00:45:45.560

I said, all right. Well, I was the last one off, but I wasn't the last one to land in El Paso. And that instructor had trouble when he took off.

00:45:45.560 - 00:45:58.120

He had an oil leak. And he was delayed a day or two getting home. But we went to El Paso and then back home. And I just knew they were going to wash me out good.

00:45:58.120 - 00:46:09.400

But I never heard from it. Never heard a word from it. -While you were in training, were any of the WASP trainees killed that you remember?

00:46:09.400 - 00:46:27.840

-No. We had one incident where they were doing inverted flight. And her seat belt came loose. And she parachuted successfully.

00:46:27.840 - 00:46:37.320

We had another incident where in the AT-6, the wheels wouldn't lock down. And we were all disturbed about that. It was in the afternoon.

00:46:37.320 - 00:46:49.800

And we gathered at the flight line. And they had her fly for another hour to get the gasoline low. So if she had to make a crash landing, it wouldn't be so dangerous.

00:46:49.800 - 00:47:02.840

But when she put the wheels down, they would come down. But it didn't indicate they were locked. But they held up. And so it was a scare.

00:47:02.840 - 00:47:19.880

But it was nothing bad. -While you were there, Frankie, there came a time that the entire class heard some bad news. Could you tell us about that?

00:47:19.880 - 00:47:26.680

-What are you referring to? -About where you would be stationed or what would happen to you after graduation. -Oh, yes.

00:47:26.680 - 00:47:36.360

We were told. -Do you remember when that happened and how you felt? -Yeah, we felt pretty bad. We had gone through an awful lot of training.

00:47:36.360 - 00:47:46.520

We'd put out an awful lot of effort. And we had grown to love to fly. And we wanted to fly those planes. And we wanted to learn to fly more planes.

00:47:46.520 - 00:47:57.400

And we were very disappointed, very disappointed. And it was a dull day. -Tell me what that news was. -Well, it was not all that sudden.

00:47:57.400 - 00:48:10.120

It came in slowly. But there was a final day. And we knew that after graduation, we would be sent temporarily to different places,

00:48:10.120 - 00:48:18.080

but not for long. And that's what we just endured. That's all we could do. -And what were they going to do with you?

00:48:18.080 - 00:48:28.160

-They were going to send us to-- and I still can't think where we were going-- but we were to tow targets, tow targets. And that's what we did for two weeks.

00:48:28.160 - 00:48:38.560

And that was interesting. -But as far as the training program was concerned, what was about to happen? -It was deactivated.

00:48:38.560 - 00:48:45.840

It was over. It was over completely. And we were very saddened. And we were very disappointed.

00:48:45.840 - 00:49:01.080

It seemed as if we had prepared for something that just never happened. -Do you know why they were going to disband the program? -Yes, because the war was at a stage

00:49:01.080 - 00:49:14.640

where quite a few of the men were coming back. And they were upset that we were flying planes, and they didn't have a job. That was our understanding.

00:49:14.640 - 00:49:23.360

-I know in the midst of your disappointment, though, that you had a graduation that was unusual. -Yes, we did. We did.

00:49:23.360 - 00:49:35.280

We had a graduation. And a half Arnold came and gave us our wings, which of course was the height of anything that we expected, could have expected.

00:49:35.280 - 00:49:44.640

Jacqueline Cochran was there. And they did all they could to make it be as nice as it could be. But it was still disappointing.

00:49:44.640 - 00:49:55.280

We knew we were going to be leaving the friends that we had made, for one thing. And while they were very good about-- we had a choice of two or three places

00:49:55.280 - 00:50:04.440

and who we wanted to be sent there with. And they let us go with those to a certain extent. I went with my bay mate, that we had been together all those months.

00:50:04.440 - 00:50:16.360

And we went together. And we're stationed at the same place and towed targets. -How did you get from Sweetwater to the base? And where were you sent?

00:50:16.360 - 00:50:25.320

-From Sweetwater to the base. -Did you have some time off? Did you come home? -No, no.

00:50:25.320 - 00:50:41.440

I did not come home once during the time that I was there. And I don't recall how we got to the base. I really don't. -When you got to the base, were there other WASPs or anything?

00:50:41.440 - 00:50:48.400

-No, not many. A few, but not many. Not many at all. And we didn't stay there long enough

00:50:48.400 - 00:50:56.400

to get acquainted hardly with anybody. We just reported at the flight line. They told us what to do. We got in the plane.

00:50:56.400 - 00:51:04.920

And we did it. We landed. And then we just hobbled along for two weeks. -What kind of tow target training were you doing?

00:51:04.920 - 00:51:12.600

And in what kind of airplane? -AT-6. AT-6. And it was-- I don't think it was live ammunition.

00:51:12.600 - 00:51:23.400

I think it was electronic. -Was it from the ground? -From the ground. -How were you treated when you arrived at this air base?

00:51:23.400 - 00:51:35.800

-Not special, but not just like anyone else. Not special. -And there came a day when you were disbanded. -Yes.

00:51:35.800 - 00:51:50.000

-How did you get from that air base back to where you-- where did you go? -Well, I hitched a ride in an AT-6 with a pilot that was going to Pensacola.

00:51:50.000 - 00:52:00.720

And I knew that was getting a little bit closer to home. So I asked to ride with him. And I took my parachute. And he delivered me in Pensacola.

00:52:00.720 - 00:52:12.520

-And then what happened? -Well, then what happened? I waited on a freight to come to Memphis, freight plane. They brought freight back and forth from Memphis to Pensacola.

00:52:12.520 - 00:52:20.120

And I waited. But the weather was not good. And they did not have a flight. I waited two or three days there at the PX.

00:52:20.120 - 00:52:34.360

And they didn't have a flight. And it was getting on toward close to Christmas, you know. So I got on a train. It was the slowest train that ever rolled, I'm just sure.

00:52:34.360 - 00:52:47.160

And it was loaded with service people. And I left in the afternoon. And about midnight, we were about halfway. And I got off to stretch my legs.

00:52:47.160 - 00:53:02.840

And I met a car full of service men going to Memphis. And I hitched a ride with them. And they delivered me to my door in the middle of the morning. They were going on to Little Rock.

00:53:02.840 - 00:53:13.040

Very fine people. Military people were fine people then. And I can't fault any of them. -Tell me what that Christmas was like.

00:53:13.040 - 00:53:27.480

And how did your family react when they saw you in your uniform? -My family was not an excited bunch. They were proud of me.

00:53:27.480 - 00:53:35.780

They've always been proud. But I can't recall that it was any different from any other Christmas. We just were glad to be together.

00:53:35.780 - 00:53:43.920

My brother was not there. He was still overseas. So there was some anxiety there. But it was nothing real, real big.

00:53:43.920 - 00:53:55.640

It was no big party or anything. Just another normal Christmas. -When you got back to Memphis, then were you reunited with friends that you had left?

00:53:55.640 - 00:54:05.600

-Yes, I was. I had several friends that I had left. And I was reunited with them. And actually, I had some of them come visit me there

00:54:05.600 - 00:54:15.160

while my sister and a carload of the ladies came while I was in Sweetwater. And I had a leave. We could go just so far.

00:54:15.160 - 00:54:25.080

And I went to-- I think I met them in Abilene, maybe, or Fort Worth. I can't recall. And we had a weekend together, which was good.

00:54:25.080 - 00:54:43.460

And then when I came home, I renewed my friendships. However, by then, they were not working at Fisher Aircraft. And I went to work at McDonald. And I wasn't working with them.

00:54:43.460 - 00:54:54.820

So I didn't really associate with them anymore in the workplace. But I had two or three friends that I still saw regularly. -And then what did you do as far as work?

00:54:54.820 - 00:55:05.180

Did you get a job? -Well, I went to McDonald and worked as an inspector. -What was McDonald? -McDonald Aircraft.

00:55:05.180 - 00:55:18.500

They made the pressurized chamber, I think, for the 29. I'm not sure. But that was my job. I was an inspector on the B-29, the pressurized section.

00:55:18.500 - 00:55:32.060

-And how were you treated by the men who worked for that company? -Nothing special. Nothing special. I got along with them fine.

00:55:32.060 - 00:55:46.500

But nothing impressed them about the fact-- I don't even know if they knew I flew. I don't know that I even-- I probably did say so. I probably had to put it on my application and everything.

00:55:46.500 - 00:55:55.940

But they were not all that impressed. And nor did they mind. They accepted me. -Did you ever fly after that?

00:55:55.940 - 00:56:07.540

-One time. -Tell me about that. -Well, I was working in the Shrine Building. The Shrine Building at that time was owned by Mr. Smith, AJ Smith.

00:56:07.540 - 00:56:25.740

He had a cotton mill up a little north of Dyersburg. And he also had a private plane. And he would fly back and forth to his little airport on his property, just a strip.

00:56:25.740 - 00:56:38.020

And he needed a piece of equipment one time. And he called a day or two ahead. And he said, that will be ready a certain day. And I want Frankie to fly it to me.

00:56:38.020 - 00:56:48.660

Well, I was working for the manager of the building. And he said, how long has it been since you've flown? I said, well, it's been quite a while. I want you to go over there and check out.

00:56:48.660 - 00:56:55.620

So I did. I went over to West Memphis. And I checked out in a Luscombe. And I was ready.

00:56:55.620 - 00:57:08.100

When the part was ready, I put it in my car, took it over there, put it in the plane. And I started out. And I crossed that Mississippi River that is pretty wide.

00:57:08.100 - 00:57:22.380

And then I got to thinking, I've got to find an airstrip that's not a public airstrip. It's a private airstrip. It might look like a little trail in the ground, you know?

00:57:22.380 - 00:57:33.060

And I don't know what helped me, but I found it. And I unloaded. He met me there at the airport. And I had lunch with he and his wife at their home.

00:57:33.060 - 00:57:43.420

And then I cranked up. And I started back. And that's when I got to wondering. You know, these airplanes are like cars in a way.

00:57:43.420 - 00:57:57.300

Sometimes the gas indicator is not always accurate. And I flew over the Mississippi River down from the north to the southwest and was over it quite some time.

00:57:57.300 - 00:58:11.860

And I started looking for places where I could get across and hit some ground if I had to. I was a little concerned, but I made it back all right. And that's the only time that I have ever flown an airplane

00:58:11.860 - 00:58:22.380

since I was in the WASP. I like to fly commercial. But I kept up my license. I had a commercial license.

00:58:22.380 - 00:58:40.460

And I kept it up for quite some time. But you have to pass a physical with them. And it was getting harder and harder to do. My eyesight was-- my depth perception was off some.

00:58:40.460 - 00:58:58.460

And I just quit going and renewing it. -After you decided to move on from the Douglas Aircraft Factory, what did you then do? -I started after working-- I was working at the Shrine Building

00:58:58.460 - 00:59:13.260

when I left Douglas and McDonnell Douglas. And I started working for a friend of mine who was an editor of a newspaper in West Memphis. And I started taking pictures.

00:59:13.260 - 00:59:24.700

I knew nothing about how to take a picture. But I bought a camera. And I talked with people who knew how to do it. And I processed my first pictures

00:59:24.700 - 00:59:43.060

in the pantry of a house. And I learned how to develop and print. And I became their bookkeeper and photographer for a weekly newspaper in West Memphis.

00:59:43.060 - 00:59:55.140

While I also had my job at the Shrine Building. I worked them both for quite some time. And finally, I got busy enough that I had to give up the Shrine Building.

00:59:55.140 - 01:00:07.020

And I went to work full time there. And from that, I went to photography school, learned more about photography. And then I became partners with a lady

01:00:07.020 - 01:00:21.100

who had worked for many years in a camera store. So she and I pooled our resources. And we became partners in a studio and camera store in West Memphis.

01:00:21.100 - 01:00:35.140

And we continued to do the pictures for the newspaper. We took pictures for them, processed them, and got them ready for their newspaper for quite some time, years after that.

01:00:35.140 - 01:00:50.740

And then we built our own studio, which was right next door to my home over there. And we continued for 20 years to do school day pictures. We did aerial pictures.

01:00:50.740 - 01:01:03.060

We did accidents. We did dog track pictures. We'd have to be there for the winter at midnight. And we would be there and take their picture

01:01:03.060 - 01:01:12.060

and get it developed and run it in the next morning's paper. It was quite a good thing. It was quite interesting. We did that for 20 years.

01:01:12.060 - 01:01:26.140

-Have you ever had a showing of your pictures? -No. Only one time. It really wasn't known that it was-- I think I moved on that.

01:01:26.140 - 01:01:37.540

We were coming back from a photographic meeting in Atlanta, I believe. And we were driving. And between Jackson, Tennessee and Memphis,

01:01:37.540 - 01:01:51.980

we were on the expressway. And we saw, both of us at the same time, a farmhouse and the barn had an opening. You know how they go through the barn that's out on each side?

01:01:51.980 - 01:02:01.540

Go through it. They put their wagons and things in it. And there was a dog in the field just closer to us, sitting in the field.

01:02:01.540 - 01:02:11.620

And I said, what a picture. And she said, yeah. We got up on the turnaround and came back. And we spent 30 or 40 minutes, maybe an hour,

01:02:11.620 - 01:02:23.420

getting that at the right time of the day. And it made a beautiful picture. We left a note. No, before we left, the people who owned the place drove up.

01:02:23.420 - 01:02:29.420

And we told them what we were doing. And they didn't mind. And we told them. We gave them our address and said,

01:02:29.420 - 01:02:39.580

if you're ever in West Memphis, come by and we'll give you a picture. And they did. The next thing we saw, it was in the commercial appeal.

01:02:39.580 - 01:02:55.540

It had won first prize for an amateur contest. But we couldn't claim it, of course. But it did get noticed. It was a good picture.

01:02:55.540 - 01:03:12.980

-Could I back up and ask you about your reserve status or your reserve training with the Air Force? -Yes, I went to the Air Force Reserve there in Memphis and while I was working for the newspaper

01:03:12.980 - 01:03:32.700

as a bookkeeper mostly and photographer. And I was taken in as a first lieutenant because of my age, for one thing, and my experience, I guess. And I stayed about five or six years.

01:03:32.700 - 01:03:42.860

And I became a captain. I got promoted to a captain. And we took trips. They had to get their flying in.

01:03:42.860 - 01:03:52.660

We'd go to Miami for the weekend. We'd go to New Orleans for the weekend. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but no flying. I did not fly at all, just rode.

01:03:52.660 - 01:04:05.580

And then the unit was moved to Little Rock. And by then, I had started my business. And I could not take off two weekends a month. So I had to give it up.

01:04:05.580 - 01:04:19.020

And I retired. And I was given an honorable discharge as a captain. -What was the unit that you were assigned to? What was their mission?

01:04:19.020 - 01:04:32.580

-They were just keeping proficient in their flying, basically. And putting in so many hours so that they would be proficient if they were ever called.

01:04:32.580 - 01:04:46.800

That is about all they did. But this was right after the war, you know. And the reserves were kind of lean at that time. And they were older men, usually.

01:04:46.800 - 01:04:59.000

The young boys were not there. These were older men, maybe, that had even flown in the war. And then they wanted to continue their service, and maybe toward retirement.

01:04:59.000 - 01:05:13.160

Many of them did retire from the unit after several years. -Do you remember any unusual incidents that happened while you were a member of the reserve? -Not really.

01:05:13.160 - 01:05:32.480

It was interesting. But nothing really happened much. It was rather, at that time in our country, we did go to two weeks active duty in places.

01:05:32.480 - 01:05:43.920

We went twice, I recall, on the coast. I think we went to somewhere in Florida. Forgotten. It's been so long ago.

01:05:43.920 - 01:05:55.600

And I enjoyed that. And it was good experience. But it was a letdown, though, because I was around planes, but I couldn't fly them.

01:05:55.600 - 01:06:10.880

And it was just a job. -When you decided to retire from owning your own business, then what have you done with your life since then? -I retired in 1980.

01:06:10.880 - 01:06:23.360

Took about two years to dispose of the building and their equipment and everything. And my sister lived here in Memphis, and her husband died the next year.

01:06:23.360 - 01:06:35.880

And she wanted me to move in with her, so I did. I live here now with her. And since then, I have worked part-time, doing seasonal work at a studio here in Memphis

01:06:35.880 - 01:06:51.040

that does school day pictures. And I can't seem to get away from it. Every year, they need some help. And my partner and I both go and help them.

01:06:51.040 - 01:07:03.780

She works pretty regularly in the fall and in the spring. But I only go when she asks me. And she doesn't ask me until she's absolutely got to have some help.

01:07:03.780 - 01:07:14.360

And then I help. But since then, I have retired, as I said. But I've stayed very busy. I do bookkeeping for myself and my sister.

01:07:14.360 - 01:07:27.480

And I play golf. -And how about your church activities? -Church activities-- I've always been a member of the Church of Christ since I was a young girl.

01:07:27.480 - 01:07:52.480

And I go regularly. I participate as much as need be, as I like. But I don't fit in, in that I'm not married. And there's three of us who go to the church over here now.

01:07:52.480 - 01:07:59.240

And we pretty well stick together. And we're very friendly. And they're very friendly to us. And we enjoy it very much.

01:07:59.240 - 01:08:07.760

-Frankie, as you know, Tom Brokaw has called your generation the greatest generation. Let me ask you if you agree with that. -Yes, I do.

01:08:07.760 - 01:08:16.000

But I have not read the book. And I'm planning to. But I have not read his book. -Why do you think your generation was

01:08:16.000 - 01:08:29.200

the greatest, what qualities? -Well, because we were forced, because of the war, to do something different. We got out of the kitchen, out of the house.

01:08:29.200 - 01:08:41.760

And we felt we had to do something to help the men. And then we were needed. We were definitely needed in defense plants. And I think we were needed as WASPs,

01:08:41.760 - 01:08:51.680

to take their place in the flying field and let them go and do the battles, which they were trained to do. And that's why it was different.

01:08:51.680 - 01:09:04.400

Because we did something that nobody had ever done before. We, as women, flew military aircraft. And they had never done it before. -What do you believe will be the legacy of the WASPs?

01:09:07.360 - 01:09:22.080

-It scares me to think about it. Of course, we're dying off every year. Something like this will keep us going, maybe, for years to come. And then we might bloom out again

01:09:22.080 - 01:09:37.980

if there's ever another war. Of course, the girls that are flying now, learning to fly, they'll keep it up. And they do recognize us as being pioneers in the field.

01:09:37.980 - 01:09:55.380

They give us a lot of recognition. And we do appreciate it. And several of the WASPs have helped them to adjust to their situation some.

01:09:55.380 - 01:10:15.100

It, in itself, is a new field. Because they are not allowed to be promoted to their best and highest ranks because of the factor of being combat ready.

01:10:15.100 - 01:10:29.260

However, I think that's up to the individual. I do feel, too, though, that the government probably will put a regulation on it. And I wouldn't fight it.

01:10:29.260 - 01:10:48.620

I really feel that combat is not really where we belong. I think there's enough to do here. -As you know, the history of the WASPs was not in the textbooks that the children of America

01:10:48.620 - 01:11:01.420

study when they're studying about World War II. How important do you think it is that children learn about the history of the WASPs? -I think it's very important.

01:11:01.420 - 01:11:17.740

I hate to think that we've gone through what we have and it just be dropped and forgotten. And there are so many fields now that girls are getting into-- more in athletics,

01:11:17.740 - 01:11:36.460

more in jobs with computers where they use their minds. They're getting more into politics. And I think they can have a very definite place in those situations.

01:11:36.460 - 01:11:52.020

I hate to think that they don't put us in the history books. I have-- I know I have relatives. I have a niece and nephew that have been begging me for a long time to sit down and write everything

01:11:52.020 - 01:12:00.780

that I have done. I'm hoping that this will help me with that. And they're interested. And you'd be surprised.

01:12:00.780 - 01:12:11.860

They're very interested. When we go back-- when we go to-- as you well know, when we go to any of the towns, they treat us like royalty sometimes and make

01:12:11.860 - 01:12:23.380

us feel good about what we've done. Even though we are gray-haired and wrinkled, they are pleased and proud of what we've done. And I hope they keep on being, because I

01:12:23.380 - 01:12:41.100

hope the women can keep working at things that will allow that and will bring that to make that happen. What do you feel your legacy will be? I don't know.

01:12:41.100 - 01:12:55.060

My family-- it probably will stop there. My family's proud of me, and I appreciate that. But I know I've learned something, though, since I've gotten older.

01:12:55.060 - 01:13:07.900

You know, when we were learning to fly, we depended on our instructor. If he was in the plane, we felt safe. Then we learned in ground school why he had told us

01:13:07.900 - 01:13:24.260

the things that he did. And we've had an instructor through the Stearman, the AT-6, the BT-13, with night flying and cross country. And we depended on that instructor and the advice

01:13:24.260 - 01:13:37.380

that he gave us, and we used it. We had to, to learn. But in life, we still need an instructor, and it needs to be God.

01:13:37.380 - 01:13:58.900

And God has his instruction book, and it's the Bible. And if we follow it, we'll have a successful life, and we'll be happy. I know that you have done so many things in your life.

01:13:58.900 - 01:14:20.260

What is the one thing that you are most proud of? Well, I've never made a hole in one, so that can't be it. I really can't say I expect to, and they say that's why I won't.

01:14:20.260 - 01:14:32.860

You have to expect you can do it before you can. I'm proud of my WASP experience. I'm proud of the friends that I made when I was there. I still have those friends.

01:14:32.860 - 01:14:46.020

I see WASP on the off year, we try to get together. That when we don't have a reunion, we try to get together. And we have a good time, a real good time.

01:14:46.020 - 01:14:57.340

I went last year with Jean McCrary. I went up to her place and visited. We went on to Washington, and we saw the Women's Memorial. And we do things together.

01:14:57.340 - 01:15:13.580

Earlier than that, Peggy Gilman from Long Island came here. I drove with her to her niece's place in Arkansas, and we witnessed a fox hunt. I've never seen one.

01:15:13.580 - 01:15:23.500

And we spent some time together, and it was enjoyable. And I like those things. I've visited in Peggy's home several times. And I just like it.

01:15:23.500 - 01:15:42.500

I like the people that I met there. And I know when I went to my first reunion, I told my sister, I said, if I get there and everybody starts bringing out pictures of their grandchildren, I'm coming home.

01:15:42.500 - 01:15:57.860

But you know, they didn't do that. They talked about flying. And I've gone every year since. I was going to ask you, and I think you've mostly answered it.

01:15:57.860 - 01:16:19.860

I was going to ask you what part God had played in your life. Oh, a large part. I think the world needs to stop and recognize that while we were ready or got ready soon to fight the war,

01:16:19.860 - 01:16:35.780

I don't think it was all due to our strategies, our airplanes, and our ships. I think nobody will ever know how many prayers were sent up and how many were answered.

01:16:35.780 - 01:17:00.820

Frankie, if you could say something to your nieces and nephews and to children that you have never met, say 25 or 50 years from now, if they watch you, what would you say to them that would encourage them or give

01:17:00.820 - 01:17:15.860

them the hope or the ambition to do something that they might feel is impossible, but by listening to you, it might encourage them? What would you say to them?

01:17:15.860 - 01:17:29.260

I would say if you want to do something, you can. There's nothing a person can't do if they really want to do it. They cannot just jump in and do it.

01:17:29.260 - 01:17:40.360

You go a day at a time. You figure out how to do it. You can't put your car on cruise and just leave it there. You have to maneuver it.

01:17:40.360 - 01:17:51.860

You can't get in an airplane and put it on a co-pilot. You've got to have somebody helping you. And you have to rely on those people to help you in the right direction.

01:17:51.860 - 01:18:10.220

And if you keep your life in the right direction, you'll find a way to do anything that you really want to do. Would you like to tell us about your nieces and nephews? Well, I have several, but I have two that are bugging me.

01:18:10.220 - 01:18:24.820

Let me hear about those. Well, Bill Yearwood, my nephew, he is over the-- he works here in Memphis in Bartlett, and he's over the computer section.

01:18:24.820 - 01:18:39.940

He has a good job there. And he wants to know everything that we did. He has two children, and he will tell them all of it. The other one is my niece's daughter,

01:18:39.940 - 01:18:51.660

who just finished graduating at Searcy, Arkansas, and just married. And she invited me one time when she was in school here to come and talk to her class.

01:18:51.660 - 01:19:02.820

And I put my uniform on, and I went and talked. And I felt very much out of place because I was so much older. She was just in maybe junior high or high school then.

01:19:02.820 - 01:19:15.980

But she acted like she was proud. I bet she was proud. Well, I think she'll get one of these. You have been a delight.

01:19:15.980 - 01:19:23.260

Thank you. And we thank you so much. Well, thank you for making it possible. Thank you.

01:19:23.260 - 01:19:42.020

This is extraordinary, Frankie. You're pretty extraordinary. Air Base, I was to leave a urine specimen, as you know. And there was not a restroom for the ladies in that building.

01:19:42.020 - 01:19:49.500

What would you do? I don't know. I'd find a faucet and fill up the bottle. No.

01:19:49.500 - 01:20:00.540

And I was talking to a colonel across the desk and asking me questions and things. And he said, we need a urine specimen. Did you get her picture?

01:20:00.540 - 01:20:04.860

Oh, don't undress. We will. We'll get it out in front of the house. But she'll be all undressed.

01:20:04.860 - 01:20:08.620

Well, don't completely undress. No. Don't undress. I won't wear my urine.

01:20:08.620 - 01:20:21.380

I took a coffee cup, a Styrofoam cup. He left the office. And I left it on his desk. [LAUGHTER]

01:20:21.380 - 01:20:29.460

Good for you. Now, that's the links. This is just an example of the length that we went to to accomplish what we wanted to do.

01:20:29.460 - 01:20:37.920

Day by day, we had a fight. Yep. But we made it. We just kept persevering.

01:20:37.920 - 01:20:42.800

You just persevered. I'm certainly glad you did. Get your jacket back on. What's she going to do?

01:20:42.800 - 01:20:49.160

We're going to take a still picture. Oh, OK. In fact, we'll take a couple. Did you get one by herself?

01:20:49.160 - 01:20:53.480

Yes, I did. OK. Got it. OK.

01:20:58.920 - 01:21:03.680

Why do you think I retired at 60 years old? Yeah, right. You understand. I understand.

01:21:03.680 - 01:21:15.300

I was so tired of carrying those big boxes that you set up. It took school pictures. Where would you like it? Somewhere in the midst of this.