Photo of the Day: Rosies in D.C.

Eleven “Rosie the Riveters” came to D.C. last week on an Honor Flight (similar to those that take veterans to D.C. for commemorative trips), according to Boeing News Now.

“The flight was sponsored, in part, by Boeing and organized by the Eastern Michigan WOW Chapter of the American Rosie the Riveter Association and Honor Flight Network’s Michigan-based hub, Talons Out Honor Flight.”
“‘Rosies,’ symbolized by the iconic ‘We can do it!’ image, answered the call of duty during World War II, working in factories building bombers, tanks and other weapons—jobs traditionally done by men.”

The trip: The Rosies took a tour of the Capitol and also visited the World War II memorial, finishing the day with a reception at Boeing’s Arlington, Virginia, headquarters, where “they were presented with Boeing heritage pins and Rosie the Riveter challenge coins.”

In their own words: “‘Up until 1941, it was a man’s world. And they didn’t realize how capable women are,’ said Mae Krier, who worked as a riveter for Boeing on the B-17 and B-29 lines in Seattle.”

“‘We were doing all that hard work in the factory so they could put their lives on the line. It was worth it to have them come back,’ said Ruth Pegowski, a riveter who worked at a manufacturing plant outside Detroit that produced the B-24.”