Madge Leon Moore Oral History

title:

Madge Leon Moore Oral History

creator:

Moore, Madge (Leon) (1922 January 22 - )

subject:

Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP)

description:

Madge L. Moore (formerly Leon) was born on January 22, 1922 in Rule, Texas and she grew up in Haskell, Texas. Her father owned several theaters in surrounding towns, and one day he paid a nearby flight instructor $50 for 10 hours of flight training. He only used a fraction of the time to throw leaflets for their theaters, so Moore asked to use the rest of the lesson time herself. She kept up with flying several days a week, especially after finishing school. Although she technically wasn’t licensed to fly other people, she took her mother, boyfriend, and various fascinated people up throughout her time in Haskell. After graduating from high school she attended Texas State College for Women (now Texas Woman’s University), and there she flew less in part because she joined a modern dance group. She transferred to Southern Methodist University and was a senior when she heard about the WASPs. She applied and went to Fort Worth, Texas for an interview and physical, then was assigned to class 44-W-4 and reported to Sweetwater, Texas in November 1943. She finished training in May 1944 and went to Perrin Field in Sherman, Texas as one of the first two WASPs to report there. There, she was part of the Engineering Department and, among other things, tested planes after they were repaired. After a few months, she and her fellow WASP returned to Sweetwater for advanced training and came back to Perrin Field. Moore coached instructors on instrument flying techniques upon returning. She flew BT-13 and AT-6 planes most often in the service. She met her husband while at Perrin Field when he was the only pilot who offered to carry her parachute. Moore left the service in 1944, and for her service she was awarded an American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and Congressional Gold Medal. A transcript of this interview is available.

publisher:

Military Women's Memorial Foundation

contributor:

Weigand, Cindy

date:

2002-06-24

type:

Audio

format:

Cassette

identifier:

664; 2003.664

source:

CLIR - Recordings at Risk

language:

English

relation:

064268

coverage:

World War II (1939-1945) | 1943-44

rights:

Unrestricted