Methuen’s own Sara Payne Haden was honored at the last Methuen City Council meeting for her service to our country as a member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots. Sara is 89 years of age, and is now one of 300 surviving WASP that may be honored with the nations highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal. From the Eagle Tribune:

There’s legislation in Congress that, if passed, will bestow the highest civilian honor on Methuen’s Sara Payne Hayden.

The 89-year-old city resident served in the 1940s as one of the 1,074 Women Airforce Service Pilots — known as WASP — the first female pilots in the U.S. military.

There are two bills in Congress — Senate Bill 614 and House Bill 2014 — that would give the Congressional Gold Medal to Hayden and the other 300 or so surviving WASP.

Sara is active in our city’s veterans groups, and she has been at every veterans parade that I have attended in Methuen since 1992. Congresswoman Tsongas has done a wonderful thing here, and it would be truly a deserving recognition of the great contribution made to America by this brave group of female aviators. Congratulations Sara! Read the Tribune article here.