World War II Honoree

Hazel Raines

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Waynesboro, Georgia

Honored By

Charles Henry Atkinson

Relationship

Vietnam Veteran

WAS BORN WITH ASTHMA AND A HEART CONDITION THAT WOULD HAVE BARRED HER FROM FLYING UNDER MODERN AVIATION STANDARDS. SHE WAS DETERMINED, HOWEVER, NOT TO LET HER MEDICAL CONDITION OR DISCRIMINATION AGAINST FEMALE AVIATORS PREVENT HER FROM BECOMING A TALENTED PILOT. JOINED THE CIVILIAN PILOT TRAINING PROGRAM IN ORDER TO BEGIN MILITARY SERVICE IN WWII. SHE WAS ONE OF ONLY 25 WOMEN CHOSEN IN 1942 TO FLY WITH THE BRITISH AIR TRANSPORT AUXILIARY (ATA) AS A FERRY PILOT. UNARMED IN THE DANGEROUS SKIES PATROLLED BY THE GERMAN AIR FORCE, THE WOMEN, FLYING WITHOUT RADIO CONTACT TO PREVENT DETECTION, DELIVERED PLANES TO BOMBER STATIONS AND FLEW DAMAGED AIRCRAFT TO REPAIR FACILITIES. LOGGING MORE FLIGHT HOURS THAN ANY OTHER PILOT IN THE ATA, SHE LEARNED TO FLY NEARLY EVERY TYPE OF AIRCRAFT. SHE SURVIVED HER ONLY PLANE CRASH, WHEN THE ENGINE OF HER SPITFIRE FAILED. WHEN TWO MEN RACED TO THE PLANE, WHICH HAD CRASHED ON TOP OF A HOME IN AN ENGLISH VILLAGE, THEY WERE SHOCKED TO FIND A LIVING WOMAN, RATHER THAN A DEAD MAN, AMONG THE WRECKAGE. ALTHOUGH SHE WAS HOSPITALIZED FOR TWO WEEKS AND GROUNDED FOR THREE MONTHS, SHE LOOKED FORWARD TO RETURNING TO ACTIVE DUTY. RETURNED TO THE U.S. IN 1943, MET WITH ELEANOR ROOSEVELT AND MOVED TO TEXAS TO JOIN A NEW ORGANIZATION, THE WOMEN AIRFORCE SERVICE PILOTS (WASPS). ALTHOUGH SHE NO LONGER SERVED IN A WAR ZONE, HER JOB WAS RISKY. SHE WORKED AS A TEST PILOT, FLYING RECENTLY REPAIRED PLANES AND SHE PULLED TARGETS FOR ARMY TRAINEES PARTICIPATING IN LIVE AMMUNITION PRACTICE.