After Thomas enlists in the war, Ida and her family do everything they can to help the war efforts back at home. In addition to rationing food, they collect bacon grease, silk stockings, and spare tires to donate, which can all be used by the military. To Ida, it “seems there’s a different way to help out every day” (24). However, as the war continues, Ida feels as though she isn’t doing enough. She tells her friend Jolene “[W]e sit here hoarding sugar and saving rubber, like that’s gonna make a difference” (25). When Ida decides to become a WASP, she feels as though she’s doing her part to help the war efforts. When asked why she became a WASP, Ida frequently offers the same civic rationale: “[M]y country needed me” (257). She tells her brother Thomas of her motivation to join:“[I]t was just so hard, sitting on my hands, waiting for you to come home. So, I joined the fight the only way I could” (197). Ida feels as though it is her civic duty to help the war efforts, and flying is the best way she knows how.