Ola Mildred Rexroat

Ola Mildred Rexroat
Rexroat in the 1940s
Born	28 August 1917
Died	June 28, 2017(2017-06-28) (aged 99)
Known for	Only Native American woman to serve in the Women Airforce Service Pilots

Ola Mildred Rexroat (August 28, 1917 – June 28, 2017) was the only Native American woman to serve in the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP).^[1][2][3] After that she joined the Air Force, where she served for ten years as an air traffic controller.^[2][3][4] In 2007 she was inducted into the South Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame.^[5] She was the last surviving WASP in South Dakota.^[1]

Rexroat was an Oglala Sioux from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.^[6] She earned a bachelor's degree in art from the University of New Mexico in 1939.^[7][8]

Rexroat died in Hot Springs, South Dakota on June 30, 2017 at the age of 99.^[9]

References

1. Nick Penzenstadler Journal staff. "Last surrviving South Dakota WASP, 'Sexy Rexy', recalls World War II service". Rapid City Journal.
2. "WASP filled with colorful pilots". St. George News. 11 June 2015.
3. "Warriors at Heart: Some of the Native Women Who Served in the Military". Indian Country Today Media Network.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-21. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
4. William C. Sturtevant (1978). Handbook of North American Indians: Indians in contemporary society. Government Printing Office. pp. 13–. ISBN 978-0-16-080388-8.
5. "WASP OLA REXROAT".
6. "Women In Military Service For America Memorial". Archived from the original on 2016-10-15. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
7. "NATIVE WOMEN VETERANS - www.lakotacountrytimes.com - Lakota Country Times". Archived from the original on 2017-09-22. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
8. Long, Steve. "WWII WASP with Pine Ridge roots: "A Long the Way"". Archived from the original on 2017-09-21. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
9. Ola Rexroat-McDonald Obituary