Frances Gertrude Green
Frances Gertrude Green was born in Marshall Texas on 26-Oct 1921. Her parents were Starr Houston Green (1892-1943) and Sallie B. Turner (1888-1987). According to the 1940 Federal Census, Frances was living with her family on 18th Street in Galveston Texas. She was 18 years old and reported she had completed 3 years of high school. Frances had three brothers: Raymond (1915-1979), Phillip (1917-1990) and Frank (1921-1980).
Frances enlisted in the Air Corps on 23-MAR 1943. After extensive training Frances served as a pilot as a WASP (Women’s Service Air Pilots).
The Women Airforce Service Pilots were civilian employees of the United States Department of War. Although the WASP received the same primary, basic and advanced flight training as their U.S. Army Air Force male counterparts, they were not military personnel. Following graduation from their flight training, some pilots went on to specialized training in heavy bombers or fighters. Frances trained to fly the B-17 Flying Fortress at the four-engine school at Lockbourne AAF, Ohio in 1943.
The most iconic photograph of the WASP’s features Frances (L to R) along with Margaret Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborn. The four trained on the B‑17 Flying Fortress, one of the largest and most complex aircraft of the war. Their aircraft, the “Pistol Packin’ Mama,” appears in many of the most famous photographs of women pilots during WWII. The photo shows the crew walking confidently across the tarmac with parachutes slung over their shoulders. These images became symbols of the WASP program’s skill, professionalism, and quiet defiance of gender expectations.
As a WASP, Frances Green performed missions that were essential to the war effort, including:
- Ferrying aircraft from factories to bases
- Transporting personnel and cargo
- Towing aerial gunnery targets for live‑fire training
- Testing repaired aircraft to ensure they were safe for combat pilots
These were not symbolic or ceremonial roles. They were dangerous, technical, and required absolute precision.
Since the WASP were considered civilian employees not military members. This meant that they were awarded:
- No military benefits
- No insurance
- No formal recognition
Over the course of the WASP program, between 1942 and December 1944, 38 women lost their lives, 11 in accidents and 27 during missions. Although these women sacrificed their lives in the defense of their country, none were given military funerals, none of their families received military benefits, and no money was provided for transport or burial of their remains by the military. Cochran and Love and fellow WASP pilots contributed to pay expenses for some of the fallen.
For more of her story, click on the pdf below.
Frances was Honorably Discharged 20-NOV 1944. While they were not awarded official military medals during the war, The WASP were awarded full military veteran status in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter. Their 1977 recognition paved the way for them to receive the World War II Victory Medal and other service medals retroactively.
Frances Gertrude Green was eligible for the following medals and commendations:
- World War II Victory Medal
- American Defense Medal
- Good Conduct Medal
- Congressional Gold Medal (In 2010)
