Esther Blake will be remembered as a woman who changed the United States Air Force forever. Esther McGowin Blake was born in Escambia County in Alabama on July 7, 1897. Growing up in United States in the early 1900s was hard for a woman. Despite the hard work and activities of from women who wanted a change and the support of political parties, women still didn’t have many rights in 1900, especially within the government. Women had a stereotypical role in American society. The typical role was either staying at home taking care of the children, midwives, teachers, or domestic service workers. So growing up, everyone expected Esther to be just like everyone else, but she hopped off the typical bandwagon of a woman of that time, and defied odds.
Esther Blake had two sons who were also in the Air Force, Julius Blake and Tom Blake. Like her sons, she was also involved with helping the United States; she was apart of the Women Army Corps. While during WWII, her eldest son, Lt. Julius Blake, was flying a B-17 Flying Fortress while being shot down over Belgium, Germany and was reported missing. Her other son, Lt. Tom Blake, was later shot down over Italy while flying B-25 Mitchell medium bomber. After these close calls, Esther felt like she needed to do something for her country. As a woman on a mission, Esther enlisted herself into the military so she could help end the war. Blake had enlisted into the Miami Army Air forces on March of 1944. While here, Blake served in the Alaskan division for a year. In November of 1945, she was discharged and onto her next mission. During her two years absence, she went back to her previous job. A recall for women in April of 1947, she reenlisted back into the Miami Army Air Forces. Her new assignment was to the ground force, but as soon as she got the opportunity, she returned to the Army Air Forces. Unlike many women, she was used to working for the nations armed services. She had already been apart of the Women’s Army Corps since 1944. On July 8, 1948, Esther Blake, a 51-year-old woman, was the first woman to enlist in the Air Force. Blake enlisted in the first minute during the first hour of the first day Air Force duty was allowed for women on that momentous day.
Women were accepted to the Women’s Air Force starting in July 1948, and Blake was there on day one. Blake was determined to free men who worked desk jobs so they could go fight in the war which would also help her sons come back home. When the war ended, it was no surprise to her sons that their mother had enlisted while they were away in war. Esther Blake had experience with basic training because of her involvement in the Women’s Army Corps. So at the Cynthia Smith / Maxwell Air Force Base and the Air University History Office, she did secretary and clerical work in Florida, Georgia, and Alaska. During this time, women were not allowed in combat. At the end of World War II, about 2 percent of the military was made up of women doing jobs such as typists, clerks, and mail sorters. When she retired in 1954, from the Air Force, she worked with the civil service in Montgomery, Alabama at the Veterans Regional Headquarters.
Today, 20 percent of the Air Force is made up of women. Not only men can be officers now, more than 20 percent of officers includes women. Now at the Pentagon, combat jobs are opened to women. 19 percent of all United States Air Force military crew are women. Women have made a dramatic change in the Air Force. Instead of being male dominated, women are now very present and are just as equal as men. Of the total 330,000 active duty troops, about 62,000 are women. There is a staggering 700 female pilots, 260 female navigators and 185 female air battle managers. In 1979 when Blake died, there were still not many women in the Air Force Service. Blakes granddaughter said “she was a pioneer woman,”. She also claimed “[Esther Blake] was like women’s lib before women’s lib was invented. She was that kind of a woman — very strong and strong minded and strong willed.”
Other important woman such as Sheila E. Widnall, who was the 18th Secretary of the Air Force during the years of 1993-97. She also the very first woman who took the oath of office as the secretary of any armed forces in America. Or Major Nicole Malachowski, who in 2006, because the first woman pilot on the Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying team. Both of these successes can be thanked by Air Force Staff Sgt. Esther McGowin Blake. She honored all women by making a change and standing up for women's’ rights. It’s been said that it is truly never easy being the first to do something. Esther Blake left a legendary trail which made it achievable for other women to follow her success. Her success in the Air Force freed the opportunity to support women's futures to serve the armed forces with courage and pride. Because of Esther Blake, the USAF is better and changed because of her work. Staff Sergeant Esther Blake's courage to serve her country and the duties she contributed to the Air Force will forever live on in women of today's Air Force. Day after day, USAF women characterize themselves and give honor to those who have served before them by working on the jobs that matter to all in America by performing in all professional legislative, technical and secretarial positions.