Having fun and preserving Rosie's legacy with the American Rosie the Riveter Association (ARRA)
At the Arsenal of Democracy conference at Willow Run, I met a man who had worked in the skilled trades at the Ford River Rouge complex, and had been apprenticed to an older man, after the war. One day they were talking about World War II, and he asked the older man, where had he… Continue reading Skilled Workers Served in WWII at Ford’s River Rouge Plant
Holy cow, I got to be a fly on the wall while real WWII Rosie the Riveters met and chatted about the Willow Run Bomber Plant. The first thing they asked each other was, what section were you in? The answers were rapid-fire... "9-24," said Vivian. "9-46," said Frances. And this would not be the… Continue reading Two Real Rosie the Riveters Meet!
We were delighted to discover real, elderly Rosie the Riveter Frances attending the Open House at the Willow Run Bomber Plant that followed the Arsenal of Democracy Conference. Frances, who is 91, worked at the plant during WWII, making B-24 Liberator bombers on the assembly line. She lived in Detroit at the time, and… Continue reading A Real Rosie the Riveter
It's always a special pleasure to meet a real, live Rosie the Riveter, and we were delighted to discover Margaret attending the Arsenal of Democracy Conference. Margaret, who will be 89 this November, worked in the blueprints department of the Willow Run Bomber Plant during World War II. She told us that she had… Continue reading Real Rosie the Riveter Has B-24 Blueprint
At today's Arsenal of Democracy Conference at Yankee Air Museum, I had the pleasure of sharing a lunch table with Chester and Jim. Jim, at right, is a World War II veteran, who was training as a pilot to fly the B-25 Mitchell (a two engine bomber—the Yankee Air Museum owns and maintains a flyable… Continue reading WWII Veteran and a Man Who Was a Boy in Germany During WWII Attend Arsenal of Democracy Conference
After today's Arsenal of Democracy Conference at the Yankee Air Museum, the public was given an opportunity to step inside the Willow Run Bomber Plant to see it one last time before most of it is demolished to make way for a connected-vehicle test facility. It was also announced today that demolition would be configured… Continue reading A Gentleman Who Worked at Willow Run With the Rosies
Diary of a Rosie 