Online discussion and live Q&A featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning author Beverly Weintraub about her new book, Wings of Gold: The Story of the First Women Naval Aviators.
On November 11th, we were joined by Beverly Weintraub, author of Wings of Gold: The Story of the First Women Naval Aviators (Lyons Press, 2021) to learn about the very first women to train and serve as US Naval Aviators.
In 1972, four years before women entered the US Naval Academy, a group of women were selected for Navy flight training as an experiment. The six graduates from the inaugural group of female Naval Aviators racked up an impressive roster of achievements, and firsts: first woman to fly a tactical jet aircraft; first woman to command an aviation squadron; first female Hurricane Hunter; first pregnant Navy pilot; plaintiff in a federal lawsuit that overturned limits on women's ability to serve; and, tragically, the first to die in the performance of her duties. Leading by example, and by confrontation, when necessary, they challenged deep skepticism within the fleet and blazed a trail for female aviators wanting to serve their country equally with their male counterparts. It is a fascinating story that Bev, a pilot herself, tells wonderfully.
To purchase Wings of Gold: The Story of the First Women Naval Aviators visit the publishers link below. For a limited time use the promo code: VETS21 to receive a 20% discount. Promo code is only valid when purchasing directly from the publisher.
About Bev Weintraub
Bev Weintraub is the executive editor for viewpoints, projects and brand at The 74, a non-profit, non-partisan news site covering education in America. A veteran journalist, she worked for 24 years at the New York Daily News, where she and two colleagues won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing for an investigation into the illnesses afflicting 9/11 rescue and recovery workers. Bev is a licensed pilot and author of the book we will hear about on Veterans Day, Wings of Gold: The Story of the First Women Naval Aviators.
Live American Democracy events are hosted by Ted Everingham, former-Chair and current member of The War Memorial’s Board of Directors, and produced by Michael Montgomery who, when not working with us, is a lecturer in the College of Education, Health and Human Services at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.