About the Author, Jeannette Gutierrez:
I’m a Michigan native and a big fan of the World War II generation, also known as the “Greatest Generation.” I am a member of the American Rosie the Riveter Association (ARRA), a national organization founded in 1998 by the WWII “Rosies” themselves to capture their stories and preserve their legacy. I am also a principal founder of Yankee Air Museum’s “Tribute Rosies.” The best part of my volunteer activities are the many wonderful stories I’ve heard, and the Rosies and Veterans I have met! I live in Ypsilanti, Michigan, home of the famed Willow Run Bomber Plant.
(If you love Rosie, please follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/michiganrosies!)
About the American Rosie the Riveter Association (ARRA):
Founded in 1998 by Dr. Frances Tunnell Carter, a “Rosie the Riveter” from Alabama, the purpose of ARRA is to preserve the legacy of the working women of WWII. Many women kept things going on the Home Front by taking over jobs vacated by the men who went to war. They were riveters, welders, railroad workers, farmers, elevator operators, baseball players, USO entertainers, Red Cross volunteers, Civil Defense volunteers, scrap drive organizers, government workers, War Bonds fundraisers, and more. All women who helped the war effort on the Home Front are considered to be “Rosie the Riveters.”
About ARRA’s Willow Run Chapter:
Our Chapter is proud to be based in the Detroit area, and Ypsilanti in particular. Southeastern Michigan became known the world over as headquarters of the great “Arsenal of Democracy,” as automakers and suppliers retooled for war production. Ford Motor Company’s famed Willow Run Bomber Plant, located in Ypsilanti, produced a B-24 bomber every hour during WWII. The American production miracle embodied by Willow Run was largely responsible for the swift and just resolution of the deadliest conflict in history.
Willow Run is also the home of Rose Will Monroe, from Pulaski, KY, credited as being the original “Rosie the Riveter.” She was featured in WWII-era newsreels alongside famous actor Walter Pidgeon as the real-life “Rosie” behind the propaganda icon.
If you love Rosie the Riveter as much as I do, I encourage you to help save her legacy by joining the American Rosie the Riveter Association (ARRA) at www.rosietheriveter.net and by visiting our ARRA Willow Run Chapter website to see how you can help us preserve Rosie’s legacy in Michigan, at www.arrawillowrun.org.
And for the love of all things “Rosie” follow our ARRA Willow Run Chapter on Facebook at www.facebook.com/michiganrosies
Diary of a Rosie 
Hello!
First, and foremost, I would like to thank you for helping to keep history alive. I believe to many people are paying away without their stories being told.
I just wanted to do a note to comment on your site. I was lead to it when I Googled Naomi Parker Farley. Taking a brief glance, I was immediately interested in your site. I was hoping to learn more about what, exactly, your goal/mission is. I pulled up your menu only to find that “about” has an extremely brief blurb about the author.
I am interested in finding out more about your site. Is it something you are still working on? Are you still doing “stories”? How do you locate your subjects? You know, that kind of stuff.
As I mentioned at the opening of my letter, I believe to many people have yet to tell their stories. I live in a small community (less than 1500) and I know that there are stories here. I just don’t know how to”get” them. Not that I am a writer or anything. Just someone who wants to see history live on.
Thank you for your time!
Sincerely,
Tammy Furloni
Bangor, WI
Hi Tammy, thanks for reading my blog! I am working to preserve the legacy of all of the Rosie the Riveters, Wendy the Welders, and other female “Home Front” heroes of WWII by supporting the American Rosie the Riveter Association (ARRA). You can learn more at our Willow Run Chapter website. You can also visit the website of the national American Rosie the Riveter Association (ARRA) to learn more about our organization. I encourage you to save and share the stories in your community; they are precious and worth preserving.