Reviewing history in the military, the Air Force and triumphs and misadventures in airpower. On July 8, 1948, the Air Force accepted the first woman into its ranks. Staff Sgt. Ester McGowin Blake enlisted on the first day women were permitted to join the service — 65 years ago today, Smithsonian Magazine writes. In March 1944, Blake enlisted in the Army Air Forces, where she served one year. A widow with two sons fighting in World War II, Blake joined after her eldest, a B-17 pilot, was shot down over Belgium and reported missing. She reportedly wanted to free up…