WASP 2009 Congressional Gold Medal

[rathbonemuseum.com]

This lovely item literally ended up in my lap recently. A “buy it now” on eBay from a dealer selling huge lots of coins and medals. I asked if he knew which WASP it came from? No, he said. A bronze facsimile of the single solid gold medal awarded by Congress to all the WASP in 2009. The gold medal sits in the Smithsonian. Each WASP or family representative was given a bronze version in 2010. All struck by the US Mint.

[rathbonemuseum.com]

AFMil: “Betty Wall Strohfus, a Women Airforce Service Pilot from Minnesota, displays her copy of the Congressional Gold Medal at the Capitol March 10, 2010. More than 200 WASPs attended the event, many of them “

 

[Scott C.]

Wow, nice find!

[Noelle]

See if you can find out a name somehow (mine was Gardner’s). The US Mint sells full-size replicas to the public as well that aren’t marked. Pisses me off, to be honest, that the Mint not only things recipients are only worthy of bronze replicas while the gold stays in government control, but that the Mint also sells full size ones in the cases for just $160 (half size for $20). The least the Mint could do for any recipient is to not cast replicas of the same size, or at least not include cases, or mark the cases with who they are, or something. It’s the same case regardless of which metal. 
 

https://catalog.usmint.gov/on/demandware.store/Sites-USM-Site/default/Product-Variation?pid=MASTER_MLWA&dwvar_MASTER__MLWA_MASTER_MLWA=436&source=detail&Quantity=1

 

So try to get whatever info you can. Cases replicas pretty regularly pop up on eBay, and they’d more exact to the ones given to the WASP that Joe’s “museum” WASP wings are. 

[Kurt Barickman]

On 5/8/2023 at 7:59 AM, rathbonemuseum.com said:

AFMil: “Betty Wall Strohfus, a Women Airforce Service Pilot from Minnesota, displays her copy of the Congressional Gold Medal at the Capitol March 10, 2010. More than 200 WASPs attended the event, many of them “

 

Betty lived less than an hour from me and met her twice. Her county museum has some of her items on display.

 

Kurt

[Kurt Barickman]

[Kurt Barickman]

[Kurt Barickman]

[Kurt Barickman]

[Kurt Barickman]

[Kurt Barickman]

[Kurt Barickman]

There are more of her items there but I don't have photos. If in Minnesota, these items are in the Rice County Historical Society in Faribault MN.

 

Kurt

[Kurt Barickman]

It is an easy drive from the Twin Cities on I 35 if any of you WASP fans are ever in the area. I know that she had a BUNCH of her items but I don't know where the rest are? I know that she has a surviving son.

 

Kurt