The Women’s World War II Memorial Location Act is pending a hearing before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources prior to a vote by the full chamber.
“The monuments and memorials displayed in Washington tell America’s story,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., a bill sponsor and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The bill authorizes Congress to place a commemorative work on the National Mall.
“This bill will take us one step closer to ensuring our Rosies receive the recognition they deserve,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., who helped lead the legislation in the House.
The future memorial, estimated to cost $15 million, will be paid for by private donations and located within walking distance of the World War II Memorial, according to supporters.
A permanent site will be chosen in consultation with the National Park Service and other entities, according to Shaheen’s office.
A final design has yet to be determined.
The iconic symbol of Rosie the Riveter, flexing her biceps, came to symbolize women’s contributions on the home front after the U.S. entered World War II in 1941.
“Our Rosies answered the call when our nation needed them most, redefining the role of the American woman and opening the door wider for generations to come,” Dingell said.
Women were encouraged to take jobs traditionally held by men, who left home to serve in the armed forces and fight on the battlefields of Europe. They entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers. At a Ford Motor Co. plant in Michigan, for example, women helped to build B-24 bombers.
“Up until 1941, it was a man’s world. They didn’t know how capable us women were, did they?” said Mae Krier, during a 2024 Gold Medal ceremony in D.C. honoring Rosie the Riveters.
Krier worked building bombers at a Boeing aircraft plant in Seattle from 1943 to 1945.
The contributions of civilian women in World War II are often overlooked, but they kept the American economy and war machine running, according to the WWII Women’s Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit organization.
Rosie the Riveter was popularized as a cultural icon after a 19-year-old worker named Rosalind Walter inspired a song about the young women employed in the war industry, according to the Library of Congress. Illustrations of Rosie the Riveter soon appeared on magazine covers and on posters for campaigns to recruit women for jobs in factories and on assembly lines.
Women helped to build Liberty ships, assemble airplanes and produce ammunition and bombs at munitions plants. They also were farmhands, bus drivers, and lumberjacks. Many of the roles had previously been closed to them.
“The invaluable contributions of Rosie the Riveters during World War II are measured not only by the countless American lives they helped save, but also by the generations of women they inspired to serve our nation,” Shaheen said.
Congress in 2022 passed legislation authorizing the WWII Women’s Memorial Foundation to establish a memorial for recognizing women who were not in uniform but performing jobs vital to the U.S. military.
The WWII Women’s Memorial Foundation is embarking on a fundraising campaign to develop the memorial, soliciting donations from individuals and companies. Boeing is among the corporations contributing to the project.
No government dollars are being used for the memorial.
There is no formal count on the number of women still alive who worked in defense industry jobs during World War II. Rosie the Riveters still living are in their 90s and 100s.
Their contributions and sacrifices are gaining greater recognition as their numbers dwindle.
In 2023, Dingell and other lawmakers hosted a visit to the U.S. Capitol by 11 “Rosie the Riveters,” ages 98 to 101.
In 2024, 27 women across the country who held jobs vital to the U.S. military effort were identified. They received Congressional Gold Medals — the highest honor bestowed on civilians — in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.
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