Hazel Ying Lee: The Chinese American Pilot Who Dared

Hazel Ying Lee was one of the first Chinese American women to earn her pilot’s license and the first to fly for the United States military. In World War II, Lee served with the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP). But her experience to the skies was not always free of turbulence. Learn about Hazel’s life and her dreams, her persistence, her service, and her ultimate sacrifice.

America250 is a multi-year effort to commemorate the semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, of the United States. The purpose of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, created by Congress, and the corresponding America250 Foundation, is to catalyze a more perfect union by designing and leading the most comprehensive and inclusive celebration in our country’s history. America250 represents a coalition of public and private partners all working to create initiatives and programs that honor our first 250 years and inspire Americans to imagine our next 250.