Today, 295 surviving members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots will receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

The medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress, will be presented to the group during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The medal then will be donated to the Smithsonian Institution.

Each of the women or their surviving family members will receive a bronze replica.

In 1942, the United States was faced with a severe shortage of pilots, and leaders gambled on an experimental program to help fill the void: Train women to fly military aircraft so male pilots could be released for combat duty overseas.

The group of female pilots was called the Women Airforce Service Pilots — WASP for short.

A few more than 1,100 young women, all civilian volunteers, flew almost every type of military aircraft — including the B-26 and B-29 bombers — as part of the WASP program. They ferried new planes long distances from factories to military bases and departure points across the country. They tested newly overhauled planes. And they towed targets to give ground and air gunners training shooting — with live ammunition. The WASP expected to become part of the military during their service. Instead, the program was canceled after just two years.

Long-overdue thanks for your service, Ladies.