“We leave our wings with Val and we carry her with us in the sky”
About the Wings for Val Exhibit
For Val’s funeral at Arlington National Cemetery in June 2013, several of her aviator friends who could not be there in person came up with the idea of sending in their coveted pilot wings as a symbol of their presence. Word spread quickly, and within a week, nearly 200 sets of wings from all over the world were collected and presented to the Cappelaere family. The wings came from friends and total strangers spanning the ranks of all branches of service – a powerful illustration of their fierce dedication to each other and the special bond connecting women military aviators of the past, present and future. All wanted to show their support for Val’s service and sacrifice, honor the bond of women military aviators and celebrate the strength they give one another.
When fellow female aviators presented the wings to Val’s family at the funeral, they said, “There are not many women in military aviation. As the youngest generation of junior officers, we understand our success depends on the support we give each other. To be successful as a minority we must not only reach forward to seek mentorship, but also reach back to support and inspire those behind us. ‘Mom’ (Val’s call sign) understood this better than anyone and was a source of strength to women both older and younger. Individually, these wings represent amazing personal accomplishment; together, they celebrate the strength we give each other and the collective strength of all female aviators.”
This amazing collection of wings is now on display at the College Park Aviation Museum in Maryland. This interactive museum is on the site of the College Park Airport, which is the world’s oldest continuously operated airport. Established in 1909, it was used by the Wright Brothers as the military demonstration site and today serves as a modern-day facility for general aviation pilots. The College Park Aviation Museum is a top aviation destination in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Only eight miles from downtown DC, the museum is easily accessible by car and public transportation. It’s a great place to visit with the whole family.
