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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      171002-F-SE307-0023.JPGEllsworth Airfield Ops building renamed in honor of fallen WASP
                        
                        
                        Col. John Edwards, 28th Bomb Wing commander, provides remarks on Ola “Millie” Rexroat during a building dedication in her honor at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Oct. 2, 2017. Capt. Ola “Millie” Rexroat, the only recorded Native American member of the Women Airforce Service Pilot corps in 1944, will now have her legacy live on through the airfield operations building. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Donald C. Knechtel)
                
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        171002-F-SE307-0046.JPGEllsworth Airfield Ops building renamed in honor of fallen WASP
                        
                        
                        Friends and family of Ola “Millie” Rexroat pose for a group photo during a building dedication in her honor at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Oct. 2, 2017. Rexroat was the only Native American member of the Women Airforce Service Pilot corps and, after the WASPs disbanded, went on to serve as an air traffic controller in the Air Force Reserves, as a captain. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Donald C. Knechtel)
                
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Ellsworth AFB airfield ops building renamed in honor of WASPPublished Oct. 4, 2017
                    
                    By Airman 1st Class Donald C. Knechtel
                    
                    
                    28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
            **ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. (AFNS)--  --**The Ellsworth Air Force Base airfield operations building was renamed the “Millie Rexroat Building,” during a ceremony, Oct. 2, 2017.
The 28th Bomb Wing dedicated the building to Ola “Millie” Rexroat, cementing her legacy to all who walk through the building.
Rexroat was the only Native American member of the Women Airforce Service Pilot corps and, after the WASP was disbanded, went on to serve as an air traffic controller in the Air Force Reserves, as a captain.
“She never forgot that she was a Native American,” said Forest R. McDonald, Rexroat’s son. “She never forgot her heritage and her native culture; it was very important to her.”
Rexroat was a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where she spent summers with her grandmother.
“Everything my mother did, it sent a message to me when I was very young,” McDonald said. “If you really want to do something, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t just because of who or what you are. It wasn’t something she ever said to me, it’s just who she was. It’s something I’ve always kept with me.”
During the unveiling, Col. John R. Edwards, commander of the 28th Bomb Wing, spoke in front of many of Rexroat’s friends and family members who were present during the ceremony.
“Captain Ola ‘Millie’ Rexroat joined in 1944,” Edwards said. “Before flying for the WASP corps, she knew she had to support the war effort and thought the best way she could do that was applying for the WASPs, where she would learn how to fly an aircraft before she could even drive a car.”
While serving as a WASP, Rexroat towed targets behind a T-6 Texan for air-to-air gunnery and ground-to-air anti-aircraft practice for male pilots. She also transported personnel and cargo. After the WASPs disbanded, Rexroat served another 10 years in the Air Force Reserves as an air traffic controller.
“It is [with] great pride that I can be here to honor ‘Millie’ Rexroat and the legacy she gave to us,” Edwards explained. “She was someone who led with inspiration, courage and dedication to the country, and is an inspiration for many Native Americans; for all Americans.”Ellsworth AFB 



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