Like most of her colleagues, and despite her exemplary record as a B-17 pilot, Kirchner was unable to find employment in civilian aviation after the end of the war.

In 1979, Stevenson received her honorable discharge from the United States Army Air Forces, backdated to December 1944.

[2] She was one of only 17 women to train on the B-17, serving alongside champion golfer Elizabeth Helen Dettweiler.

Previously, they were considered federal civil service employees, even though they were subject to military regulations.

In a 1981 newspaper interview, Stevenson praised the decision to retroactively designate her and her peers' service as active duty, arguing that "we were under strict juristiction of the Air Force.

[4] The Women Airforce Service Pilots were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by an act of Congress, signed into law by President Barack Obama in July 2009.

A memorial at the base, unveiled in 2019, features the four WASP pilots from the "Pistol Packin' Mama" photograph, including Stevenson.