1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,080 All across America and around the world, this is Veterans Radio. 2 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:15,680 This is Veterans Radio. 3 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:20,120 And now, your host for today's program, Dale Throneberry. 4 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:24,840 Here we are on Veterans Radio and we're bringing on our guest, a good friend of ours here at 5 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:27,040 Veterans Radio, Larry St. Antoine. 6 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:30,880 And Larry is a board member out at Camp Liberty here in Michigan. 7 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:36,160 And Camp Liberty is sort of a retreat for veterans where you can go fishing and hunting 8 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:39,920 and they hold events and all kinds of things out there. 9 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:44,080 And so I'm going to have Larry come on here and tell us a little bit about the history 10 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:48,040 of Camp Liberty and where they see themselves going in the future. 11 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:52,480 So Larry St. Antoine, welcome back to Veterans Radio. 12 00:00:52,480 --> 00:00:53,840 It's good to be here. 13 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:54,840 It's good to be anywhere. 14 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,320 Oh, we already said that once before. 15 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:05,480 So give our audience kind of an idea of Camp Liberty, how it got started and where it is. 16 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:06,720 Okay. 17 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:15,360 About 10 years ago, the owners of the property, there was two people owned it, had decided 18 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:20,080 to set up a hunting place for veterans. 19 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:31,760 And they got a lady who donated the money to build the buildings, a house or a barn. 20 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:33,840 It's a lodge type of thing, isn't it? 21 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:42,720 It's a large lodge with four rooms and then a large barn for equipment. 22 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:52,600 It's 138 acres and it's all set aside mostly for hunting. 23 00:01:52,600 --> 00:02:00,800 About three years ago, the original president suddenly passed away and the other board members 24 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:03,800 were lived out of town. 25 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:08,120 So they decided maybe they had to close down. 26 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:16,600 And the owner of the land, Alan Lutz, originally was president and he decided to see if he 27 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:21,400 could get enough board members together to keep going. 28 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:31,400 And he contacted four people, three veterans and a lady who works for him. 29 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:37,400 And we decided to see what would happen if we could keep it going. 30 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:46,840 Alan ended up buying the other half of the land and the two buildings from Camp Liberty, 31 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:48,000 Inc. 32 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:52,920 That gave us enough money in our account to keep going. 33 00:02:52,920 --> 00:03:06,000 So three years ago, we had an open house and dedicated the property and the buildings to 34 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:11,000 keep going with Camp Liberty. 35 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:16,640 So basically that's what kept us going for the last three years. 36 00:03:16,640 --> 00:03:22,760 So you guys are a 501C3 non-profit organization, correct? 37 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:23,760 Correct. 38 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:24,760 Correct. 39 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:25,760 Okay. 40 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:28,520 So people can make donations to you if they wanted to. 41 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:29,520 Yes. 42 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:40,840 You can go to camplibertymichigan.org or to campliberty.com, I mean, Inc. 43 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:42,840 on Facebook. 44 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:43,840 Okay. 45 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:44,840 Okay. 46 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:51,360 And they can find out about all the activities that we have through the year. 47 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:52,360 All right. 48 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:56,720 I know that you've been very busy over the last couple of years with your hunting. 49 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,400 Can you tell us what type of hunting do you do out there? 50 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:12,800 Well, we have one turkey hunt, two pheasant hunts, and four deer hunts. 51 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:17,040 The turkey hunt is for veterans. 52 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:23,040 The first two deer hunts are for veterans with 100% disability. 53 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:28,640 Then the regular deer hunt for deer season is open to all veterans. 54 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:38,280 And then we have a muzzle loader hunt, which is open to all veterans. 55 00:04:38,280 --> 00:04:39,280 Okay. 56 00:04:39,280 --> 00:04:44,080 You mentioned that you have special times for 100% disabled veterans. 57 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:46,400 I know that some of them have difficulty getting around. 58 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:50,160 Do you have any special equipment that they could use? 59 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:54,400 We have three tracked wheelchairs that are available to any veterans. 60 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:59,880 And we have nine blinds set up throughout the 138 acres. 61 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:04,600 We also have ATVs to bring them around. 62 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:05,600 Okay. 63 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:06,600 That's cool. 64 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:07,600 That's cool. 65 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:08,600 I like it. 66 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:12,280 And you have those special wheelchairs, I guess. 67 00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:13,280 Track wheelchairs. 68 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:14,280 Track wheelchairs. 69 00:05:14,280 --> 00:05:18,280 That actually can take the veteran who would normally be sitting in a wheelchair and it 70 00:05:18,280 --> 00:05:21,080 can bring them up to a standing position, right? 71 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:22,080 Yeah. 72 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:23,080 No. 73 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:26,880 I don't think so, but they can go into half of the blinds. 74 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:27,880 Okay. 75 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:29,920 They're set up for the track wheelchairs. 76 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:30,920 Okay. 77 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:36,520 And what we do is we have four veterans for each hunt. 78 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:43,760 And the first two hunts are the disabled hunts. 79 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:47,280 And if they want to find out about them, just go online. 80 00:05:47,280 --> 00:05:48,280 Right. 81 00:05:48,280 --> 00:05:51,840 That's the camplibertymichigan.org, right? 82 00:05:51,840 --> 00:05:53,400 That's right. 83 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:54,400 Okay. 84 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:58,800 And we are located in Brooklyn. 85 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:04,600 We're seven miles west of Manchester, over six miles east of Napoleon. 86 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:05,680 Got it. 87 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:09,760 Do you happen to know the address off the top of your head? 88 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:17,080 It's 7044 Kapler Drive. 89 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:19,200 Kapler is that with a K? 90 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:20,200 Yep. 91 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:22,440 Kapler Drive and that's where Brooklyn? 92 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:25,200 That's Brooklyn address. 93 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:26,200 Okay. 94 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:30,880 I'm doing that because, you know, all of us, all of us technology experts, we just type 95 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:36,480 stuff into our GPS and it takes us wherever we need to go, hopefully. 96 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:40,760 And then once a year, we have a fundraiser event. 97 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:42,760 Last year we had a classic car show. 98 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:43,760 Mm-hmm. 99 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:51,640 The 150 cars show up and this year is beyond June 15th and we'll be advertising it. 100 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:52,640 Yeah. 101 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:55,120 We'll be more nappy to promote that for you. 102 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:57,920 I think it's kind of cold June 15th. 103 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:04,400 We are talking about trying to get a helicopter for helicopter rides. 104 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:06,920 We had one at the open house. 105 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:13,000 It did cost money per person, but we had to pay to get it here. 106 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:14,000 Right. 107 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,200 Well, yeah, I know that's from the Yankee Air Museum, right? 108 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:18,600 Yes, it was. 109 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:19,600 Yeah. 110 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,800 It was cool though and it was kind of neat. 111 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:28,240 I was lucky enough, fortunate enough to be out there when you were doing that and just 112 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:34,440 kind of seeing the helicopter flying over the fields and farms and farmland and stuff 113 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:36,920 of the area around Brooklyn. 114 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:39,400 It was brought back a lot of really interesting memories. 115 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:42,520 I have to say about that. 116 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:43,520 It wasn't so bad. 117 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:47,080 I think it was $100 for a 15-minute ride. 118 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:48,080 It was $99. 119 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:49,080 You guys had a special deal. 120 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:51,080 I think it's $120 now. 121 00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:52,080 Okay. 122 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:53,080 Yeah, the cost. 123 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:54,080 The gas is not cheap. 124 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:57,680 Yeah, JP for aviation fuel is not cheap. 125 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:00,160 I know that they've got those things right. 126 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:06,600 So unfortunately, we're airing this program after your big weekend this weekend because 127 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:11,560 you said you've got stuff going on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 128 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:12,560 So let's look at it. 129 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:19,960 Friday we have volunteers of America on suicide prevention, mental health and veteran resources. 130 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:20,960 Right. 131 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:21,960 Then Saturday. 132 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:25,680 And then on Friday we have a pheasant hunt. 133 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:27,200 I mean Saturday. 134 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:28,200 Okay. 135 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:32,160 And then Sunday you have an Easter egg hunt for another organization. 136 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:33,160 Lincoln. 137 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:34,920 Warriors and caregivers united. 138 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:35,920 Right. 139 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:39,880 And these are all Michigan nonprofit organizations that are out there trying to help veterans 140 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:41,800 any way that they can. 141 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:44,280 And I think it's just cool. 142 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:52,080 The whole concept of camp liberty and I know that there are other camps, you know, similar 143 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:53,720 to it around the country. 144 00:08:53,720 --> 00:08:58,680 And I just really wanted to promote our local one here, Larry. 145 00:08:58,680 --> 00:08:59,680 And I want to. 146 00:08:59,680 --> 00:09:06,880 Yeah, we plan on opening up like we will have fishing and archery. 147 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:08,880 Cool. 148 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:14,520 Once we get everything accomplished that we need to do out here. 149 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:19,440 So archery is an archery hunting or just archery for fun? 150 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:21,760 Archery for fun right now. 151 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:22,760 Okay. 152 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:23,760 That's still me coming in. 153 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:28,880 I know that you're planning or hoping to have sort of a vet fest out there in the near 154 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:29,880 future. 155 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:36,720 Yeah, we are talking about the same day we have the car show that have a vet fest. 156 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:39,880 So we can cover everything. 157 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:45,320 Well, your location is, you know, it's kind of people think it's way out in the middle 158 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:47,840 of nowhere, but sort of is. 159 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:54,320 But it's it's centrally located for a lot of veteran communities in the local, you 160 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:57,840 know, Western Washtenaw County, Jackson County area. 161 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:04,400 Yeah, it's halfway between Napoleon and Manchester off of Austin Road. 162 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:05,400 Okay. 163 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:07,480 So I would encourage people to go out there. 164 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:15,520 Is there any events coming up before the June 15th? 165 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:21,680 Something that would now that's open to the public. 166 00:10:21,680 --> 00:10:23,520 The June 15th is the first. 167 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:24,520 Okay. 168 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:27,800 So I encourage all of you out there that are listening, you know, if you want to go out 169 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:33,040 and check it out to get out to Camp Liberty, put June 15th on your calendar and take a 170 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:38,680 ride out it's a beautiful ride out into the country for those of you city folks. 171 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:40,080 And I think that you'll enjoy yourself. 172 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:47,920 It's a beautiful building and you've got some really dedicated veteran supporters that 173 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:49,040 that show up out there. 174 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:51,880 It's a it's a it's a great feeling. 175 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:53,840 I know that's the way I felt when I went out there. 176 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:58,200 You know, you're really welcomed and they do a great job of helping our fellow brothers 177 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:03,200 and sisters in the military. 178 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:07,440 So Larry, I want to thank you very much for your time. 179 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:10,880 And I guess I'll see you hopefully in the next couple of days. 180 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:14,200 Yeah, we appreciate veterans radio. 181 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:15,200 I know you do. 182 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:16,200 It's a fun. 183 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:18,200 Thanks Larry, very much. 184 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:19,200 Thanks. 185 00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:20,200 Thanks a lot. 186 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:21,200 You have a great day. 187 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:24,840 The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor and combat given a member of the armed 188 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:26,640 forces of the United States. 189 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:31,120 There have been over 3400 recipients of the nation's highest award. 190 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:32,480 This is one of them. 191 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:37,880 Private Jacob Parrott was the first person to receive the Medal of Honor details after 192 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:40,760 this. 193 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:44,640 If you have a VA claim denied by the Board of Veterans Appeals, contact legal help for 194 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:48,880 veterans at 1-800-693-4800. 195 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:52,880 They're experts in handling cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. 196 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:56,960 Their number again, 1-800-693-4800. 197 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:03,080 Parrott was one of 22 men, including two civilians, whom by direction of Union General Mitchell, 198 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:08,040 penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy territory and captured a railroad station at 199 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:13,400 Big Shandy, Georgia in an attempt to destroy the bridges and tracks between Chattanooga 200 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:14,400 and Atlanta. 201 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:18,680 The Medal of Honor series is a production of veterans radio. 202 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:21,480 You know you don't have to wear your PT gear anymore, right? 203 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:22,480 It's comfortable. 204 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:24,360 So how's civilian life treating you? 205 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:25,360 It's fine. 206 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:30,680 When I got out, I didn't want to admit that there was anything wrong because I felt like 207 00:12:30,680 --> 00:12:31,680 a failure. 208 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:34,760 And then I realized like there's nothing to be ashamed of. 209 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:37,040 So I started talking to someone. 210 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:38,040 Maybe you are fine. 211 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,680 But if you're not, it's okay. 212 00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:41,680 Thank you. 213 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:44,480 If you or a veteran you know needs support, don't wait. 214 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:45,480 Reach out. 215 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:47,480 Find resources at va.gov. 216 00:12:47,480 --> 00:13:03,680 We are back here on Veterans Radio and our guest today is Claire Dahl and Claire is a 217 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:08,400 retired Ann Arbor history teacher, actually AP, but she's really smart. 218 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:12,640 And she's gotten herself all involved in the Rosies and those of you out there that have 219 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:15,760 been listening to Veterans Radio over the last 20 years know that we've talked about 220 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:17,560 Rosies in the past. 221 00:13:17,560 --> 00:13:20,120 So I'm going to bring Claire on right now and we'll get this started. 222 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:22,840 So Claire Dahl, welcome to Veterans Radio. 223 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:24,400 Well, thank you, Dale. 224 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:25,400 I'm glad to have you. 225 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:30,440 I'm glad that you asked me and particularly March is Women's History Month and you know, 226 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:33,760 I see March 21st is National Rosy the Riveter Day. 227 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:35,480 So this is all very exciting. 228 00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:36,960 Everything is all very timely. 229 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:37,960 Right. 230 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:41,720 So tell me, how did you get interested in Rosy the Riveter? 231 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:44,680 Well, I've always been interested in history. 232 00:13:44,680 --> 00:13:48,880 I've always loved powerful, strong women. 233 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:56,600 And so when I got my masters in women's studies, I did my thesis on Rosy the Riveter because 234 00:13:56,600 --> 00:13:58,440 I was so interested in her. 235 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:02,000 And so my life has really come full circle at this particular point. 236 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:08,880 My classrooms have always had posters and slogans and war posters on to show my students 237 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:11,360 just how powerful Rosy was. 238 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:13,400 So it's just been one of those things. 239 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:17,760 I love American history and this was an exciting part of history. 240 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:20,840 So are you from the local area originally? 241 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:26,200 I was born in New Jersey and grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 242 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:33,040 And then my husband and I moved here after college for his job and that's how we ended 243 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:34,240 up in the Ann Arbor area. 244 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:35,240 Okay. 245 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:36,240 The rest is history. 246 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:37,240 I'm from New Jersey as well. 247 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:42,280 So I was born on the Jersey Shore down in Spring Lake, Manusquan area. 248 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:43,520 Okay. 249 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:46,880 And Point Pleasant, that part of the world. 250 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:50,880 So yeah, I always talk to people when I say I'm from New Jersey, please don't hold that 251 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:55,720 against me, especially since I've been here in Michigan for over 50 years now. 252 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:56,720 Yeah. 253 00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:57,720 Kind of a question. 254 00:14:57,720 --> 00:14:58,720 Well, I've been here for a long time. 255 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:04,800 I mean, I was born in Trenton, lived in Lambertville for 11 years and then grew up in Kenosha, 256 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:05,800 Wisconsin. 257 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:06,800 Okay. 258 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:10,480 You've lost your accent too. 259 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:12,360 I miss it sometimes. 260 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:13,360 All right. 261 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:19,160 So when you started researching the Rosies and got so interested, especially doing your 262 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:22,240 master's thesis on it, who were these people? 263 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:24,720 Where did they come from and how did they get involved? 264 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:25,720 What was it? 265 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:27,240 Kind of the history of Rosie. 266 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:33,000 Well, we have an interesting collection of stories, but for the most part, the women 267 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:38,840 started entering the factories in May of 1942. 268 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:46,880 Pearl Harbor was in December of 41, which is the end of 41, which means that we were 269 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:50,880 kind of moving along with our war industries. 270 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:57,080 We had been, as Franklin Roosevelt called us, the arsenal of democracy, making weapons 271 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:02,360 of war for our friends because we were trying not to get into that war, but Pearl Harbor 272 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:04,280 brought us right into it. 273 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:10,200 And so by May of 42, that's only five months after Pearl Harbor, so many men were in the 274 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:16,800 service that something had to be done to have people work in these factories to make the 275 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:22,200 guns and the bullets and the parachutes and the tanks and the trucks and the airplanes 276 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:24,400 that were being made on the line. 277 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:29,080 And the obvious workforce was the American woman. 278 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:34,240 Most women in 1940, in the 40s, were not working out of the home or if they were, these were 279 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:37,200 very, very traditional jobs. 280 00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:44,000 But as the government said with a very powerful, very expensive public relations campaign, 281 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:46,040 you have to get into the factories. 282 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:51,880 If you want to bring your father, your brother, your son, your boyfriend home, if you want 283 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:57,080 to get on with the rest of your life, you have to get into the factories. 284 00:16:57,080 --> 00:16:58,080 Don't be intimidated. 285 00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:05,040 We will teach you on the job training or give you a class for a week or take you to the 286 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:09,920 Ford School for a month, but we will train you to do what you can do. 287 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:17,040 And the women just responded to that call incredibly. 288 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:23,040 Almost immediately, six million women went into the factories. 289 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:24,480 Most of them were very young. 290 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,400 They were unencumbered. 291 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:29,080 They didn't have children right then. 292 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:30,080 They weren't married. 293 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:34,680 They went in, but then over the years, more and more and more, and then we end up with 294 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:40,400 the parents, the grandmothers, the girlfriends, the wives, women in these factories, and they 295 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:46,280 all took non-traditional jobs and they did beautifully with it, convinced themselves 296 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:51,880 they could do it, convinced the country, the industry, everything. 297 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:52,880 It was fantastic. 298 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:58,160 Well, I want to let our audience know that here in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti area, Michigan, 299 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:05,640 that we have Willow Run Airport, which was the factory for the B-24 bombers. 300 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:10,080 Right, the B-24 Liberator bombers made it Willow Run, right? 301 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:11,080 Right. 302 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:16,960 And prior to the war, it was just an open field. 303 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:18,440 I mean, that type of thing. 304 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:23,040 And within months, it seemed like they built, I guess I'm assuming Henry Ford was heavily 305 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:26,040 involved in this. 306 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:27,040 He was heavily involved. 307 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:28,040 He was an isolationist. 308 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:35,320 He didn't want to get involved in that war, but his son convinced him that if Ford didn't 309 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:39,720 get involved, one of the other car manufacturers would make money on this war. 310 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:41,760 And so basically, that's what they did. 311 00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:45,720 This was all land owned previously by Henry Ford in Ypsilanti. 312 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:48,560 It was Washtenaw County. 313 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:53,600 He had run it as a camp for the sons of World War I veterans. 314 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:54,600 Oh, okay. 315 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:57,760 And so Ford had the land. 316 00:18:57,760 --> 00:18:59,240 He had the money. 317 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:01,920 He had the reputation. 318 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:05,360 And when Edsel convinced him he had to do it, he jumped. 319 00:19:05,360 --> 00:19:06,360 And you're right. 320 00:19:06,360 --> 00:19:11,080 With the fact that all these construction went up very quickly, all over the country. 321 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:12,080 Right. 322 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:18,320 And he was from a consumer economy to a war economy almost immediately. 323 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:22,600 And so remember very little paperwork, no OSHA. 324 00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:24,080 Just get it done. 325 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:27,160 As Roosevelt said, time is our enemy. 326 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:30,320 And Churchill is waiting for everything that we can get them. 327 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:38,160 So the Willow Run plant had groundbreaking in March of 41. 328 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:39,960 That's before Pearl Harbor. 329 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:40,960 Right. 330 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:45,880 And Roosevelt had his arsenal of democracy speech at the end of 1940. 331 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:55,440 And so January and February of 41 was planning, Ford sending teams of experts and everybody 332 00:19:55,440 --> 00:20:00,600 out to San Diego, California, where they were making the B-24 one at a time. 333 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:01,600 Right. 334 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:02,800 And they took them all apart. 335 00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:08,720 They looked at every single thing, brought their team of experts back to make, to design 336 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:14,560 the machines that would make the parts that would go into these airplanes for the first 337 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:16,800 time ever on an assembly line. 338 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:21,800 And so things got started, you know, before Pearl Harbor. 339 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:24,000 We were planning January and February. 340 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:30,560 March 41 was groundbreaking at Willow Run as it was all over the country in bomber plants. 341 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:37,000 And by, it took only nine months for Willow Run to be the biggest plant in the world. 342 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:43,000 It only took eight months for Willow Run, Wayne County to become Willow Run Airport, 343 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:44,840 the biggest airport in the world. 344 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:49,360 And so everything was done basically, not necessarily working real smoothly, but it 345 00:20:49,360 --> 00:20:52,680 was done by November of 41. 346 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,440 And then bang, December of 41 was Pearl Harbor. 347 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:57,440 I heard a lot. 348 00:20:57,440 --> 00:20:58,440 Yeah, I know. 349 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:04,640 I've heard a lot of stories about the building of Willow Run and how there were jurisdictional 350 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:07,240 arguments and so forth. 351 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:11,440 And actually the Willow Run bomber factory has a 90 degree turn at one point where the 352 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:16,600 airplanes would turn because Ford wasn't going to let it go into the next township or something 353 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:17,600 like that. 354 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:19,600 He didn't want to go into Wayne County. 355 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:22,760 It's called the famous, it's the tax turn. 356 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:30,160 And yes, these airplanes would get down to that part and then just turn on giant railroad 357 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:35,720 turn tables so that they still finish their construction of the production and then flew 358 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:38,920 out on in Washtenaw County. 359 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:44,880 He was mad at Wayne County because every single presidential year they voted for Franklin 360 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:45,880 Roosevelt. 361 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:48,320 And he didn't like that. 362 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:49,960 He didn't like Roosevelt. 363 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:54,200 He said those good people of Washtenaw County voted for Hoover. 364 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:57,040 They voted for Alph Landon and they voted for Wendell Wilkie. 365 00:21:57,040 --> 00:21:59,120 So he said, they get my tax money. 366 00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:01,640 Oh, there you go. 367 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:10,040 We did an interview years ago with Ted Heisel who was a radio phenomenon here in Ann Arbor. 368 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:18,600 And he had worked at Willow Run as a telephone eavesdropper, he said, because he spoke German, 369 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:20,160 flew with German. 370 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:24,200 And he was supposed to listen to the phone conversations, people going out in case they 371 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:27,000 sent out secret messages and so forth. 372 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:31,840 And he was so proud of that and I thought that was very humorous when Ted told us that. 373 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:33,040 For a while they were laughing. 374 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:36,560 They called it Will It Run rather than Willow Run. 375 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:42,040 But as with everything that you do over and over and over, you get better, you get faster, 376 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:43,040 you get more efficient. 377 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:51,320 And the fact that we were 25 miles away from downtown Detroit where all the car manufacturing 378 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:57,240 firms converted their lines and made bits and pieces downtown, all over the place in 379 00:22:57,240 --> 00:22:58,880 downtown Detroit. 380 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:05,400 And then we're put on specially made Ford trucks to be brought to Willow Run for complete 381 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:06,900 assembly. 382 00:23:06,900 --> 00:23:09,000 And we made loads and loads of parts. 383 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,000 We did all kinds of work there too. 384 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:14,840 We had workshops all around the assembly lines. 385 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:20,000 But you had to realize that we were so close to downtown Detroit where they were just doing 386 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:23,400 this constantly that we were in the perfect location. 387 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:28,040 So we are the biggest and the most famous bomber. 388 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:32,920 And as you mentioned earlier on, eventually, you know, when they went out to San Diego 389 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:37,640 to look at where they were building other B-24 bombers, it would sometimes it would 390 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:39,640 take them a year to build one. 391 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:41,840 A month to build one. 392 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:44,560 Yeah, one month to make a plane. 393 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:49,760 And then they just sold it to the Army and ferried it to whatever field to ever base. 394 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:52,360 And then they started all over again. 395 00:23:52,360 --> 00:23:58,040 And so we, it still took Willow Run to make a B-24 in a month. 396 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:04,160 But because the line was so efficient and really didn't stop, they were off the runway. 397 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:09,080 They were done every 57 minutes, which is incredible. 398 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:10,560 But it still took a month to make it. 399 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:13,240 You cannot make an airplane in 57 minutes. 400 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:14,240 No. 401 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:19,720 But finish it so that it continues to go out and then get tested on the ground, tested 402 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:24,160 in the air and ferried it to wherever it was needed. 403 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:25,160 Wherever they needed it. 404 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:31,320 I mean, I think it's just a great story about the determination of not only Henry Ford, 405 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:35,800 but the whole American society, you know, turning over. 406 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:36,800 Absolutely. 407 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:40,600 We've never had teamwork like that before. 408 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:41,600 There were grumblings. 409 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:42,600 Of course. 410 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:46,760 You've got the first, America First movement, which was very isolationist. 411 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:48,360 Congress was isolationist. 412 00:24:48,360 --> 00:24:50,360 All kinds of people didn't want us to get into this. 413 00:24:50,360 --> 00:24:55,640 But once we got into it, we really bucked up and got it going. 414 00:24:55,640 --> 00:25:00,000 And that means not only women in the factories, but you've also got women who are support 415 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:08,160 pilots testing these planes, ferrying them all over, shipping or flying supplies to other 416 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:12,880 plants around the country because we were so close to downtown Detroit. 417 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:20,480 And then we have to remember the 16 million women who kept their communities running so 418 00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:25,960 that all of these non-traditional community jobs would be held by women so that the men 419 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:27,640 were free to go into the service. 420 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:28,640 Right. 421 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:30,200 Women were in the service. 422 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,920 And so women in World War II just bucked up. 423 00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:36,080 They ran their communities. 424 00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:38,960 They raised their own kids. 425 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:44,160 They built all this machinery and they flew those planes. 426 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:45,160 I think it's great. 427 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:49,960 We're talking with Claire Dahl here and we're talking about, since it's Women's History 428 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:55,360 Month, we're looking at Rosie the Riveter and what these Rosies did all over the country. 429 00:25:55,360 --> 00:26:00,280 And I was thinking before I got to talk to you, Claire, that my mother-in-law was a Rosie 430 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:05,920 in New Jersey where she made bomb sites. 431 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:07,520 And I can't remember what the company was. 432 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:12,080 She said, yeah, and she said I took, and they were made out of human hair. 433 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:16,080 These little Xs, I guess, that were on the bomb sites and she said she did that for three 434 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:17,080 years. 435 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:21,920 And, you know, but then, you know, when the war was over, everything went off. 436 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:27,600 So can you think of some of the people that you've talked to that you could share with 437 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:30,040 our audience that, you know, remembered their stories? 438 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:36,080 I've done about 27 interviews of these women for the Veterans History Project, which is 439 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:42,280 wonderful because all of these women are primary documentation of the World War II home front. 440 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:47,680 And they all have incredibly inspiring, energized stories. 441 00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:49,280 They were all young. 442 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:51,800 They were all courageous. 443 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:55,400 They were all ready to roll. 444 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:57,160 They wanted to get off the farm. 445 00:26:57,160 --> 00:26:59,040 Many times they wanted to get away from mom. 446 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:00,800 They wanted some independence. 447 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:03,040 They wanted money in their pockets. 448 00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:08,960 And they just basically went on a train or a bus or if they lived in town of some of 449 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:13,720 these bigger plants or even if it wasn't a big plant, any kind of a business during the 450 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:18,520 war, they would convert their line or convert their products to be military. 451 00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:21,520 So women were going every place. 452 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:28,720 I had particularly two women that I interviewed from Kentucky and they had come up and they 453 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:32,680 were both riveters on the B-24 at Willow Run. 454 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:33,800 They didn't know each other. 455 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:37,200 They came from Kentucky and ended up being roommates. 456 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:42,120 And they were wonderful and they loved working on the B-24 because they could see the final 457 00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:43,320 product. 458 00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:48,400 And then when the line was going so fast and we were making so many planes, they were 459 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:53,200 a peak slipped basically and they went back to Kentucky without a job. 460 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:59,400 They only lasted for about a week before they said, you know, ma, I can't do this no more. 461 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:00,400 I've been to the big city. 462 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:03,000 I've been to Ipsi. 463 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,040 So they got in touch with each other. 464 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:07,440 They got another, they got on a bus. 465 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:12,720 They had a black banner that didn't even tell you where they were going, but it was guaranteed 466 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:16,160 war work, guaranteed good pay. 467 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:20,520 And they ended up working on the bomb in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. 468 00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:21,520 Oh my. 469 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:25,480 So these two women have a story that is unbelievable. 470 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:31,880 It is the B-24 Liberator bomber and the atomic bomb, which of course was being made at the 471 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:32,880 secret city. 472 00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:33,960 They couldn't talk about it. 473 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:35,960 They didn't even know what they were doing. 474 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:36,960 Right. 475 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:44,520 They sat in a big, a big black tube, a Palliatron all day looking through a baby window, just 476 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:47,760 turning dials to keep the flames a certain color. 477 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:49,480 And they couldn't see anything left. 478 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:51,160 They didn't see anything. 479 00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:55,320 So that's why they said they really liked working at Willow Run more. 480 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:58,880 They didn't know they were working on the bomb until the day after it was announced that 481 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:00,160 the bomb had been dropped. 482 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:02,160 And thank you, Oak Ridge. 483 00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:03,160 Right. 484 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:09,480 A woman from Tennessee that came up before the war and she worked at the American Lady 485 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:13,000 Corsic Company in downtown Detroit on Woodruff Avenue. 486 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:18,200 And she was sewing bras and girdles, bras and girdles, bras and girdles. 487 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:22,320 And then all of a sudden the war started and within the week she was sewing parachutes, 488 00:29:22,320 --> 00:29:23,320 parachutes, parachutes. 489 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:32,120 So there she is, a woman who was in North Carolina and she lives in Chelsea right now. 490 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:39,920 And she took the train to Alexandria, Virginia and worked at the Navy, a submarine yard, 491 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:43,120 at the Navy yard, working on torpedoes. 492 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:44,120 Wow. 493 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:50,520 A woman from South Bend, Indiana who was working, just testing carburetors for white 494 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:54,200 trucks that were being sent over. 495 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:57,480 White is a company, a name of a company truck. 496 00:29:57,480 --> 00:29:59,440 And so she was doing carburetors. 497 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:08,280 I've had women who were connecting the hydraulic tubes for the Bombay door. 498 00:30:08,280 --> 00:30:16,080 We've had, let's see, women who worked, one woman worked in Western Pennsylvania and she 499 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:20,280 was on an island, on a train island more or less. 500 00:30:20,280 --> 00:30:26,200 And her job was to keep track of the many trains that were bringing and taking chemicals 501 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:28,200 all over the country. 502 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:34,160 And they did all this without any kind of computers, any kind of stuff. 503 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:35,840 They figured out how to do it. 504 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:43,000 One woman made up a whole kind of a board, like a bulletin board thing to keep everybody 505 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:46,400 in the office and in the plant kind of organized. 506 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:51,840 I had one who sat in the crib, she called it, at Willow Run, keeping track of all the 507 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:52,840 tools. 508 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:54,840 Somebody had to know where everything was. 509 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:55,840 Right. 510 00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:57,840 Who's got the blueprints and who's got this? 511 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:03,000 Stories are incredibly interesting. 512 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:11,120 One woman had to, you know, the B-24 has a double tail fin in the back, which is made 513 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:12,760 of fabric. 514 00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:19,520 And so what she did was work in the dope room and they had to dig their hands into great 515 00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:28,240 big vats of glue and smear it on the fabric to stabilize it. 516 00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:32,680 She didn't have any masks, she didn't have any gloves, she didn't have anything. 517 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:36,560 Our riveters didn't have ear protectors. 518 00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:41,400 They did have hair protectors because nobody wants to be smacked. 519 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:44,640 But these women did everything. 520 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:52,040 They were crane drivers, they were welders, they were electricians, they were wire eras, 521 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:54,560 they were everything you can imagine. 522 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:56,320 And they could do it. 523 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:57,320 They did it. 524 00:31:57,320 --> 00:32:06,080 And it gave everybody, I'd say, you know, not only courage, but I don't even know what 525 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:07,080 I want to say. 526 00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:09,880 It gave everybody a new vision of what America could be. 527 00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:11,880 You know? 528 00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:14,080 Yeah, I would think it would give them confidence as well. 529 00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:16,440 Yes, that's the word I was looking for. 530 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:17,440 Incredible. 531 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:18,440 Incredible. 532 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:21,080 Yeah, because not only were they doing these jobs, they were doing them in all kinds of 533 00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:22,800 cities that they didn't know where they were. 534 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:24,360 They didn't know anything about them. 535 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:29,000 They had to learn how to live in a boarding house with a roommate, go get your laundry 536 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:36,600 done at the, you know, at the laundry mat, take the bus over to Canada to buy shoes. 537 00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:43,000 They frequently have that story of all using some of their money for that or going downtown 538 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:50,040 and getting on a Friday night convincing themselves I deserve a Saunders hot chop or 539 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:51,360 hot bud sundae. 540 00:32:51,360 --> 00:32:53,480 I've worked hard through this. 541 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:54,880 They saved their money. 542 00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:57,720 They bought war bonds. 543 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:00,560 They sold war bonds. 544 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:05,800 They handed out ration tickets at their companies. 545 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:07,280 One woman, that was her whole job. 546 00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:11,360 She just handed out and kept track of who was giving their ration tickets. 547 00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:19,080 But it was unbelievable how much America changed during this time period and how American women 548 00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:20,080 changed. 549 00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:24,080 And then the government realized that they had to help with child care. 550 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:27,200 We had the best child care we've ever had in this country. 551 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:33,280 I'm going to stop you right there because we're going to take a real quick break. 552 00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:39,560 So you know, we're talking with Claire Dowell here, retired Ann Arbor AP history teacher 553 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:44,320 and talking all about the Rosies, especially here in our local area at Willow Run in the 554 00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:47,120 arsenal of democracy in southeast Michigan. 555 00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:48,280 We're going to take a real quick break. 556 00:33:48,280 --> 00:33:54,520 When we come back, I want to talk about kind of the societal effects that Rosie and World 557 00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:59,120 War II had on women and just the population in general. 558 00:33:59,120 --> 00:34:00,120 Okay. 559 00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:02,360 So we'll be right back after this. 560 00:34:02,360 --> 00:34:05,160 We know you don't have to wear your PT gear anymore, right? 561 00:34:05,160 --> 00:34:06,160 It's comfortable. 562 00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:08,160 So how's civilian life treating you? 563 00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:09,160 It's fine. 564 00:34:09,160 --> 00:34:14,360 When I got out, I didn't want to admit that there was anything wrong because I felt like 565 00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:15,360 a failure. 566 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:18,480 And then I realized like there's nothing to be ashamed of. 567 00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:20,800 So I started talking to someone. 568 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:21,800 Maybe you are fine. 569 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:24,400 If you're not, it's okay. 570 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:25,400 Thank you. 571 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:28,200 If you or a veteran you know needs support, don't wait. 572 00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:29,200 Reach out. 573 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:36,680 Hey, we're back here on Veterans Radio and we are talking with Clara Dahl and she's 574 00:34:36,680 --> 00:34:40,500 the kind of the local expert on Rosie the Riveter. 575 00:34:40,500 --> 00:34:45,160 And what I wanted to find out next is, you know, we talked about some of the local people 576 00:34:45,160 --> 00:34:46,160 that were involved. 577 00:34:46,160 --> 00:34:52,480 And that one thing I remember in talking with somebody over at Willow Run is when you did 578 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:57,920 that, were you the one that organized the most Rosie the Riveter's in one place at 579 00:34:57,920 --> 00:34:59,520 a time or were you just active in that? 580 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:00,520 No, I didn't organize that. 581 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:04,120 That was, let me see, that was Allison. 582 00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:07,040 And so as she did it, we'd done it three times. 583 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:09,000 We tried it in 2014. 584 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:15,240 We got a record because we did it all in, well, we just, we ended up with more Rosie, 585 00:35:15,240 --> 00:35:17,480 more women, the rest is Rosie than anybody else. 586 00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:22,160 And then we lost it to California and then they did it again in 2015. 587 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:26,400 We thought for sure no one would take it from us because we did it in Hangar One with a 588 00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:28,200 B17 in the background. 589 00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:33,680 And we said, not only do we have numbers, we have the world's best venue. 590 00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:37,080 California took it away from us again. 591 00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:42,200 And then in 2017, we did it in Eastern Michigan. 592 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:47,920 We took over the whole basketball arena in 3,375 Rosies. 593 00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:50,200 And it was fantastic. 594 00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:51,520 So I did not organize it. 595 00:35:51,520 --> 00:35:52,520 I was on the committee. 596 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:59,120 I painted the signs to say 50 to 100 over here, 101 to 150 over here. 597 00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:00,120 And this and that. 598 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:01,640 But no, I did not organize it. 599 00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:02,800 I just thought it was so cool. 600 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:08,760 We have a very good friend whose daughter dressed up as Rosie and took her daughter 601 00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:10,120 with her and she was dressed up. 602 00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:12,600 I think she was about seven or something like that. 603 00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:16,640 And I'm sure there was like, I just, I remember seeing the picture and thinking how cool it 604 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:22,240 was that all of these women, you know, representing so many other women. 605 00:36:22,240 --> 00:36:23,840 Of course, didn't make it. 606 00:36:23,840 --> 00:36:30,040 So when this all occurred, you had this mass migration in America from, you know, from 607 00:36:30,040 --> 00:36:33,360 all over, as you mentioned, you know, coming from different countryside, mostly from the 608 00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:37,520 south to the north or from the south to the west or to the east. 609 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:40,160 And that one of the things that read. 610 00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:41,160 Right. 611 00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:47,240 And in the article, let me, let me back up and kind of preface this a little bit. 612 00:36:47,240 --> 00:36:53,480 I found out about Claire in a local newspaper that she's been giving these talks all over 613 00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:56,840 the county, all over the state, everywhere now. 614 00:36:56,840 --> 00:36:59,720 And so that's how I got ahold of her. 615 00:36:59,720 --> 00:37:06,640 But the, some of the things in the article I wanted to kind of address were the changes 616 00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:15,080 in it from this, from a sociology standpoint of all of these women moving to these factories 617 00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:20,160 and how things changed, and especially you mentioned that the minority women coming, 618 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:21,360 you know, and getting these jobs. 619 00:37:21,360 --> 00:37:25,240 And, you know, they paid 85 cents to a dollar an hour. 620 00:37:25,240 --> 00:37:30,640 You mentioned that at least at willow run, they provided training for you. 621 00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:33,480 And then they discovered, oh, we have to house these people. 622 00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:37,160 And the person that got the money for the housing was Harry Truman of all people, like 623 00:37:37,160 --> 00:37:39,320 when he was still a senator. 624 00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:44,520 And there are housing units all around our southeast Michigan area that were built specifically 625 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:45,520 for willow run. 626 00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:51,280 I'm thinking off the top of my head is a Pittsfield village here in Ann Arbor, which was designed 627 00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:55,200 for not only the workers, but then of course, when all the veterans came home and went back 628 00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:56,680 to school. 629 00:37:56,680 --> 00:38:04,600 So when you, when these people came from all parts of the country, they found that willow 630 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:08,640 run was not segregated. 631 00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:09,640 Workers were not. 632 00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:15,560 Roosevelt was forced to sign executive order 8802 because he was threatened with it basically 633 00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:21,560 a nationwide strike of black workers because we had segregated units in the army and black 634 00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:24,760 women wanted to have some of these great jobs. 635 00:38:24,760 --> 00:38:31,080 They said, I have a husband, a boyfriend, a father, a son, I want to bring them home. 636 00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:35,280 And so therefore, you know, with the strike, Roosevelt said, I don't have time for a strike. 637 00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:36,760 And everybody said, you're right, you don't. 638 00:38:36,760 --> 00:38:38,460 So sign the executive order. 639 00:38:38,460 --> 00:38:41,760 It was the first equal employment act in this country. 640 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:45,920 And so yeah, willow run has black and white workers over the country. 641 00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:50,800 I think that's a that's a really important message that we need to get out about what 642 00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:52,920 was going on at the time. 643 00:38:52,920 --> 00:38:59,960 The other thing, of course, is that like everything else, the war ends and now all these women 644 00:38:59,960 --> 00:39:00,960 have to go home. 645 00:39:00,960 --> 00:39:02,960 How did that play out? 646 00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:05,880 A whole bunch said no, forget it, Charlie. 647 00:39:05,880 --> 00:39:07,080 I like this job. 648 00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:09,160 Everybody finds something else. 649 00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:11,720 Many women wanted to go home. 650 00:39:11,720 --> 00:39:13,080 Many were tired of working. 651 00:39:13,080 --> 00:39:15,000 They wanted to go home. 652 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:18,080 They wanted to raise their kids at home. 653 00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:19,600 Others wanted to keep these jobs. 654 00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:23,240 They were well trained and they were used to working like that. 655 00:39:23,240 --> 00:39:25,760 Many women joined the surface afterwards. 656 00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:31,400 But you know, it was there was tension in our housing because the housing had been for 657 00:39:31,400 --> 00:39:32,400 workers. 658 00:39:32,400 --> 00:39:35,160 Now it's going to be given to returning vets. 659 00:39:35,160 --> 00:39:40,600 And you're going to have met lots of men who have served five years saying, wait, you mean 660 00:39:40,600 --> 00:39:44,160 I've done five years in the service and now I'm going to be unemployed. 661 00:39:44,160 --> 00:39:46,040 I want my job back. 662 00:39:46,040 --> 00:39:47,040 What are we going to do? 663 00:39:47,040 --> 00:39:52,760 Well, that's when the government passed the GI Bill and a whole bunch of men went to college, 664 00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:55,280 which they had never expected to be able to afford. 665 00:39:55,280 --> 00:39:57,280 But the GI Bill did it. 666 00:39:57,280 --> 00:40:02,480 But we also have to remember that that GI Bill was only for white soldiers. 667 00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:05,160 And so it was very unfair. 668 00:40:05,160 --> 00:40:11,960 And it wasn't a wonderful situation when the war was over. 669 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:13,720 We were survived. 670 00:40:13,720 --> 00:40:15,840 We were glad it was over. 671 00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:16,840 Everybody loved it. 672 00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:19,320 America was changed forever. 673 00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:20,480 America was different. 674 00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:22,040 American women were different. 675 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:24,440 American families were different. 676 00:40:24,440 --> 00:40:28,880 But we still did not give that GI Bill to our black soldiers. 677 00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:34,240 I was going to say that because even though the war was only what we won and now we've 678 00:40:34,240 --> 00:40:38,400 freed, quote, all of the free world and everything else, we still had our same problems at home 679 00:40:38,400 --> 00:40:41,600 to be addressed. 680 00:40:41,600 --> 00:40:48,480 And in the euphoria of the ending of the war, we kind of forgot about those. 681 00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:55,920 And they just kind of festered for the next 20 years and are still festering in many parts 682 00:40:55,920 --> 00:40:56,920 of it. 683 00:40:56,920 --> 00:41:01,520 And I think that that's what's so fascinating to me, and the first time I use the word fascinating 684 00:41:01,520 --> 00:41:10,520 today, is the, first of all, is the building of this plant and then turning out of over 685 00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:14,480 8,000 B24s in a short amount of time. 686 00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:20,800 As you mentioned, once it got rolling, one was rolling off the line every 57 minutes, 687 00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:25,440 which I can only imagine, as you mentioned in the article, the euphoria of seeing this 688 00:41:25,440 --> 00:41:26,440 work. 689 00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:31,240 It must be like when you first start working in an auto plant and you see, I worked on 690 00:41:31,240 --> 00:41:35,920 that car and it goes all the way through and somebody drives off in it. 691 00:41:35,920 --> 00:41:38,920 I think that would be a great sensation. 692 00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:48,520 But that this all occurred and the role that Rosie has had, not only then, but continuing 693 00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:49,520 on. 694 00:41:49,520 --> 00:41:55,680 And whenever anybody, you're the expert on this, not me, but the idea of when women think 695 00:41:55,680 --> 00:42:02,040 of working, you know, Rosie is the symbol of this whole thing. 696 00:42:02,040 --> 00:42:06,200 Every I go into so many restaurants here in Ann Arbor and there's a there's a Rosie, 697 00:42:06,200 --> 00:42:08,120 the river poster on the wall. 698 00:42:08,120 --> 00:42:14,040 And you find out that the owner of this particular restaurant is a woman and she says, Oh, no, 699 00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:15,560 that's my inspiration. 700 00:42:15,560 --> 00:42:19,480 My mother worked in the, you know, in the plants and so forth. 701 00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:21,720 So I think this is just great. 702 00:42:21,720 --> 00:42:26,400 And we're finding many women who work in the plants and don't think that they're Rosie 703 00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:28,240 because they didn't wear the kerchief. 704 00:42:28,240 --> 00:42:30,480 They weren't holding a rithing gun. 705 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:36,840 And we have to remember that Rosie the Riveter is an umbrella term for any woman who worked 706 00:42:36,840 --> 00:42:44,680 in any defense plant for any amount of time at any job in any city in World War II is 707 00:42:44,680 --> 00:42:50,920 a Rosie and we're finding them still, you know, they are all between the ages of 98 708 00:42:50,920 --> 00:42:51,920 and 103 today. 709 00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:56,880 I needed to be, you know, Pearl Harbor is 82 years ago. 710 00:42:56,880 --> 00:43:01,120 Pearl Harbor was 82 years ago this December, last December. 711 00:43:01,120 --> 00:43:07,720 If there was 17 to get into the factories, 82 plus 17 is 99. 712 00:43:07,720 --> 00:43:13,800 So unless they cheated and sometimes they did, soldiers needed to get in. 713 00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:20,800 But basically our surviving original Rosies are 98 to 103 years old. 714 00:43:20,800 --> 00:43:23,440 And they all still remember their stories. 715 00:43:23,440 --> 00:43:25,360 They all still have memorabilia. 716 00:43:25,360 --> 00:43:27,440 They show us their lapel pins. 717 00:43:27,440 --> 00:43:29,000 They show us their cards. 718 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:32,000 They show us their welding certificates. 719 00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:35,400 It's inspiring. 720 00:43:35,400 --> 00:43:39,600 I would think it is, you know, and here at Veterans Radio, we're, you know, we're very 721 00:43:39,600 --> 00:43:42,760 big on the storytelling as you are as well. 722 00:43:42,760 --> 00:43:47,520 And we always tell everybody, you know, if you're a veteran or grandpa's a veteran or 723 00:43:47,520 --> 00:43:52,400 whatever it is, get them into that Veterans History Project and record their stories before 724 00:43:52,400 --> 00:43:57,320 they're gone because now, you know, three generations from now, somebody can go and 725 00:43:57,320 --> 00:44:02,840 tap into the, you know, to my story in the, in the, you know, wherever the Library of 726 00:44:02,840 --> 00:44:11,280 Congress and hear my voice, hear my story and say, Oh, that's what he was up to. 727 00:44:11,280 --> 00:44:17,480 So I would encourage everybody in our audience who's, you know, parents were of that age 728 00:44:17,480 --> 00:44:22,080 or grandparents were of that age, start digging because they may be gone, but there's a box 729 00:44:22,080 --> 00:44:23,920 of stuff somewhere. 730 00:44:23,920 --> 00:44:28,120 In everybody's attic, there's something up there, probably, you know, and it's really 731 00:44:28,120 --> 00:44:34,960 incredible that we are finding so many wonderful, wonderful stories about all this. 732 00:44:34,960 --> 00:44:38,400 You know, people didn't necessarily talk about World War II when those soldiers came home. 733 00:44:38,400 --> 00:44:42,680 A lot of soldiers didn't want to talk about it, but they are willing to now talk about 734 00:44:42,680 --> 00:44:46,040 it because they know this is the end of their story, that they need to get it out. 735 00:44:46,040 --> 00:44:48,440 The same thing with Rosies. 736 00:44:48,440 --> 00:44:52,600 We heard over and over people would say, Oh yeah, grandma worked in a factory, but nobody 737 00:44:52,600 --> 00:44:54,280 asked her what she did. 738 00:44:54,280 --> 00:44:57,600 She just worked in a factory and we didn't know what she was doing. 739 00:44:57,600 --> 00:44:59,120 And then she came home. 740 00:44:59,120 --> 00:45:04,480 And so, you know, if there's any regret, we all have, it's that we didn't ask more questions. 741 00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:06,440 But we didn't. 742 00:45:06,440 --> 00:45:12,160 And right now, if, if the Rosies are a veteran of the military and a veteran of the home 743 00:45:12,160 --> 00:45:16,440 front, their story is in the Library of Congress cataloged. 744 00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:20,120 Otherwise, now they were so overwhelmed with Rosies. 745 00:45:20,120 --> 00:45:24,360 Initially, we were promised that all the Rosies would get their interviews in the Library 746 00:45:24,360 --> 00:45:28,960 of Congress, but they were so overwhelmed with the numbers around the country that now 747 00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:34,160 it's just in archives and libraries and open for researchers and all that. 748 00:45:34,160 --> 00:45:39,960 But Library of Congress is only taking the Rosies who are military and home front. 749 00:45:39,960 --> 00:45:44,680 But we've got them in the archives, they're going to be on YouTube's, they're, they're 750 00:45:44,680 --> 00:45:51,080 around and every family gets CDs and grandma's stories so they can give it to all the children, 751 00:45:51,080 --> 00:45:54,240 the grandchildren, the great grandchildren. 752 00:45:54,240 --> 00:45:55,240 I think that's cool. 753 00:45:55,240 --> 00:45:59,200 You know, everybody can kind of expect that grandpa or our uncle Joe or whatever were involved 754 00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:02,080 in the military and okay, that's cool. 755 00:46:02,080 --> 00:46:06,720 But we forget that grandma and aunt Sue were just as involved in the only way that they 756 00:46:06,720 --> 00:46:11,800 could because at that time, of course, they weren't in the military and but their stories 757 00:46:11,800 --> 00:46:20,440 are still just as compelling and useful and if it hadn't been for them, the guys on the 758 00:46:20,440 --> 00:46:22,840 front line wouldn't have been able to do their jobs. 759 00:46:22,840 --> 00:46:23,840 Absolutely true. 760 00:46:23,840 --> 00:46:28,040 And that's why the government had to come up with, as I said, the Lantamac, the best 761 00:46:28,040 --> 00:46:29,360 childcare we've ever had. 762 00:46:29,360 --> 00:46:32,560 They had to give women no excuse to not come to work. 763 00:46:32,560 --> 00:46:38,320 And so this was beyond belief how much great childcare there was at this point. 764 00:46:38,320 --> 00:46:42,880 As they, as the government said, if grandma can chase toddlers around the house all day 765 00:46:42,880 --> 00:46:45,560 long, grandma should be on the line. 766 00:46:45,560 --> 00:46:46,560 Right. 767 00:46:46,560 --> 00:46:47,560 Yeah. 768 00:46:47,560 --> 00:46:49,640 The goodness, the war was over. 769 00:46:49,640 --> 00:46:51,360 Childcare was ripped up. 770 00:46:51,360 --> 00:46:55,120 Housing changed from workers to vet returning vets. 771 00:46:55,120 --> 00:46:56,840 Jobs, you know, changed. 772 00:46:56,840 --> 00:46:59,480 Women went back to home or they stayed. 773 00:46:59,480 --> 00:47:00,480 Men had to deal with this. 774 00:47:00,480 --> 00:47:05,960 There was a lot of, a lot of juggling of the, of our lives because of World War II. 775 00:47:05,960 --> 00:47:06,960 Oh, absolutely. 776 00:47:06,960 --> 00:47:12,720 They have never disappeared because women bucked up, as I said, and they knew they could 777 00:47:12,720 --> 00:47:16,760 do it and their lives were never the same. 778 00:47:16,760 --> 00:47:17,760 Yeah. 779 00:47:17,760 --> 00:47:24,560 You know, and, you know, people of our generation, you're much younger than I am, but the, you 780 00:47:24,560 --> 00:47:30,400 know, this is, but, you know, our parents, especially our parents, our parents, our 781 00:47:30,400 --> 00:47:34,080 family, my father, never talked about his, his time in his service. 782 00:47:34,080 --> 00:47:38,880 And, you know, it took until the end of his life, unfortunately, it was too short, but 783 00:47:38,880 --> 00:47:44,040 at the end of their lives, World War II veterans put it that way before they opened up, you 784 00:47:44,040 --> 00:47:50,480 know, and in, in, in our generation of Vietnam generation, you know, we're finally getting 785 00:47:50,480 --> 00:47:52,720 our veterans to open up about their stories. 786 00:47:52,720 --> 00:47:54,120 The same thing. 787 00:47:54,120 --> 00:47:58,920 And I think that's, it's, you're at the point in your life where you look back and say, 788 00:47:58,920 --> 00:48:00,600 what did I accomplish? 789 00:48:00,600 --> 00:48:01,600 What did I, what did I do? 790 00:48:01,600 --> 00:48:06,000 You know, what, what, you know, the best of times and the worst of times type of thing. 791 00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:09,080 And these stories are important. 792 00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:15,000 And you know, they, they show that your family, you know, had the guts to, to, to change the 793 00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:20,520 guts to move the guts to go somewhere and try something different or do something different 794 00:48:20,520 --> 00:48:25,680 instead of staying wherever it was, you know, especially, you know, my dad's family is 795 00:48:25,680 --> 00:48:31,560 way back in the hollers of Tennessee and, you know, he'd still be there if he hadn't, 796 00:48:31,560 --> 00:48:34,080 if it hadn't been for World War II. 797 00:48:34,080 --> 00:48:40,680 You know, until they built the housing, every single bed house dormitory, anything you want 798 00:48:40,680 --> 00:48:45,320 to say in all the surrounding areas around Ipsy, we're taken by workers. 799 00:48:45,320 --> 00:48:46,320 I'm sure. 800 00:48:46,320 --> 00:48:51,680 But until they built that housing stuff, people were living in mean twos and in their cars 801 00:48:51,680 --> 00:48:57,000 and going home by the hundreds every week because people expected Henry Ford to give 802 00:48:57,000 --> 00:49:02,560 them a good job, good pay and housing, you know, and when that didn't happen, they went 803 00:49:02,560 --> 00:49:08,400 home, they said, well, at least in Kentucky, I had a house for my kids, right? 804 00:49:08,400 --> 00:49:10,520 Wasn't living in the back of some trailer. 805 00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:14,840 So that's why housing was so unbelievably important to this. 806 00:49:14,840 --> 00:49:15,840 And they did it. 807 00:49:15,840 --> 00:49:16,840 Then they did it. 808 00:49:16,840 --> 00:49:18,440 I think that's so cool. 809 00:49:18,440 --> 00:49:20,760 So is there anything else you'd like to say, Claire? 810 00:49:20,760 --> 00:49:21,760 I don't think so. 811 00:49:21,760 --> 00:49:26,360 I mean, I hope people come out to the wonderful new Rosie exhibit. 812 00:49:26,360 --> 00:49:27,360 Excuse me. 813 00:49:27,360 --> 00:49:34,360 Out at the Yankee Air Museum, we opened it up on Veterans Day last year. 814 00:49:34,360 --> 00:49:39,400 And it's a five room display exhibition of Rosie. 815 00:49:39,400 --> 00:49:42,840 It's fabulous. 816 00:49:42,840 --> 00:49:48,080 So they should come to the Yankee Air Museum, see our airplanes, fly in our warbirds, learn 817 00:49:48,080 --> 00:49:53,320 all about Rosie. 818 00:49:53,320 --> 00:49:54,320 That's okay. 819 00:49:54,320 --> 00:49:57,080 I had to talk it for quite a while. 820 00:49:57,080 --> 00:50:01,200 Yeah, everybody, I would encourage you to get out there and get to our local Yankee Air 821 00:50:01,200 --> 00:50:03,240 Museum, which is out in Willow Run. 822 00:50:03,240 --> 00:50:04,760 I just got notification. 823 00:50:04,760 --> 00:50:07,840 I don't have the dates in front of me, but Thunder over Michigan is coming up. 824 00:50:07,840 --> 00:50:11,080 I think at the end of July, and I'm going to have vipers. 825 00:50:11,080 --> 00:50:12,080 I saw that. 826 00:50:12,080 --> 00:50:13,680 Whoa, that'd be cool. 827 00:50:13,680 --> 00:50:21,240 When you get to go on rides in helicopters, B-17s and all the other stuff, I want to thank 828 00:50:21,240 --> 00:50:23,680 Claire for being here on Veterans Radio. 829 00:50:23,680 --> 00:50:26,120 Let us know if there's anything else that goes on with the Rosie. 830 00:50:26,120 --> 00:50:31,400 We'd love to talk with you again and to talk about what these women did during World War 831 00:50:31,400 --> 00:50:32,400 II. 832 00:50:32,400 --> 00:50:33,400 So thank you very much, Claire. 833 00:50:33,400 --> 00:50:35,400 We'll be right back after this message. 834 00:50:35,400 --> 00:50:37,600 All right. 835 00:50:37,600 --> 00:50:40,440 And we are back here on Veterans Radio. 836 00:50:40,440 --> 00:50:43,560 And we're having just a wonderful time today. 837 00:50:43,560 --> 00:50:48,400 Welcome to Claire Dahl and her story of the Rosie of the Riveters. 838 00:50:48,400 --> 00:50:53,000 One of the things that motivated me to reach out to Claire was a couple of years ago, we 839 00:50:53,000 --> 00:50:57,800 saw a play out at the Purple Rose Theater in Chelsea, Michigan that was called Willow 840 00:50:57,800 --> 00:50:58,800 Run. 841 00:50:58,800 --> 00:51:04,320 And it was all about the four women who were working at the airplane factory there. 842 00:51:04,320 --> 00:51:05,600 And it was really great play. 843 00:51:05,600 --> 00:51:10,200 I don't know where it's playing now or where it might be, but it's a great play if you 844 00:51:10,200 --> 00:51:12,440 get the opportunity to see it. 845 00:51:12,440 --> 00:51:16,360 It's really interesting. 846 00:51:16,360 --> 00:51:20,680 It showed a lot of the stories of these four women. 847 00:51:20,680 --> 00:51:24,560 There were single women, married women, women with kids, and so forth. 848 00:51:24,560 --> 00:51:27,840 So if you get an opportunity, I think it probably is up on YouTube too. 849 00:51:27,840 --> 00:51:29,560 It's called Willow Run. 850 00:51:29,560 --> 00:51:31,600 So I would encourage you to look at it. 851 00:51:31,600 --> 00:51:38,400 And also want to remind you, Larry San Antoine was talking about Camp Liberty. 852 00:51:38,400 --> 00:51:44,760 Camp Liberty is just an amazing place out in Brooklyn, Michigan, and it's designed to 853 00:51:44,760 --> 00:51:50,560 help disabled veterans to go hunting, fishing, and all kinds of things. 854 00:51:50,560 --> 00:51:54,600 So I really encourage you to support them. 855 00:51:54,600 --> 00:51:58,520 Their website again is camplibertymichigan.org. 856 00:51:58,520 --> 00:51:59,520 Camplibertymichigan.org. 857 00:51:59,520 --> 00:52:02,040 And they've got some great events coming up. 858 00:52:02,040 --> 00:52:03,040 I think it's in June. 859 00:52:03,040 --> 00:52:05,800 I think it's in June when they have their car show. 860 00:52:05,800 --> 00:52:08,360 I think we mentioned that in the interview. 861 00:52:08,360 --> 00:52:15,440 This year, all of you old car enthusiasts, some great things were out there. 862 00:52:15,440 --> 00:52:17,080 And there were helicopter rides. 863 00:52:17,080 --> 00:52:20,560 So they're trying to get that again this year. 864 00:52:20,560 --> 00:52:24,640 I'm really pleased with the way that things are working. 865 00:52:24,640 --> 00:52:31,720 When we get a chance to promote these local nonprofit organizations that are helping veterans. 866 00:52:31,720 --> 00:52:35,960 So if you have one out there that you would like us to promote for you or to tell your 867 00:52:35,960 --> 00:52:39,480 story, please just give us a contact. 868 00:52:39,480 --> 00:52:42,680 It's a Dale at veteransradio.org. 869 00:52:42,680 --> 00:52:46,760 And I will try everything I can to get you on the air. 870 00:52:46,760 --> 00:52:49,160 So it's a Dale at veteransradio.org. 871 00:52:49,160 --> 00:52:55,680 The other thing is to remind you that we've got almost 600 programs in our archives. 872 00:52:55,680 --> 00:53:03,160 And so if you go to veteransradio.org, you can just type in World War II, Vietnam, Iraq, 873 00:53:03,160 --> 00:53:07,760 Afghanistan, women veterans benefits, whatever it is. 874 00:53:07,760 --> 00:53:12,560 And I'll bet you that there's going to be a program there that talks about that. 875 00:53:12,560 --> 00:53:15,760 So we encourage you to go to our website and listen to those older programs. 876 00:53:15,760 --> 00:53:19,440 And also we have podcasts going out now. 877 00:53:19,440 --> 00:53:24,640 So most of those sites that carry podcasts, you can listen to them there. 878 00:53:24,640 --> 00:53:27,480 So I want you to get involved. 879 00:53:27,480 --> 00:53:29,040 If you'd like to get involved, that's the other thing. 880 00:53:29,040 --> 00:53:33,040 If you would like to support veterans radio, you can go to veteransradio.org. 881 00:53:33,040 --> 00:53:34,760 Click on the donate button. 882 00:53:34,760 --> 00:53:36,040 Very simple. 883 00:53:36,040 --> 00:53:38,240 And we would greatly appreciate it right now. 884 00:53:38,240 --> 00:53:42,480 We're just asking for $20 for 20 years. 885 00:53:42,480 --> 00:53:44,960 And we're hoping that you can do that. 886 00:53:44,960 --> 00:53:46,240 We've got about a minute to go. 887 00:53:46,240 --> 00:53:48,160 So I want to make sure that we thank our sponsors. 888 00:53:48,160 --> 00:53:50,360 I didn't get a chance to do that at the beginning. 889 00:53:50,360 --> 00:53:56,120 That's legal help for veterans specializing in veteran disability claims. 890 00:53:56,120 --> 00:54:01,640 Give them a call 800-693-4800, National Veterans Business Development Council, 891 00:54:01,640 --> 00:54:03,960 or better known as NBBDC. 892 00:54:03,960 --> 00:54:08,360 You can give them a call at 888-237-8433. 893 00:54:08,360 --> 00:54:12,000 And the Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center here in Ann Arbor. 894 00:54:12,000 --> 00:54:13,800 For more information, go to their website. 895 00:54:13,800 --> 00:54:15,520 That's va.gov. 896 00:54:15,520 --> 00:54:17,320 Ann Arbor Healthcare. 897 00:54:17,320 --> 00:54:22,760 And as I mentioned before, if you'd like to become a sponsor, just go to our website. 898 00:54:22,760 --> 00:54:26,600 There's a button there for you to find out what we are looking for. 899 00:54:26,600 --> 00:54:31,600 So we're going to be going out again with a God bless America version. 900 00:54:31,600 --> 00:54:33,120 I love this song. 901 00:54:33,120 --> 00:54:34,800 I love what it stands for. 902 00:54:34,800 --> 00:54:37,240 So I want to make sure that you get to hear it. 903 00:54:37,240 --> 00:54:38,960 So stick around. 904 00:54:38,960 --> 00:54:40,840 And until next week, this is Dale Thronebray. 905 00:54:40,840 --> 00:54:44,640 For all of us here at Veterans Radio, you are dismissed. 906 00:54:44,640 --> 00:54:51,600 God bless America. 907 00:54:51,600 --> 00:54:58,600 It's land that I love. 908 00:54:58,600 --> 00:55:16,600 Stand beside her, hand guide her through the night with your life from above. 909 00:55:16,600 --> 00:55:32,600 From the mountains to the prairies, to the oceans, white for more. 910 00:55:32,600 --> 00:55:39,600 God bless America. 911 00:55:39,600 --> 00:55:46,600 My home, sweet home. 912 00:55:46,600 --> 00:55:58,600 My home, sweet home. 913 00:55:58,600 --> 00:56:05,600 God bless America. 914 00:56:05,600 --> 00:56:11,600 It's land that I love. 915 00:56:11,600 --> 00:56:30,600 Stand beside her, hand guide her through the night with your life from above. 916 00:56:30,600 --> 00:56:46,600 From the mountains to the prairies, to the oceans, white for more. 917 00:56:46,600 --> 00:56:53,600 God bless America. 918 00:56:53,600 --> 00:57:08,600 My home, sweet home. 919 00:57:08,600 --> 00:57:18,600 My home, sweet home. 920 00:57:48,600 --> 00:57:53,600 With Lucky Land Slots, you can get lucky just about anywhere. 921 00:57:53,600 --> 00:57:57,600 Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to... has anyone seen the bride and groom? 922 00:57:57,600 --> 00:58:02,600 Sorry, sorry, we're here. 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