Remembering some tough Moms this upcoming 4th of July

[Marty57]

It’s 11:40 pm and I am welding wing fittings for my little Piper. The temperature has cooled down to the mid 80’s from the high today of 103 so the torch isn’t as hot in my hand. Welding this afternoon at 103 degrees was, to say the least, miserable. But I have to smile as the salty sweat stings my eyes; I smile as I think of my Mom, of all of the “Baby Boomers” Moms, they were tough ladies. Oh, we knew they were tough when we crossed our Moms as kids; we knew that as they kept life in ordered bedlam; we knew that as they scraped us off the street after yet another bike crash; we knew they were tough and fearless. So, back to my welding. Why the smile?

As we approach another 4th of July celebration, many of us will be reminded of the great sacrifice made by so many to keep this nation free. Many will attend air shows around the country. As we watch the display of aircraft twist and turn, loop and roll, we will be delighted with the spectacle. Then, if we are lucky, we will hear that roar as that mighty WW II aircraft comes into view and we are transposed to a day, long ago, when the sky was filled by these warplanes. No, they were not in the skies then to entertain us; they were there to keep us free. They were flown by teenage boys from the farms; college kids; new Dads from the city; young Black pilots from the Deep South; flown to guarantee our freedom. And our Moms?

Well, Mom was a young teenage girl, fresh out of high school, She was watching her brothers and cousins enlist and drafted. She was watching them leave the farm, the city, and go off and fight …… and die for our freedom. And she too was called to sacrifice, to accept change, to do things she never dreamed of while growing up. She was called to build. She was called to leave the life she knew well and go off and build the tools America needed to fight. Sure, we have all seen the glamor pictures of “Rosie the Riveter” We have seen the pictures of our “Moms” in her late teens and early twenties riveting the bombers; glamorous pictures no doubt. But was it glamorous?

They were building aircraft in cities all over America. In cities like Stratford, CT; St. Louis, MO; Evansville, IN; Farmingdale, NY; Burbank, CA; Bethpage, NY; and Trenton, NJ. Do you think these were “glamorous” jobs, or were they hot, and dangerous, and sweaty? The welded in El Segundo; riveted in Oklahoma City; they bent sheet metal Long Beach; they installed engines in Buffalo. In Downey they built trainers; Wichita the B-29; Seattle more bombers; Chicago transports. In Lockhaven they built Cubs and in Inglewood the Mustangs. And then our Moms jumped in those bombers and fighters and flew them to their brothers and cousins who would take them into war. Some 6 million of our “Moms” worked for an average of 60 cents an hours in those hot factories. Yes, some were lucky to work in the first air-conditioned plant building B-29’s in Marietta, GA. But I bet there were some hot summer days building aircraft in Fort Worth, TX and Willow Run, MI.

So, as I weld my plane here in the heat of Southern California’s desert, I don’t complain. I have a lot of freedom to do as I please. Am I as tough as our Moms? Well, I’m smart enough not challenge that one!
With the Fourth of July just a few days away I encourage you to think about what our Moms and Grandmothers did for us during those days. I encourage you to seek out those tough Gals who built our fighting machines; who worked in the offices; and who tended to America during those dark days. Listen to their stories, and just say thanks. Thanks Mom!




Marty57

[highroads]

You are so right on and I am glad you posted this. My Mom worked in a knitting mill sewing uniforms, parachutes, tents, she was proud of her work and never complained. Today these would be considered sweat shops and unfit for humans to work at, so much so, that they have all but been moved over to China or Malaysia or anyplace but the US, We should not forget the women who slaved for next to nothing to meet the basic needs of our fighting men.

[OLDCROWE]

Great post... I have my Mother’s scrap book which includes her security badge, loyalty oath and other items from her years at the Douglas assembly plant at Tulsa (affectingly known simply as the "Bomber Plant”).

She worked on the B24 Liberator, SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber, and the A26 Invader which mom was the senior production planner for. Oh and somewhere along the way she met my Dad who was a tool buyer at the plant and they were married following a 6 week engagement just before he shipped out to the Navy for basic then officers training and ultimately duty on one of the fleet ammunition ships, the Mount Baker (Dad always says he wanted to meet the SOB who named that class of ships after volcanoes!).

Two years ago, my daughter Molly did a National History day project on Rosie the Riveter, representing a group of people that changed history. She did this as a way of getting to know her grandmother whom she never really new. she really learned a lot. http://rosietheriveter-nhd.wetpaint.com/





I have this on my office wall at 4'x5' and when I have to work late I like to think that's Mom working late too (there is an unrecognizable lady, that could be, working at a desk on the right side of the photo) and it keeps me going. In its day I understand this was the longest uninterrupted production line in the world, the building is still there and is 7/10 of a mile long! The picture was taken from an overhead structure near the end of the production line and you can count between more than 25 B-24's on the line!

[WindOnHisNose]

Really, thanks very much for your posts, you guys. Very insightful, spontaneous and much appreciated by me. I shared these posts with my staff and they remarked, again, about what a great website this is

Thanks, again.

Randy

[SteveE]

Good post Kirby,,, cool stuff.

Marty, thanks for starting it...

[SJ]

[Bill Ingerson]

And the people sneaking across the boarder want what freedom we have died for for FREE !

[fabricfan]

And the people sneaking across the boarder want what freedom we have died for for FREE !

Heck Bill, they are not wanting it, they are demanding it.

[Marty57]

My post was intended to focus on what was accomplished in a time of great need in our country; not immigration today. Some of the stats are amazing. Between 1938 and 1945 the US produced on average 111 aircraft per day! Building a B-29 took 112,000 person hours to build. Between Marietta, GA and Wichita, KS just over 6 of these bombers rolled off the line every day! The reference to "person hours" is not just political correctness; it was simply the truth and new in those days.

Marty57

[Tom Jones]

My Mom worked for Douglas building DC-3s while in college at UCLA. She joined the Navy in May, 1943, and was a Link Trainer instructor at Corpus Christi until the end of the war. One of her students was Tyrone Power.

[SuperUrsus]

It’s 11:40 pm and I am welding wing fittings for my little Piper. The temperature has cooled down to the mid 80’s from the high today of 103 so the torch isn’t as hot in my hand. Welding this afternoon at 103 degrees was, to say the least, miserable. But I have to smile as the salty sweat stings my eyes; I smile as I think of my Mom, of all of the “Baby Boomers” Moms, they were tough ladies. Oh, we knew they were tough when we crossed our Moms as kids; we knew that as they kept life in ordered bedlam; we knew that as they scraped us off the street after yet another bike crash; we knew they were tough and fearless. So, back to my welding. Why the smile?

As we approach another 4th of July celebration, many of us will be reminded of the great sacrifice made by so many to keep this nation free. Many will attend air shows around the country. As we watch the display of aircraft twist and turn, loop and roll, we will be delighted with the spectacle. Then, if we are lucky, we will hear that roar as that mighty WW II aircraft comes into view and we are transposed to a day, long ago, when the sky was filled by these warplanes. No, they were not in the skies then to entertain us; they were there to keep us free. They were flown by teenage boys from the farms; college kids; new Dads from the city; young Black pilots from the Deep South; flown to guarantee our freedom. And our Moms?

Well, Mom was a young teenage girl, fresh out of high school, She was watching her brothers and cousins enlist and drafted. She was watching them leave the farm, the city, and go off and fight …… and die for our freedom. And she too was called to sacrifice, to accept change, to do things she never dreamed of while growing up. She was called to build. She was called to leave the life she knew well and go off and build the tools America needed to fight. Sure, we have all seen the glamor pictures of “Rosie the Riveter” We have seen the pictures of our “Moms” in her late teens and early twenties riveting the bombers; glamorous pictures no doubt. But was it glamorous?

They were building aircraft in cities all over America. In cities like Stratford, CT; St. Louis, MO; Evansville, IN; Farmingdale, NY; Burbank, CA; Bethpage, NY; and Trenton, NJ. Do you think these were “glamorous” jobs, or were they hot, and dangerous, and sweaty? The welded in El Segundo; riveted in Oklahoma City; they bent sheet metal Long Beach; they installed engines in Buffalo. In Downey they built trainers; Wichita the B-29; Seattle more bombers; Chicago transports. In Lockhaven they built Cubs and in Inglewood the Mustangs. And then our Moms jumped in those bombers and fighters and flew them to their brothers and cousins who would take them into war. Some 6 million of our “Moms” worked for an average of 60 cents an hours in those hot factories. Yes, some were lucky to work in the first air-conditioned plant building B-29’s in Marietta, GA. But I bet there were some hot summer days building aircraft in Fort Worth, TX and Willow Run, MI.

So, as I weld my plane here in the heat of Southern California’s desert, I don’t complain. I have a lot of freedom to do as I please. Am I as tough as our Moms? Well, I’m smart enough not challenge that one!
With the Fourth of July just a few days away I encourage you to think about what our Moms and Grandmothers did for us during those days. I encourage you to seek out those tough Gals who built our fighting machines; who worked in the offices; and who tended to America during those dark days. Listen to their stories, and just say thanks. Thanks Mom!




Marty57

Great post, Marty!
I just returned on the evening of the 28th to my parent's home to accompany them as my mom transitioned into eternity. She passed on the 29th, just after midday in New Mexico. She fought a terrible disease like a lioness, and only let go at the end. Your post really touched me as I remember her and her combative, creative spirit.
As I prepare to expatriate again, I shall take her spirit with me on my travels and travails.
Thanks again for the post,
Alex

[Mark Lund]

Mom was an Army Nurse. She landed at Normandy shortly after the invasion and worked in hospitals and on hospital trains all the way to Germany. She also saw Dachau.

She came home in 1946, raised a family and never spoke of her experiences for 55 years. She felt it was immodest because back then, "everyone did what they could."

Happy 4th of July.

Mark

[Marty57]

Mark,
Thanks for your post. I think your Mom represents so many of our "next door neighbors" growing up. I have no idea about the experiences of my cub scout den leader, or little league coach, or Sunday school teacher. I think you hit it on the head about everyone "doing what they could". I would love to go back and learn what these fine folks that "raised" our generation had done. Like your Mon's time as a nurse I think we all would be amazed to hear some of the stories. I hope these stories keep coming forward, we need to remember and thank every one of these folks for what they did for all of us.
Marty57