‘Rosie the Riveters’ honored at National WWII Museum on D-Day anniversary

As America marked the 82nd anniversary of D-Day on Saturday, a group of women whose wartime labor helped sustain the Allied war effort gathered in New Orleans to remember a rapidly vanishing generation.

More than 30 surviving “Rosie the Riveters” are collected at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, where they are honored for helping power the wartime industrial efforts that supported Allied forces during World War II.

“Every day the memories, the sights and sounds, the horrors and triumphs of World War II are lost,” according to the National World War II Museum’s website.

The women attended the Museum’s annual Dr. Hal Baumgarten was recognized at the D-Day Commemoration Ceremony and the institution is the recipient of the 2026 American Spirit Award, the Museum’s highest honor.

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According to the museum, the award is given to individuals and organizations that “exemplify the extraordinary qualities of the American spirit and inspire these values ​​in others.”

This year’s recipients included more than 30 female war workers, popularly known as “Rosie the Riveters,” acclaimed composer John Williams, and former New Orleans Saints player and ALS advocate Steve Gleason.

The meeting took place as Americans celebrated the anniversary of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944.

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“Roses” pose in front of the Statue of Liberty in Liberty Hall at the U.S. Capitol before the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony on April 10, 2024 in Washington, D.C. More than two dozen women traveled from across the country to receive medals for their efforts in World War II wartime factories and shipyards. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

More than 150,000 soldiers participated in the invasion, which was one of the largest amphibious military operations in history and an important step towards the liberation of Western Europe, according to the museum.

While the men who landed on the beaches of Normandy are commemorated each year, Museum officials said women on the home front played an important role in making the Allied victory possible.

During World War II, millions of women entered the workforce as labor shortages transformed factories, shipyards, and defense industries across the United States.

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A Higgins boat is on display at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Landing craft like this were used extensively during the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944. (Courtesy of the National World War II Museum)

“As men leave for military service, labor shortages in defense-related industries have created unprecedented opportunities for women, many of whom are entering the workforce for the first time,” the museum said. he said.

While women helped produce equipment and supplies needed by Allied forces, they also learned technical skills such as welding, riveting, aircraft assembly, and munitions production.

Among those honored was 101-year-old Delphine Klaput, who worked at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft factory in Baltimore during the final years of the war.

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More than two dozen “Rosie the Riveters” hold their hands over their hearts during the National Anthem during the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on April 10, 2024. They received gold medals for their wartime efforts in factories and shipyards during World War II. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Accordingly NOLA.comKlaput was given the task of protecting aircraft plans while helping to supervise teams building aircraft that would be used for combat operations.

The publication reported that Klaput was keeping the plans close because “it was a war, after all.”

Klaput told NOLA.com After growing up in a coal-mining town in Pennsylvania, he still remembers walking around the sprawling aircraft factory and asking himself: “What have I gotten myself into?”

Francesca Masters, 104, was working on B-24 Liberator bombers at the Willow Run factory in Michigan and said: NOLA.com He was making $1 an hour while sending home most of his paycheck to support his family.

His brother Salvatore was later killed in the Battle of the Bulge.

“This was our duty,” Masters told the paper.

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Sylvia Tania and Delphine Klaus hold hands before the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring the “Rosie the Riveter” women at the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Masters said he operated heavy machinery at the bombing facility and took pride in doing what was long considered a man’s job. It was built by Ford Motor Company and built during World War II. He recalled the size of the operation at Willow Run, considered the world’s largest war factory during World War II.

“They didn’t really think they were doing anything special,” said Lisa Brown, daughter of riveter Rosie Virginia Rusch. NOLA.com.

Rusch said he always wanted to work and dropped out of school because he wanted to contribute. From 1942 to 1944, he soldered aircraft parts on an assembly line, repeating the process day after day while Allied forces fought abroad.

The National World War II Museum said the legacy of “The Roses” extends far beyond its wartime production.

Through their work, the women “reshaped women’s place in American society and continue to inspire women and girls around the world today.”

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As the ceremony ended, Klaput reflected on the bond shared as the number of surviving Rosies dwindled.

“Wherever you go, if there’s a ‘Rosie,’ you’ll see it,” he said before reaching out for the hands of his fellow honorees.

She then repeated the phrase that became synonymous with the women who helped sustain America’s wartime manufacturing efforts.

“We can do this.”