May, Geraldine P. (Geraldine Pratt), 1895-1997

Colonel Geraldine Pratt May (April 21, 1895-November 2, 1997) was the first director of Women in the Air Force (WAF) and the first woman colonel in the United States Air Force. May joined the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) in July of 1942. She was promoted to staff director of WAC's Air Transport Command in March of 1943. In 1948, May became the first director of the newly created Women in the Air Force (WAF) and was promoted to the rank of colonel making her the first woman colonel in the United States Air Force. May received the Legion of Merit for her service during World War II. May died in Menlo Park, California at the age of 102. She is interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

Geraldine Pratt May was the first director of Women in the Air Force (WAF), established in 1948 after the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act allowed women to enlist directly in the military during peacetime. As WAF director, May was promoted to colonel, becoming the first woman in the Air Force to hold that rank. She had previously served in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) during World War II, and was selected for its first officers' training course. One of the first female officers assigned to the Army Air Forces, she served as WAC staff director of Air Transport Command. She received the Legion of Merit for her wartime service. May died in 1997 at the age of 102.