Memphis Belle

Episode 42: Memphis Belle with Sarah Parry Myers

I think a lot of us are familiar with stories of bomber pilots and fighter pilots during World War II. And we're probably familiar with the lives of many of the women who actually built those planes, made famous by Rosie the Riveter. But how many of us know about the Women's Air Service Pilots or about their fight for veteran recognition after the war was over? Sarah Myers joins in to talk about the film Memphis Belle and her new book, Earning Their Wings: The WASPs of World War II and the Fight for Veteran Recognition. I had never learned of the WASPs before knowing Sarah and this is such a cool talk. We get into Memphis Belle, her process of discovery, and what it was like to interview these intrepid women. Amazing stuff.

About our guest:
Sarah Myers is a historian of public history, gender history, and war and society. As a public historian, she has conducted numerous oral history interviews for her own research on female pilots in World War II and with Pennsylvanian veterans of various wars and conflicts. In her previous role as director of The Keirn Family World War II Museum, a museum she created and opened, she hosted living history events and museum exhibition openings. She has also conducted interviews with documentaries and local and national media outlets on women in aviation, the U.S. military, and the anniversary of historic events. She recently received a National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) grant to generate dialogue with female veterans at five institutions around the U.S.

Find her new book here: