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Mrs. Hattie Meyers Junkin
4536 Lowell St. N. W. 
Washington, D.C. 

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No. of words 
Approximately... 36,000
[handwritten]
Copyright TX n
Dec, 20, 1979
[/handwritten]

[[Center header]]
 1939

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Wa.a.a.ko!
The Human Investment in WACO Aircraft
by
Hattie Meyers Weaver Junkin
"Mrs WACO."

When America entered the World War in 1917, in a state of unpreparedness no need of the Army was more pressing then the need for flying instruct-ors to assist in carrying forward the enormous aviation program which they planned. There were few officers in the Army who had any experience in flying or could take a ship up. The War Department issued an appeal to all civilian flyers in the country to volunteer to render a special and regular service as Playing Instructors. The response was immediate and practically every professional and civilian flyer in the country volunteered. The total number, about seventy-five. These boys for the most part just of age, were called Civilian Playing Instructors. Their occupation was the most hazardous during the War. These self taught boys had built and flown their own ships by guess and by gosh. Each crash taught them something of better design, of needs and flying.
One of these Civilian Flying Instructors, George E. "Buck" Weaver one of the heroes of this story, had gained his experience with