Ola Mildred Rexroat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ola Mildred Rexroat
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Ola Mildred Rexroat
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| Nickname(s) | Millie |
| Born | August 28, 1917 Argonia, Kansas, Kansas, United States |
| Died | June 28, 2017 (aged 99) Hot Springs, South Dakota, United States |
| Service/ |
Women Airforce Service Pilots United States Air Force Air Force Reserve Command |
| Years of service | 1942–1954 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Awards | Congressional Gold Medal |
| Other work | aviator, USAF Air Traffic controller |
Ola Mildred Rexroat (born August 28, 1917 – died June 28, 2017) was a brave and important pilot. She was the only Native American woman to serve in the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). The WASPs were a special group of women who flew planes for the United States military.
Early Life and Education
Ola Mildred Rexroat was born in Argonia, Kansas. Her father was Euro-American, and her mother was from the Oglala Lakota tribe. When she was young, her family moved to South Dakota. She spent some of her childhood on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
She went to public school in Oklahoma for a while. In 1932, she graduated from the St. Mary's Episcopal Indian School in Springfield, South Dakota. Ola first went to a teachers college in Nebraska. However, she left to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs for a year.
In 1939, she earned a bachelor's degree in art from the University of New Mexico. After college, she worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs again. This time, she worked in Gallup, New Mexico for one year.
Becoming a Pilot
Ola Rexroat later worked with engineers who were building airfields. This job made her want to learn how to fly airplanes herself. To become a pilot, she needed her own plane or to join the WASPs. She chose to join the WASPs.
She moved to Washington, D.C., with her mother and sisters. While there, she also worked at the Army War College. Ola then went for WASP training in Sweetwater, Texas. After she graduated, she got a dangerous job. She had to tow targets for students learning to shoot guns from planes. This happened at Eagle Pass Army Airfield. She also helped transport important cargo and people.
After the WASPs
The WASPs program ended in December 1944. After that, Ola joined the Air Force. She served for ten years as an air traffic controller. She worked at Kirkland Air Force Base in New Mexico. This was during the Korean War.
After her time in the Air Force Reserves, she kept working. She was an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration. She did this job for 33 more years.
Later Recognition
In 2007, Ola Mildred Rexroat was honored. She was added to the South Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame.
She passed away in June 2017, at 99 years old. Before her death, she was the last surviving WASP in South Dakota. She was also one of only 275 living WASPs from the original 1,074. A few months after she died, a building was named after her. It was the airfield operations building at Ellsworth Air Force Base.
