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Esther Blake enlists in the first minute the Air Force opens its doors to women

The sergeant is now the first member of the new Women's Air Force; recruits will follow her to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, for training.

In July 1948, the newly independent Air Force had no women in uniform and a law that had just changed that. President Truman had signed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act months earlier, opening regular military service to women for the first time. On July 8, Sergeant Esther Blake enlisted in the first minute the Air Force allowed it, becoming the first member of the new Women's Air Force. The first cadre of WAF recruits soon followed her to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, for training…

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More from July 8

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