After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and brought the U.S. into World War II, Ahn -- whose father had died in 1938 after years of torture at the hands of the Japanese -- enlisted in the armed forces, becoming the first Asian American woman in the U.S. Navy. When she traveled to places like Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Atlanta, Ga., for military training, she would often turn the heads of people shocked at the sight of an "Oriental," especially one in uniform.
By 1943, she would become a Navy LINK instructor, teaching fighter pilots how to maneuver in a simulator plane that looked like a miniature Hellcat. She would first have to master 100 hours of "flying" time herself. The 44 female instructors chosen for this program would cheer when their commander allowed them to wear slacks, instead of skirts, in the simulator cockpit. "A lot of people thought that women didn't belong in the service. That made us try harder," Ahn said.
