Hazel Ying Lee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel_Ying_Lee

Hazel Ying Lee (Chinese: 李月英; pinyin: Lǐ Yuèyīng; August 24, 1912 – November 25, 1944) was a Chinese-American pilot who flew for the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.

In October 1932, Lee became one of the first Chinese-American women to earn a pilot's license. In speaking of Lee and the handful of other Chinese-American women pilots of that time, author Judy Yung has written "Although few in number, these first Chinese American aviators, in their attempt to participate in a daring sport, broke the stereotype of the passive Chinese women and demonstrated the ability of Chinese American women to compete in a male dominated field." While in Portland, Lee met her future husband "Clifford" Louie Yim-qun.

In response to Japanese incursions into China in 1933, Lee journeyed to China with the goal of joining the Chinese Air Force. Despite the need for pilots, the Republic of China Air Force would not accept a woman pilot. Frustrated, Lee instead settled in Canton and spent the next few years flying for a private airline. She was one of a very small number of women pilots in China.

Following another unsuccessful effort to join the Chinese Air Force, Lee escaped to Hong Kong and returned to the United States in 1938 where she eventually became a WASP. She was an accomplished pilot before becoming a WASP

On November 10, 1944, Lee received orders to go to the Bell Aircraft factory at Niagara Falls, New York and pick up a P-63 and deliver the plane to Great Falls, Montana. During the War, Lee and the other Pursuit pilots delivered over 5,000 fighters to Great Falls. Great Falls was the link in supplying Russian allies with planes. From there, male pilots flew the fighters on to Alaska, where Russian pilots waited to fly the planes home.

Bad weather delayed the mission at Fargo, North Dakota. On Thanksgiving morning, the weather cleared and Lee was able to leave Fargo. A little after 2 p.m., Lee was cleared to land in Great Falls. A large number of P-63's approached the airport at the same time. There was confusion on the part of the control tower. Upon landing, Lee's plane and another P-63 collided, and were engulfed in flames. Lee was pulled from the burning wreckage of her airplane, her flight jacket still smoldering.

Two days later, on November 25, 1944, Lee died from the burns she received in the accident. Only three days after learning of Lee's death, the Lee family received another telegram. Lee's brother, Victor, serving with the U.S. Tank Corps, had been killed in combat in France. As they prepared to bury Hazel and Victor, the family picked out a burial site in a Portland, Oregon cemetery.

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