Rosie

My mom was born in 1924...she lived through a lot of major milestones in our country's history: the Great Depression, the bombing of Pearl Harbor and World War II to name a few. Her favorite music was from the Big Band Era: the Andrews Sisters, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller.

After the US was bombed by the Japanese and officially entered into World War II, the women were called upon to fill the roles of the men who were sent overseas to fight. The movie "A League of Their Own" is an example.

My mom was a riveter in an airplane factory in Dallas. You've probably heard of "Rosie the Riveter." Well, that was my mom. In their factory, the bomber airplanes were built...B24's and B52's. Growing up, we saw the rivet test plate she made...I guess they had to pass a test to make sure they could rivet straight!

In my mom's obituary, it was mentioned that she was a member of Rosie the Riveters and helped build B24 bombers. When we were at the graveside, one of the funeral directors mentioned that there would be a presentation by the military. I wasn't sure what he was talking about...none of us were.

But after the Lord's Prayer, a Marine came under the tent, and presented a United States flag to my dad, "from the President of the United States" in grateful appreciation for my mom's service to her country. I can't remember all of the words, but it was very touching. He saluted my dad, and then marched away. What an honor, and what a surprise! It made us all very proud of our mom.