Here Come the Rosies

Here comes THE ROSIES

By Jim McCoy, Pacific Historic Parks

Two original Rosie the Riveters are coming to Honolulu to attend the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Mae Krier and Marian Wynn are 95 years old and said they are really looking forward to their upcoming visit.

Mae Krier was a riveter in the Boeing plant in Seattle. She lobbied for a Congressional Gold Medal that was awarded to all Rosies for their service. She also gained national attention last year for sewing red and white polka dot COVID masks. That was the color of the Rosie the Riveter bandannas that came to symbolize the contributions made by American women in the war.

“Pearl Harbor was such a shock to us, coming out of the Great Depression, the stock market crash and then the war,” Kreir said. “When the men left for war, us girls one by one, many from small towns, came forward, now we had a job and we helped save the country. We will never forget Pearl Harbor.”

Marian Wynn worked as a welder in Kaiser Shipyard #3 in Richmond, California. She too has garnered national attention. In 2019 she was greeted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Marian also visited her brother’s grave for the first time. He was killed in Normandy.

“I feel these commemorations are a place I can go to show my respect to my brother and all those who died for our country,” Wynn said. “I want to be there to hear what happened and I want to be able to meet and visit with some of the survivors, to show my respect and thank them for their service.” She added: “I love Hawaii and, at 95, I would like to see it one more time.”

The pair will be participating in events honoring Pearl Harbor throughout the first week of December.

“Covid denied the Rosies from sharing their stories and attending commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII last year but the Rosies are fully vaccinated and ready to start sharing their stories again” organizer Tammy Brumley said in a Go Fund Me post to raise funds for the trip.

Brumley is known as The Rosie Wrangler for the work she does at the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California. “The women who came forward to work for the War Effort on the Home Front became many things including Welders, Draftsmen, Electricians, Munitions Factory workers, Outfitters of tanks and jeeps, and of course, Riveters,” Brumley wrote. “These women became collectively known as “Rosie the Riveters.” Not only did their contributions to the war effort help bring “their boys” back home, but their time on the job front planted the seeds of the women and civil rights movements.”

The two Rosies plan some special trips. Marian wants to see the USS Oklahoma Memorial as the brother of one of her best friends died on that ship.

Mae is planning to drop a rose in Pearl Harbor in memory of a survivor of the attack, Alex Horanzy who died last year at the age of 98.