Major Nicole Malachowski in a wheelchair during WASP ceremony

From left are: Malachowski, journalist Tom Brokaw, House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, Parrish, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky.

Female WWII pilots get overdue recognition
The photo shows Deanie Parrish receiving her medal. Nicole Malachowski is in the wheelchair. The article doesn't say why, but you can see that she's got a foot in a cast, so it's clear she just has a broken foot, and nothing of a more serious nature.

EDITED: She slipped on some ice near her home and broke her leg. When she went to the hospital, she discovered that she was pregnant with twins! Congrats Nicole!

As I said in an earlier post...no Obama, he was off preaching to Unions in West Virginia...still,it was nice that Brokaw was htere, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner. More importantly, at least the ladies got their medals, athough several will have to be delivered to some of those who were unable to make it.

I hope there will be video posted on YouTube shortly.

From the article:

The 90-year-old [Barbara] London gained fame flying military aircraft built in Long Beach and Southern California into combat zones during World War II. She was one of the first to respond to the call for duty in 1942, when females were allowed for the first time to fly the dangerous flights.

As one of 25 charter members of the Air Transport Commands Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, she shuttled several hundred new military planes to various bases from Long Beach's Douglas Aircraft Co., now part of the Boeing Co.

London, who began her aviation career in Seattle, on the swing-shift assembly line at the plant where Boeing built left wings for the B-17, was the only woman pilot from World War II to receive the Air Medal.

On Tuesday, London was flown from her home in San Jose by her granddaughter Kelly Rinehart. Rinehart is a corporate pilot who lives in Goleta, and is a volunteer for Angel Flight West. London's daughter, and Kelly's mother, Terry Rinehart, who is also a groundbreaking aviatrix was one of the first women hired as a commercial airline pilot and the first ever to fly for Western Airlines. She is now retired from Delta Airlines.

(I title my post as I did because I've been getting some search hits on Malachowski and wheelchair, and I figured I'd make a post about it pointing out that I don't really know...but it does seem obvious she just has a broken foot and nothing more debilitating).