The Fly Girls Revolt: The Story of the Women Who Kicked Open the Door to Fly in Combat

National Archives Museum
Online

Author Eileen A. Bjorkman will tell the story of the women military aviators of the 1970s and 1980s who kicked open the door to fly in combat in 1993—along with the story of the women who paved the way before them. In 1993, U.S. women earned the right to fly in combat, but the full story of how it happened is largely unknown. From the first women in the military in World War II to the final push in the 1990s, The Fly Girls Revolt chronicles the actions of a band of women who overcame decades of discrimination and prevailed. Drawing on extensive research, interviews with women who served in the 1970s and 1980s, and her personal experiences in the Air Force, Bjorkman weaves together a riveting tale of the women who fought for the right to enter combat and be treated as equal partners in the U.S. military. Joining the author in conversation will be Margie Clark Varuska, USAF Lieutenant Colonel (Ret), C-141 pilot, and a member of the first class of women to attend the USAF Academy.