Top of page

Elaine Danforth Harmon [2004]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots)
  • Location of Service: Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas; Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/30070

View full service history

"Back in those days, women weren't expected do things like this, and so many people were against the idea of women flying, endangering their lives." (Video Interview, 10:03)

As a student at the University of Maryland, Elaine Danforth heard about the Civilian Pilot Training Program and persuaded her father to sign permission for her to learn to fly. By the time she applied to join the WASP, the number of flying hours required had been reduced, and her 40 hours got her admitted. After training in Sweetwater, Texas, she was sent to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas to train pilots on refreshing their instrument skills. She recalls how controversial the idea of women flying during wartime was and how that prevented the WASP from gaining full military status before they were deactivated.

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Elaine Harmon Collection

Names

  • Library of Congress
  • Veterans History Project
  • Harmon, Elaine
  • Lindsey, Beverly

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

  • Maryland

Headings

  • -  Harmon, Elaine
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots).

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Female

Race

  • White

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots)
    • Location of Service: Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas; Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada
    • Highest Rank: Lieutenant
    • Dates of Service: 1944-1944
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2004-03-19; 2010-07-07)
  • Video: VHS [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2004-03-19; 2004-03-19)
  • Video: Betacam SP [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004-03-19)
  • Audio: 10" Audio Reel [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004-03-19; 2004-03-19)
  • Audio: DAT [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004-03-19; 2004-03-19)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/30070

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Wars & Conflicts

Service Branch

Location of Service

Highest Rank

Service Entrance

Discharge Status

Gender

Race

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

Interviewee

Interviewer

Organization/Affiliation

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Library Of Congress, Veterans History Project, Elaine Harmon, and Beverly Lindsey. Elaine Harmon Collection. 1944. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.30070/.

APA citation style:

Library Of Congress, Veterans History Project, Harmon, E. & Lindsey, B. (1944) Elaine Harmon Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.30070/.

MLA citation style:

Library Of Congress, et al. Elaine Harmon Collection. 1944. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.30070/>.