# WWII Pilot Donates Her Congressional Medal To Inspire Girls.



## Chopstick (Mar 5, 2011)

http://www.wtae.com/news/27084521/detail.html



> *CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. -- *Florence Shutsy-Reynolds was one of  the many women who flew for the United States during World War II, but for  years, many people never knew about their service.
> She answered the call almost 70 years ago, at the age of 18. And on  Friday, the 88-year-old woman donated her prized Congressional Gold Medal medal  to the Connellsville Area Historical Society. "Perhaps it will inspire some young girl that the door now has been  opened for opportunity," Shutsy-Reynolds told Channel 4 Action News anchor Sally  Wiggin. During World War II, a select group of young women pilots became  pioneers, heroes and role models. They were the Women  Airforce Service Pilots, the first women in history trained to fly American  military aircraft.
> The WASPs did everything but combat. They flew test flights and trained male  cadets, and 38 of them died doing their duty. "When the war in Europe was winding down, they decided it was time for us  to go, so they took our records and buried them," Shutsy-Reynolds said. Last year, Shutsy-Reynolds and other surviving WASPS got their  long-delayed recognition when they received congressional medals. Now, hers  belongs to the local historical society. "I owe much to this city. They supported me when I first started to fly  and were always kind to me. This is my show of appreciation," Shutsy-Reynolds  said. "I am not surprised," said Karen Hechler, president of the historical  society. "She gives everything she has to other people, and it's just another  step to bring the legacy forward, and to show exactly what they have done." Tech Sgt. Christy Helgeson, a flight crew chief, is one of those  inspired. She was Shutsy-Reynolds' military escort at the gold medal ceremony on  Capitol Hill last year. Shutsy-Reynolds is not only a war hero who inspires young women across  the country. She's a silversmith who took wings and made them into bracelets,  one of which Helgeson wore Friday.


----------

