The first female Airman Published July 8, 2009 By Staff Sgt. Chad Padgett 436th AW Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- On the first minute of the first hour of July 8, 1948, Esther McGowin Blake enlisted into the Air Force, becoming the first female Airman. While women in the military is not uncommon today, during the 1940's the women's civil rights movement had just started to gain momentum. Men had left home to fight in World War II, which meant women had to take their places in the workforce. Mrs. Blake was no exception, she had already served in the Army Air Forces in 1944 before enlisting in the Air Force. When she was asked by a newspaper why she wanted to join the Women's Air Corp, she stated that she wanted to free a soldier from clerical work to be able to fight and hopefully speed up an end to the war. "If I can do this, my efforts will be worthwhile," said Mrs. Blake. "Mrs. Blake remained on active duty until 1954, when she separated and went to work with the civil service at the Veterans Regional Headquarters in Montgomery, Ala.," said John Murphy, 436th Airlift Wing historian. Mrs. Blake passed away on Oct. 17, 1979. In 1987, the Air Force Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., named one of their student dormitories to honor her accomplishments. While Mrs. Blake's decision to join the Air Force was based on service to country, she still remains a symbol of women's rights 61 years later.