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Show The Old Sergeant Didn't Want to Be a 'Petticoat Herder' The sergeant was "Old Army." I Hash marks indicating nearly 30 years of service adorned his left sleeve, topped by the stripes of a master sergeant. So, you can Imagine his reaction when, on reporting as crew chief on an army flying boat, he found a woman civilian pilot of the Ferrying Division Air Transport Command at the controls, another In the copilot's co-pilot's seat. "After 30 years In the Army I herd Petticoats," the sergeant mumbled to other male members of the crew. Grumbling, he supervised the starting of the engines. Grumbling, he settled back in the depths of his humiliation as the huge plane took off, bound for delivery under lend-lease lend-lease to the flritish at Montreal. "Women fly in' In the Army," he muttered In dlHgust, adding for emphasis, em-phasis, "and me with 'em. Hell!" Hut on arrival at Montreal, It whs a different story. "I'm sorry, mum," the sergeant greeted his pilot, "for what 1 paid back there. I'd a dum sight ruther ride with you than a lot of them young fellows." That, remarked WASP Pilot Tenure Te-nure McKlroy, a veteran woman civilian civ-ilian pilot with 3.000 air hours to her credit, "was about the driest compliment I ever received." You see, the sergeant Is crowding r0 and any male who (lies a plane Is a "young fellow" In his vernacular. |