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HISTORY Women pilots were WWII heroines Comment By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Apr. 18, 2016 at 6:00 PM Updated Apr 19, 2016 at 9:16 AM By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Apr. 18, 2016 at 6:00 PM Updated Apr 19, 2016 at 9:16 AM » Social News Evelyn Genevieve Sharp had just taken off in a twin-engine fighter plane on April 3, 1944, on a delivery flight across the United States when black smoke began pouring from the left engine. "There wasn't enough power to get higher or stay much longer in the air, so she scanned the countryside, looking for a way to land without hitting any of the homes and buildings below," Shady Cove author William (Bill) M. Miller wrote in his new book "To Live and Die a WASP: 38 Women Pilots Who Died in WWII." In her last moments alive, the 24-year-old Sharp veered left, away from the people below, and crash-landed into a hill, breaking her neck. Miller will speak about Sharp and other members of the World War II-era Women Airforce Service Pilots at noon Wednesday at the Medford library, 205 S. Central Ave., and at noon Wednesday, May 18, at the Ashland library, 410 Siskiyou Blvd. Miller said of the women pilots he researched for his book, Sharp was one of his favorites. Not only did she die selflessly, she lived exuberantly — showing off her skills at age 16 with eight tailspin recovery maneuvers during her pilot's license exam and parachuting from a plane at age 18 as one of the requirements to win a transport pilot's license. As a flight instructor, she trained more than 350 men. The author of "Eugene Ely, Daredevil Aviator" and "Silent City on the Hill: Jacksonville Oregon's Historic Cemetery," Miller said he likes to look for book projects that haven't been done before. When it comes to stories and books about the WASPs, most have been written by WASPs themselves or their relatives. The women who died in training or while shuttling war planes from factories to delivery points did not survive to tell their own stories, Miller said. "These 38 never saw the war end, never had a future, and never heard their country say, 'Thank you,'" he said. Miller said their deaths were gruesome and violent. "Each suffered horrific deaths, deaths seldom described to loved ones. Death certificates tell of fractured skulls, necks, arms, and legs, sometimes accompanied by lacerations of the skull and brain; even decapitation, and complete evisceration of the brain or other organs of the body," he wrote in the book. Often, their bodies were burned and charred. Some survived the initial crash, then died later. Although "To Live and Die a WASP" focuses on the women who died, Miller said he has no intention of feeding the outdated notion that flying was too dangerous for women during WWII. They had the same accident rates as male pilots and more than 1,000 women served as WASPs, he noted. Since each woman was breaking ground at the time, each of Miller's mini-biographies is inspirational. He interweaves individual stories with the larger history of the WASP program's founding, contributions and dismantlement as WWII entered its final days. For Rogue Valley residents, Miller also brings that history home. In 1944, Paula Loop, 28, refueled and took off from the Medford airport. A few minutes later, the plane dropped, slicing and ripping through the tops of cedar trees, before smashing into the ground. A 60-gallon fuel tank exploded on impact. Miller said it was her story that also served as an inspiration to write the book. He said the WASPs did the same job as many men, but because they were not officially members of the military, they did the work for less money. It wasn't until 1977 that the government granted WASPs veteran status and veteran benefits. "These women didn't want to bake cookies. They wanted to be part of the war effort," Miller said. "To Live and Die a WASP: 38 Women Pilots Who Died in WWII" includes 21 photos and is available through various venues, including bookstores, Amazon and Miller's website at www.williammmiller.com . Staff reporter Vickie Aldous can be reached at 541-776-4486 or [email protected] . Follow her at www.twitter.com/VickieAldous . By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Apr. 18, 2016 at 6:00 PM Updated Apr 19, 2016 at 9:16 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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