Keep the Spirit of '45 ALIVE!

05/12/2021

Informal Virtual Chat with Ranger Betty Reid Soskin

Date: Thursday, May 13, 2021

Time: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Pacific (the length of the virtual chat is determined on how Betty is feeling)

Reservations are not required. Participants will be admitted until capacity is reached.

For More Information: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/event-details.htm?id=9C3126E5-D2B4-99DC-C409BE7E44441569

News Release: https://www.nps.gov/rori/learn/news/national-park-service-announces-launch-of-virtual-hangout-with-ranger-betty-reid-soskin.htm

05/10/2021

We are THRILLED to announce that our latest documentary "A Rendezvous With Destiny" will have its OFFICIAL WORLD PREMIERE May 29th at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio!

ALL the honor goes to our heroes of the film, WWII Veterans Dan McBride, Jim "Pee Wee" Martin, and Dick Klein. We owe you everything and would not be here today without your immense bravery and courage.

Thank you to our amazing production team at Beyond The Call who have spent well over a year on this film. We are so proud to finally share it with you all!

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW. LIMITED SEATING!
https://my.nationalvmm.org/memorialday/rwd

Directed by Tracie Hunter
Executive Producers Elizabeth Suter Ashley Andrews
Editor Nick Martinolich
Poster Design Sukhdeep Singh Kalsi
Based on the Book By LTC Jos Groen Three of the Last WWII Screaming Eagles

04/10/2021

Let's Celebrate Rosie Gold!

On Sunday Tomorrow April 11th 2021, Join Us! #spiritof45 #rosietheriveter #wecandoit #wedidit #rosiegold #rosie

Join the Trust this Sunday to Celebrate Rosie Gold! We are thrilled that US Representative Jackie Speier will be on hand to speak about her efforts to have all Rosies recognized for their contribution to winning WWII with a Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. Also joining her will be Rosie the Rivete...

04/04/2021

03/26/2021

We can't let the day end without giving a special "Happy 99th Birthday!" to Tulsa Rosie, Marina Metevelis!

Thank you to Linda LHanna and Tammy Brumley for the reminder!

🌹 🇺🇸 💪🏽 💪🏻 💪🏿 💪 💪🏾 💪🏼 🇺🇸 🌹
#wecandoit #rosietheriveter #rosieforever

03/21/2021

Photos from WW2 USO Preservation Association's post

03/21/2021

Photos from Honor Flight San Diego's post

03/21/2021

rosiememorialgardens.org

🌹It's National Rosie The Riveter Day 🌹 What better way to honor our Rosies than to plant a garden. Please check out our sitebon the link below 👇 Now's the time to order your rosies and plant your own Rosie the Riveter Garden. 🌹💪🇺🇸

03/21/2021

In honor of National Rosie the Riveter Day 2021 I commissioned Michelle Hunt to create a piece inspired by Mar Krier. I hope I see your Rosie spirit tribute on Sunday!!

03/20/2021

Invisible Warriors - A Film Screening for Rosie the Riveter Day

Invisible Warriors - A Film Screening for Rosie the Riveter Day

A film screening of Invisible Warriors with Filmmaker Gregory S. Cooke

03/07/2021

💪🌹🇺🇸 Its coming.... March 21, 2021 #wecandoit #rosietheriveter #Rosie

💪🌹🇺🇸 Its coming.... March 21, 2021 #wecandoit #rosietheriveter #Rosie

02/24/2021

Message from Mae:
Good morning to my family, friends and all those who helped me get our Rosie bandanas and face mask into space. I still can't believe this happened. I thought that getting Rosie the Congressional Gold Medal would make us go down in history, but this is the icing on the cake. I know that they were planning some sort of surprise for me yesterday cuz they made sure that I stayed with the program until it was completely over. As Deb said, Mae is over the moon and I am. I can't begin to thank all of you cuz you supported me ever inch of the way. You can't do these things alone and all of you were there for me. I've always loved the space program, never dreaming that some day something I made would be out there in space. I believe it is going to the space station. One of my dreams was to put a Rosie Statue in the WW11 Memorial in Washington and I was told that that is very hard to do. If I can get a face mask into space, I would think getting a Rosie Statue in the WW11 Memorial shouldn't be much more difficult. SO -- I'll be reaching out to all of you again. So Honor Rosie, Boeing and those who can help - Here we come.

02/22/2021

Boeing surprises WWII 'Rosie': 'Rosie the Rocketeer' headed to space

Boeing surprises WWII 'Rosie': 'Rosie the Rocketeer' headed to space

Levittown's Mae Krier was "stunned, absolutely stunned" Monday when Boeing CEO David Calhoun announced the flight during a meeting with than 100 Pennsbury students.

02/17/2021

Rosie Talks with original Rosie the Riveter, Ruth Wilson!

Rosie Talks with original Rosie the Riveter, Ruth Wilson!

We are BEYOND EXCITED to share our newest episode of Rosie Talks - participants from our STEM program for girls are interviewing the incomparable Ruth Wilson...

02/09/2021

Rosie-Roses — Rosie the Riveter Trust

Rosie-Roses — Rosie the Riveter Trust

Roses for RosiesThank you for helping us celebrate and honor or Rosie Ambassadors this Valentine’s Day— they can’t wait to see you at the park again soon! Send Roses to our Rosies!

02/08/2021

Learn about Wreaths Across America's Mission to Remember, Honor and Teach

Wreaths Across America (WAA) is proud to announce the start of the 2021 national tour for its Mobile Education Exhibit (MEE). The MEE will hit the road this month in Maine and head Southwest towards Texas for both private and public scheduled events.

“The goal of the Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit is to bring community together and teach patriotism while remembering the service and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes,” said Karen Worcester, executive director, Wreaths Across America. “However, over the last year, in light of the current health crisis, we feel this exhibit has taken on even more meaning by providing the opportunity for people to safely participate in something that is both educational and inspiring, while supporting and giving back to the communities it visits.”

The MEE achieves this goal by bringing the local community, veterans, active-duty military and their families together through interactive exhibits, short films, and shared stories. The exhibit serves as a mobile museum, educating visitors about the service and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes as well as to serve as an official ‘welcome home’ station for our nation’s Vietnam Veterans.

When the MEE pulls into your area, all veterans, active-duty military, their families, and the local community members are invited and encouraged to visit, take a tour and speak with WAA representatives and volunteers. They can also share more about the national nonprofit, and the work its volunteers do to support our heroes and their communities year-round.

To host the MEE in your community, whether it be for a parade, a school-related or veterans’ organization, or a public or private event, visit https://wreathsacrossamerica.org/mee to make a request.

Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, our mission to Remember, Honor and Teach is carried out by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as over 1,200 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea, and abroad. Help us by sponsoring Veterans....

01/21/2021

Each year, millions of Americans come together to REMEMBER the fallen, HONOR those that serve and their families, and TEACH the next generation about the value of freedom. This gathering of volunteers and patriots takes place in local and national cemeteries in all 50 states - most recently at more than 2,500 participating locations - as part of National Wreaths Across America Day. Each year, a new theme is chosen to help volunteers and supporters focus their messaging and outreach in their own communities. Today, the national nonprofit announces the theme for 2021 is “Live up to their legacy.”

The inspiration for this year’s theme came from a statement made by United States Army Chief of Staff, General James C. McConville, in an interview with Chris Wallace on ‘Fox News Sunday’ in early November 2020. General McConville was there to speak on behalf of the United States Army and the upcoming opening of The National Museum of the United States Army, which was being honored as the “Power Player of the Week.” In the discussion, he said “We stand on the shoulders of heroes that have gone before us, and really what we strive to do is live up to their legacy.”

In 2020, approximately 1.7 million veterans’ wreaths were placed by volunteers on headstones at 2,557 participating locations around the country in honor of the service and sacrifices made for our freedoms, with each name said out loud. Wreaths Across America volunteers work year-round to ensure military laid to rest are remembered, their families and living veterans are honored, and the next generation is taught about the value of freedom.

This year, National Wreaths Across America Day is Saturday, December 18, 2021. It is always a free event and open to all people (conditions permitting). For more information on how to volunteer locally or sponsor a wreath for a hero, please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.

To follow stories throughout the year from across the country focused on this theme, please use the hashtag #LiveTheirLegacy2021.

Dani Masterson American Taps Girl #americantapsgirl

Each year, millions of Americans come together to REMEMBER the fallen, HONOR those that serve and their families, and TEACH the next generation about the value of freedom. This gathering of volunteers and patriots takes place in local and national cemeteries in all 50 states - most recently at more than 2,500 participating locations - as part of National Wreaths Across America Day. Each year, a new theme is chosen to help volunteers and supporters focus their messaging and outreach in their own communities. Today, the national nonprofit announces the theme for 2021 is “Live up to their legacy.”

The inspiration for this year’s theme came from a statement made by United States Army Chief of Staff, General James C. McConville, in an interview with Chris Wallace on ‘Fox News Sunday’ in early November 2020. General McConville was there to speak on behalf of the United States Army and the upcoming opening of The National Museum of the United States Army, which was being honored as the “Power Player of the Week.” In the discussion, he said “We stand on the shoulders of heroes that have gone before us, and really what we strive to do is live up to their legacy.”

In 2020, approximately 1.7 million veterans’ wreaths were placed by volunteers on headstones at 2,557 participating locations around the country in honor of the service and sacrifices made for our freedoms, with each name said out loud. Wreaths Across America volunteers work year-round to ensure military laid to rest are remembered, their families and living veterans are honored, and the next generation is taught about the value of freedom.

This year, National Wreaths Across America Day is Saturday, December 18, 2021. It is always a free event and open to all people (conditions permitting). For more information on how to volunteer locally or sponsor a wreath for a hero, please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.

To follow stories throughout the year from across the country focused on this theme, please use the hashtag #LiveTheirLegacy2021.

Dani Masterson American Taps Girl #americantapsgirl

01/15/2021

To commemorate #NationalHatDay, we feature the uniforms of each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. At Arlington National Cemetery, every uniformed service member or veteran of the armed forces is eligible for military funeral honors, which are provided by the decedent’s branch of service. Thank you to our heroes laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery and to the service members who conduct their time-honored, dignified services.

U.S. Army Military District of Washington photo from May 25, 2020.

01/14/2021

Dorothy 'Dot' Cole, oldest living Marine, dies at age 107

Dorothy 'Dot' Cole, oldest living Marine, dies at age 107

Dorothy "Dot" Cole was 28 years old when she boarded a bus for the 150-mile trip to Pittsburgh, where she hoped to volunteer for the Navy. She was turned away for being too short — so she joined the Marines instead.

01/11/2021

Photos from Best Defense Foundation's post

01/07/2021

(JAN 07, 2021): AMERICA REMEMBERS – It is with a heavy heart, we share the news that the gorgeous AGNES MOORE, a Rosie The Riveter of World War II, has died. She was 100.

Agnes Moore was born February 24th, 1920, in Searey County, Arkansas, where her family owned a small farm. In 1942, Moore moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and began work as a welder in the Kaiser Shipyards. Agnes Moore Worked: Kaiser Shipyard #3; Richmond, CA as a Welder. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, Agnes heard a radio announcer say, "Women, do something for your country, go to the Richmond Shipyards and be a welder." She became a certified Journeyman Welder and worked for four years in Kaiser Shipyard #3 on the nightshift.

Moore's resilience saw her through some tough times, the loss of her firstborn daughter from cancer, the loss of both husbands. The perseverance in going to college in her 30's, becoming a bookkeeper, opening her own seamstress business. The many memories that put a smile on your face, including that she recently gave up driving her Porsche Boxter at the age of 99!

She was very much loved and will be greatly missed by all whose lives she touched.

"Every Day is Memorial Day"
The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation
Web: www.TGGF.org

12/29/2020

Civilians, war industry workers and military personnel, both in the states and overseas, sought out roller skating rinks to relieve the stress of war during World War II, propelling roller skating to the top sport by the end of the 1940s. An estimated 5,000 rinks were in operation and 18,000,000 Americans roller skated during the peak of the trend. The Midwest, particularly Chicago, was thought to be the epicenter of the hobby.

12/21/2020

Free Rosie Membership *SPECIAL* | Rosie the Riveter | You Can Do It!

As the holidays grow near, you will share stories and memories in many ways. If you have an elder who is 90 or older, glean the memories of the 40s from them, If they worked during that time you can document that with the American Rosie The Riveter Association. It is free at this time, the process is easy, you need just a little info. If your Rosie has passed, you still can honor her through this link: https://rosietheriveter.net/rosie-shoppe/free-rosie-membership-special/

Qualifications for membership as a Rosie: Any woman who was employed in an industry or agency that was directly related to the war effort OR who was employed in a capacity usually held by a man, thus releasing a man for military duty. This includes self-employment, such as farming. Qualifications fo...

12/09/2020

Dec 8, 1941. A few hours after the bombing on Pearl Harbor, the Philippines were surprised attacked at Clark Air Field on Luzon and the American air power in the Philippines nearly destroyed

Then on Dec 10th, Japanese foot soldiers landed on Luzon.

12/07/2020

The Greatest Generations Foundation

(DEC 07, 2020): Pearl Harbor Remembered - 79th Anniversary: Sailor Stuart Hedley recalls the day when the Battleship West Virginia was hit.

Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, and raised in northern New York, Hedley tried to join the US Navy at 17 but was quickly denied entry. The reason: he was too small, too skinny for navy regulations. Angered by this and knowing he could do the job, Hedley would spend several months in a civilian capacity assisting the military, where he would add muscle and size to his frame. "I gained three inches and over ten pounds!"

Hedley emphatically relates. The added weight and determination showed proof to the recruiters that he was navy material. He would need it. Young Hedley was assigned to the Battleship USS West Virginia, a hard-working crew that felt war to be just a short time off.

December 7th, 1941 began as a calm day, despite reports that Japanese submarines had been sighted doing reconnaissance. Out of nowhere, the attack began. Japanese fighters and torpedo-bombers are coming over the horizon, intent on destroying the US Pacific fleet.

Hedley made his way towards his battle-station at turret #3, where he served as a spotter for the gun. Chaos ensued, with West Virginia taking several hits. Hedley, who had been chastised as a child about not leaning back in his chair with his feet up, narrowly escaped harm. A torpedo or bomb hit his emplacement, and where his legs would have been, had he been leaning back, blew a hole through the compartment. If he had not been sitting correctly, he would have lost his legs.

With West Virginia reeling from the blows it had received, Hedley and his shipmates made their way topside. Hedley recalls leaping into the water feet-first and coming up amid debris and burning oil and swimming for his life towards the shoreline. That raw determination and defiance had kept him alive to fight another day. Hedley would later be assigned to other ships and would see action in the Pacific War. He would later retire in 1960 and work as a civilian contractor for a company inspecting naval vessels.

Today, he makes his home in San Diego speaking with many school groups and fighting to keep the legacy of Pearl Harbor alive.

"Every Day is Memorial Day"
The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation
Web: www.TGGF.org