Shirley Chase Kruse was born in June 1922 in Kearny, New Jersey and grew up in Newark, New Jersey. Her father was a Wall Street accountant and her mom was a housewife. She had an older brother and sister. She recalled traveling to her grandparent's house during the summers and was very active as a child. During the Great Depression, her father lost his job on Wall Street, but her mother never let the children know the hardships the family faced, and she felt she grew up in a comfortable home life. Kruse went to school in New York City [Annotator's Note: New York, New York]. Kruse was in a jewelry shop with a friend when she heard the news that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. The family was concerned for her brother because he had just finished college. At the start of the war, Kruse was given more work at her clerical job, and she can recall the rationing of different foods and gas. After her boyfriend left for World War 2, Kruse decided to take flying lesson, which is something she had wanted to do since she was a little girl. Her mother fully supported her decision.

Shirley Chase Kruse was taking flying lessons and she met a lady who she became friendly with. Her friend recommended Kruse to inquire about the WASP [Annotator's Note: Women Airforce Service Pilots] program. She and her new friend applied for the program together. Not long after, she received a letter that she was accepted into the program and was required to report to Floyd Bennet Field in Long Island [Annotator's Note: Long Island, New York] for a physical. Kruse recalled that the physical was not a pleasant experience and if her mother knew what was required of her to do, she would have not let her go. After she passed her physical, she returned home for several weeks before she heard she had to report to Sweetwater, Texas, on her own funds, for flight instruction school. Kruse remembered that she never wore her civilian clothing during her time in Sweetwater. She wore a zoot suit during flight training and a white shirt and khaki pants. She recalled that the other women cadets were very nice and supportive of each other. She lived in a bay and slept on cots. She remembered that her days were long, but enjoyable. The most difficulty she had was learning about the engines, but she managed and passed. She learned about weather, code, evacuating the plane, and engines during ground school, and learned formation flying and night flying in her advanced classes. She trained on various planes, such as the Stearman [Annotator's Note: Boeing-Stearman Model 75 Kaydet primary trainer aircraft], AT-6 [Annotator's Note: North American AT-6 Texan advanced trainer aircraft] and BT-13 [Annotator's Note: Vultee BT-13 Valiant basic trainer aircraft].

Shirley Chase Kruse loved flying the Stearman [Annotator's Note: Boeing-Stearman Model 75 Kaydet primary trainer aircraft]. She thought it was a simple aircraft to fly. She learned about instruments on the BT-13 [Annotator's Note: Vultee BT-13 Valiant basic trainer aircraft]. She recalls an incident when two women pilots were buzzing low and crashed. Both women were killed. Kruse swore to herself that she would never do anything that reckless to jeopardize her life or someone else's life. Kruse remembered that women would wash out as the program went on, and the drop out rate was very high. She recalled one instance during basic training that she thought for sure she would be selected to leave. Her and her friend lost their direction in the air. Kruse suggested that they should bail out or do a crash landing, but her friend did not want to. They finally connected with the Avenger Field [Annotator's Note: in Sweetwater, Texas] radio and were escorted back to base. The instructor reprimanded them, but they were not dismissed from the program. Kruse felt very fortunate. She remembered many of her instructors were civilian men and a first lieutenant [Annotator's Note: a US Army Air Forces first lieutenant] rode for their flight checks. She recalled that she received great support from all her instructors and no negative sentiment regarding being a woman pilot. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer stops and restarts the tape at 0:43:11.000.] Right before graduation, she mastered night flying. Kruse really wanted to be chosen to fly P-38s [Annotator's Note: Lockheed P-38 Lighting fighter aircraft], but instead she was assigned to Bainbridge, Georgia Basic Training Field to fly BT-13s.

[Annotator's Note: After graduating from the Women Airforce Service Pilot's program, Shirley Chase Kruse was assigned to the Bainbridge, Georgia Basic Training Field to fly Vultee BT-13 Valiant basic trainer aircraft.] Shirley Chase Kruse tested the aircraft and ferried aircraft from one base to another. During the weekends they would go out to dances, do lunch at the club, and swim. There was one second lieutenant that gave her and other WASPs some trouble, but the women eventually got even with him and he never bothered them again. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer stops the interview to change tapes at 0:52:37.000.] Kruse became aware of her responsibility in the war effort as it progressed. She had a strong feeling for Americanism, as many did, and she would have gone into combat if they asked her to. She also had a sweetheart that was in the war and they eventually married after the war. While Kruse was at an advanced instrument training school in Sweetwater, Texas, Jackie Cochran [Annotator's Note: Jacqueline Cochran, wartime head of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)] came to visit the WASPs and informed them that the program was deactivated. All the women were saddened and stunned to hear the news. All the women were sent home, paying their own way. Kruse tried to find a pilot position at commercial airlines like Pan Am, but no one wanted a woman pilot. She gave up on being a career pilot. After being rejected from commercial airlines, Shirley Chase Kruse got married, raised children, and worked in the United States Postal Service. She began flying again after her children left home.

Shirley Chase Kruse recalled that during one of her assignments, a bird flew into her aileron, making the plane difficult to fly and she had to land it in a field. [Annotator's Note: A clock noise disrupts the interview at 1:03:34.000.] Kruse was a smoker and chained smoked while she ferried planes from base to base. She recalled that when was not sure where she was, she would fly low to find barns with the town's name on it to find her location. Anytime she had to stay overnight somewhere, she managed to always stay in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana]. She loved visiting the city. Kruse remembered her family, especially her brother, was very proud of her being in the WASP [Annotator's Note: Women Airforce Service Pilots] program. Kruse was disappointed when they deactivated the program. Kruse had a great respect for Jackie Cochran [Annotator's Note: Jacqueline Cochran, wartime head of the Women Airforce Service Pilots], who started the program.

Shirley Chase Kruse had many memorable experiences of World War 2. She decided to serve because she wanted a challenge. Kruse does not understand why the Women Airforce Service Pilots program was not considered part of the military with the same benefits. She thought it was great when President Jimmy Carter [Annotator's Note: James Earl Carter, Jr., 39th President of the United States] gave the women in that program veteran status in 1977. The military flight training changed her life and she feels fortunate to have the experience. She thinks that many Americans know much about World War 2 and believes that there should be institutions like The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana].