The Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) were the first American women to fly American military aircraft. Over 1,000 women joined the WASP program from 1942 to 1944, ferrying new warplanes from factories to airbases and performing other non-combat missions to free up male pilots for combat duty. Though they flew over 60 million miles in service to their country, the WASP were not given veteran status until 1977.