John Knox Village

Tex Meachem Flies Again

At a time more than 66 years ago, Tex Meachem thought her love of flying was just a great way to take her and her girlfriends from Gainesville, FL to Daytona Beach for weekends in the sun. That love of flying would ultimately lead her to join the distinguished WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) in 1942 and eventually to sharing the Congressional Gold Medal. Mrs. Meachem served her country as one of approximately 1,100 lady pilots who flew military aircraft during WWII.

Tex Meachem

Mrs. Meachem, 92 and a nine-year resident of John Knox Village was at the Capitol Building in Washington, DC recently. She, along with approximately 175 of the estimated 300 surviving members of the WASP, and representatives of the deceased lady pilots, were collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their service. Mrs. Meachem and each WASP received a Bronze replica of the Gold Medal. The Gold Medal itself will be showcased in the Smithsonian.

The ceremony was also attended by Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Republican Leader John Boehner, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and other Members of Congress on March 10, 2010.

The WASP were pioneers as the first female pilots employed to fly military aircrafts under the direction of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Flying all types of aircraft—fighter planes, bombers, transport, and training aircraft — these women pilots helped defend America’s freedom. Their service eventually became the catalyst for revolutionary reform in the integration of women pilots into the Armed Services.

Tex Meachem reminisced about those early days of flying, and how she joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots.

“I had learned to fly when working in Gainesville, Florida,” Mrs. Meachem said. “I was secretary to the Dean of the Business Administration College, at the University of Florida.”

“There were four of us girls living together and we enjoyed going to Daytona Beach for the weekend,” she said. “We worked until noon on Saturdays and then would take a bus to Daytona. But the ride took two and a half hours”

“One day my roommate said, ‘Tex, I have found they have not closed the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) to women. We can get our pilot’s license for free. And I also found a flying club where for just $25 per year we’d get half price rentals on the planes.’ Our whole idea was to fly to Daytona – that was the beach — to have fun rather than take the bus.”

“We signed up. Got our pilot’s license. And we’d fly over to Daytona Beach with all the roommates. By splitting the costs it was only 35 cents a piece more than the bus.”

While Tex and her friends enjoyed their weekends in Daytona Beach, the war was very much on everyone’s mind. Tex’s love of flying brought a new opportunity.

“A friend called me and said there was a Civil Air Patrol unit in Sarasota that needed a bookkeeper,” she said. “At that time the Civil Air Patrol was busy looking for enemy submarines off the coast. I went down and told them I would be glad to keep the books only if I could fly. And they said yes.”

“After six months in Sarasota, I heard about the WASP, and signed up. I graduated in the 7th class in 1943. We were known as 43 W 7.”

“I reported to Hondo, Texas,” she said. Interestingly enough, this was the first time Tex or anyone from her family had been to Texas. “Yes my name really is Tex,” she said. “It is on my birth certificate. But until my orders to report to Texas, I had never been to that state.”

“In Hondo, I flew training missions for navigation students. The plane was a small gutted airliner with three navigation stations built inside for the trainees. We would fly around until the instructor told us to come back in.”

It was the WASP mission during WWII to handle the domestic flying chores, while the male pilots trained and prepared for deployment to the battles in Europe and the Pacific. The tallest ladies flew the bombers. Tex, who just made the minimum height requirement, flew mostly trainers, light bombers, and DC-3s.

“I was transferred to Ferry Command,” she said. “Ferry Command’s mission was to pick up planes and move them. We would get the war planes from the factory and fly them to bases. Move planes between bases. Fly planes for salvage and rebuilding. Ferry chaplains and other personnel between bases. Some even towed targets that were shot at by live ammunition. The WASP duty was to take care of the flights within the United States, while the men flew in battle.”

The duty of war was serious business. However, Tex recalled some lighter moments with a smile and a chuckle.

“At one point I was assigned with another gal to pick up two cubs (light utility aircraft used for training and reconnaissance) in Warrenton, South Carolina,” she said. “They were to be flown to Rome, New York, where they would be salvaged for parts. The military hoped to take 1500 damaged or unreliable cubs and rebuild them into 500 serviceable planes.”

“We had our orders to fly two specific numbered planes. The C.O. (Commissioned Officer) looked at our orders and roared with laughter. He said, ‘look out the window.’ There must have been 30 acres of cubs with grass and weeds growing over and among them. He said that with so many planes to check out, the war will be over before we would find those two specific planes. So he went out and found two planes that would fly and he changed the orders.”

“We took off and headed to Rome. But every time we landed something fell off! So the mechanics used bailing wire to tie whatever was falling off back on.”

“The window on the right side of my plane kept falling off, so at one stop they just put it in the back. Well when we got back up in the air I stupidly put the map on my lap … but the map flew out the window.”

“Without a map we flew around until we found railroad tracks and followed them. It was getting dark, we had no lights, and the gas gauge was getting low. We were heading for a base in Virginia, and instead we landed in a potato field in Powellsville, North Carolina.

“After more diversions, we continued our flight. As I touched down in Rome, the engine cut out totally out of gas. Mission accomplished!”

“I swear that you could have followed our path back to Warrenton, South Carolina by following the trail of parts that fell off our planes.”

The duties of the WASP ended on December 10, 1944. Between 1942 and 1944, the WASP flew 60,000,000 miles. When they were dismissed, the ladies were told they could get into the Air Force as 2nd lieutenants but would not be allowed to fly.

After the war Tex Meachem married, had three daughters and lived in Syracuse, New York for more than thirty years. Tex is now back to her Florida roots living at John Knox Village. Her fun-loving attitude and natural leadership earned her the title as Queen Bee of the Red Hat Society. But something is different now. Tex Meachem is a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal for her service.

“I still have some wishes in my flying career,” Tex said. “If I were capable, I would love to get back into an AT-6 and fly again.”

At 92 years young, the love of flying is still in Tex Meachem’s heart and soul. She got her chance to fly again in the AT-6 she loved to fly 66 years ago, through the generous cooperation of History Flight, Inc., and the Professional Aviation Center in Ft. Lauderdale.

More than 100 people celebrated Tex Meachem’s “History Flight” including Broward County Mayor Ken Keechl, family, friends from John Knox Village, the Villagers Men’s Chorus, the Ladies Red Hat Society (of which Tex is the Queen Bee), and members of the press.