We wouldn’t have won without them.

[953 nut 57,298]

 

 

Rosie The Riveter Day is celebrated on March 21 to recognize the part American women played in America’s victory in World War II. As the Great War raged on in the early 1940s, all the able-bodied men were drafted to fight, and women were called upon to support the workforce. The symbolism of Rosie the Riveter stands for the millions of women who left their homes for factories to keep the country’s manufacturing processes going. After decades of sustained activism, the U.S. Congress heeded the calls and dedicated March 21 to this cultural icon.

Rosie the Riveter Day is a fitting recognition of the legacy of working women in America, and the contribution of women during the Second World War. Being a total war, when every able-bodied man was sent to fight for the Allies, the nation’s manufacturing leg came to a halt. From heavy machinery to steel mills and freight ports, every male-dominated industry came short of personnel due to abrupt drafting.

Hence, the federal government issued news releases to encourage women to join the industrial workforce as a patriotic duty. The iconic poster with a woman in a red bandana raising her fist was used to recruit women.  There are conflicting reports about the real identity of Rosie the Riveter. The most legitimate claim comes from Naomi Parker Fraley, a waitress from California who disclosed the details to People Magazine in 2016. The total number of female industrial workers went from 27% to 37% in the years between 1940 and 1945. More than 19 million women held jobs outside of the traditional women’s workforce for the first time ever. Soon enough, Rosie became a cultural icon. Hollywood immortalized Rosie the Riveter in 1944’s critically acclaimed movie of the same title.

The campaign proved to be a social reckoning that changed the nature of women’s involvement in the workforce forever. Riding on the hot wave of the suffragette movement, the U.S. government inadvertently became responsible for the second wave of feminism in the west. In 2017, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution to mark March 21 as National Rosie the Riveter Day, a day in Women’s History Month. The movement had lasting effects on the collective American psyche, and the resolution acknowledges this vital role played by women during the Second World War.

American singers Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb release a song featuring Rosie as a tireless worker, coining the term “Rosie the Riveter.”

 

 

[ebinmaine 70,207]

I wish more women had stayed in the skilled labor workforce. We'd be FAR better off and advanced by now. 

 

 

Our friend has been nearly obsessed with most things military and all things World War II forever. 

When they got 2 kittens a year or so ago Trina helped name them. 

 

Rosie and Amelia.  

 

 

[peter lena 9,048]

@953 nut   my wifes  aunt  was in the FBI during the war ,  was in the  related military  , issues  , area , her soon to be husband  , was in the 3rd army  , as a forward  scout , with patton  , was one of the first to  find the  "  camps " he had  photo albums  , seen every stage of extermination  , he had a aura  of  humanity about him that could only be  acquired , in  massive  death areas . could also  make some the best food , you have ever eaten  , starting in simmering  pork fat , aunt catherine , is 98 now  , we will be at the  family gathering , she is still sharp !  amazing  , pete    

[SylvanLakeWH 26,994]

[kpinnc 13,407]

From a purely numbers perspective, the ability of the US to replace every lost plane, boat, and tank with two more is what finally broke the axis down. 

 

In short, we would have run out of warm bodies long before running out of machines. It can (and often is) argued that our manufacturing power more than anything won WW2. That is why they are referred to as "the greatest generation". It took the collective efforts of all. 

 

As a veteran myself, I will never say anything that in any way slights the sacrifices made by those in uniform. That being said, when home has your back there is no limit to what you can achieve. 

[953 nut 57,298]

20 minutes ago, kpinnc said:

It took the collective efforts of all. 

One of the most interesting people I ever met was  a lady who had been a WASP (Woman's Airforce Service Pilot) during World War Two. She had flown everything from the P-51 Mustangs to the B-17 bombers but wasn't able to get a job as a commercial airline pilot because she was a woman. She also flew planes towing targets near training bases so that soldiers and sailors could practice live anti-aircraft gunnery exercises. 

The WASPs flew new airplanes from the factory where they were built to US military bases to free up military pilots. They frequently flew cargo to bases near ports and flew planes back to factories when refurbishing was needed.  

 

[1mor Project 90]

Although I'm sure her story isn't unique, it sounds like you are describing Elizabeth (Betty Wall) Strohfus. We all knew her as Liz. She was from Faribault, Minnesota. We would see her all over during Air Show season. She was so much fun in her later years, I can only imagine what she was like in her 20's. We always had her as a guest at our St. Paul shows along with many other WWII personalities and dignitaries. One of the dignitaries was General Eugene Andreotti Jr., Adjutant General of the Minnesota Air National Guard. (His father was a member of our local CAF Wing). One day he was talking to her and pointed to the F-16 that was visiting from the Duluth Guard unit, "Have you ever flown a Jet Liz?" Long story short, a couple weeks later her phone rang. He had to get permission from the Pentagon. They were concerned if a 71 year old woman could handle a flight in an F-16. "I don't know anyone that could handle it better!", was her reply.

When she arrived at the 148th's base in Duluth, she was fitted with a "G" suit and helmet and strapped in. Tim Cossalter, the Wing Commander was her pilot. Tim was very careful to give his "Elderly" passenger a nice smooth ride. They climbed to sufficient altitude and away from all other traffic and her asked her if she would like to handle the controls a while. "Would I!" she declared! She snapped the stick to the left. Instantly her "G" suit puffed up as the needle read "six Gs". "Easy" Tim said, "I don't have a brown bag up here!" "That's OK, you can have mine !" she replied. Soon they were dancing through the cloud as she took full advantage of the opportunity. Too soon they had to return to the Base. Her excitement bubbled over to all who waited for her. "They can have their 20,000 leagues under the sea. I'll take 20,000 up in the air just like that anytime!"

The airport in Faribault is named in her honor.

[kpinnc 13,407]

1 hour ago, 953 nut said:

She also flew planes towing targets near training bases so that soldiers and sailors could practice live anti-aircraft gunnery exercises. 

 

Proves she had bigger balls than most male counterparts... I sure as heck wouldn't tow a target for new recruits to practice shooting at. They don't make ropes long enough for such things! 

 

The men of that generation were tough. The women were too! 

[rjg854 11,807]

My mom and dad were both in the Army during WWII. Mom was in Texas, and Dad was in Africa.

[953 nut 57,298]

@1mor Project, the WASP I knew was also very adventurous. Her father had been a commercial fisherman and after the war she bought a boat and joined him in business. She met and married a former US Navy UDT (frogman) who joined her in the business and after they retired they spent several years bumming around on a house-boat in the Caribbean.

I first met her when they joined the group that led to the formation of the UDT/SEALs Museum in Fort Piercer, FL. I told her many times she should writ a book about all of her exploits. As I recall it there were less than a thousand ladies the made it through WASP training. She did a great deal of work contacting people who knew people in high places to keep the ball rolling. The day of the groundbreaking there probably weren't and Admirals left in the Pentagon, they were all lined up with shovels in hand. She was also working on the formation of a WASP Museum but didn't live to see that happen.

Edited Saturday at 10:51 AM by 953 nut

[8ntruck 7,306]

My mom worked for a while in one of the steel mills in Gary, In.  She talked of inspecting plates and marking defects that needed to be ground out.

 

Dad got a tour of north Africa while he was a weight and balance officer in the Army Air Core.

[Wayne0 807]

Dad flew a B-17. Mom was a nurse.

[MainelyWheelhorse 901]

From what I’ve heard from my Parents, my Maternal Grandfather was in the Army. My Aunt (his daughter) had researched that he was in every major battle in WWII. It was to the extent he’s in some of the video that was taken. His involvement was enough that he became a bodyguard for Eisenhower, to stave off what I assume was war related PTSD. He has a keepsake book of wartime pictures and some patches from German soldiers. My Maternal grandmother was a librarian and homemaker.

 

My Paternal Grandfather was part of the Military Police and calculated where to aim the guns at targets on a battleship. My Paternal Grandmother helped with the war effort. All of my info is second hand.

 

I also had a Great Uncle that was in Pearl Harbor. He was on I believe the West Virginia when it was attacked and swam through burning oil to survive.

 

In keeping with the women in war subject, I also had a Great Aunt who was a nurse during WWII. She embodied the grit, toughness, and determination to succeed, that defined what a Rosie the Riveter was then. 

Edited Monday at 02:31 AM by MainelyWheelhorse

[Pete D 357]

My dad was an Ensign on the Tarawa at the end of the war. 

My uncle was an army machine gunner at Normandy, and also in the Battle of the Bulge. He walked across a good portion of Europe. 

One day, he was riding on a transport because walking with a 30 cal was hard work.  Around midday his C.O. yelled at him to get off and give someone else a chance to ride.

About 10 minutes later they were hit by mortar fire, and the guy riding the transport had his head blown clean off.

He didn't feel so bad about walking after that.

 

I just noticed this was about ladies during the war.

 

Please delete!

Edited Monday at 01:38 AM by Pete D

[953 nut 57,298]

Though the day being celebrated is dedicated to the women who stepped previously male dominated jobs there is nothing wrong with showing pride in the loyalty to our country by ALL members of the GREATEST GENERATION. 

9 hours ago, Pete D said:

dad was an Ensign on the Tarawa at the end of the war. 

The battle of Tarawa was the impetus behind the formation of the UDTs (Underwater Demolition Teams). No reconnaissance had been done prior to the landing and a shallow off shore reef coupled with a low tide contributed to the loss of over 1,000 lives and 2,000 injuries.