Congressional Record, Volume 150 Issue 75 (Wednesday, June 2, 2004)

[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 75 (Wednesday, June 2, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H3643-H3648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

HONORING CONTRIBUTIONS OF WOMEN, SYMBOLIZED BY ``ROSIE THE RIVETER,''
WHO SERVED ON THE HOMEFRONT DURING WORLD WAR II

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 413) honoring the contributions of
women, symbolized by ``Rosie the Riveter'', who served on the homefront
during World War II, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read as follows:

H. Con. Res. 413

Whereas during World War II, 6,000,000 women stepped
forward to work in homefront industries to produce the ships,
planes, tanks, trucks, guns, and ammunition that were crucial
to achieving an Allied victory;
Whereas women worked in homefront industries as welders,
riveters, engineers, designers, and managers, and held other
positions that had traditionally been held by men;
Whereas these women demonstrated great skill and dedication
in the difficult and often dangerous jobs they held, which
enabled them to produce urgently needed military equipment at
recordbreaking speeds;
Whereas the need for labor in homefront industries during
World War II opened new employment opportunities for women
from all walks of life and dramatically increased gender and
racial integration in the workplace;
Whereas the service of women on the homefront during World
War II marked an unprecedented entry of women into jobs that
had traditionally been held by men and created a lasting
legacy of the ability of women to succeed in those jobs;
Whereas these women devoted their hearts and souls to their
work to assure safety and success for their husbands, sons,
and other loved ones on the battle front;
Whereas the needs of working mothers resulted in the
creation of child care programs, leading to the lasting
legacy of public acceptance of early child development and
care outside the home;
Whereas the needs of women on the homefront led to
employer-sponsored prepaid and preventative health care never
before seen in the United States; and
Whereas in 2000, Congress recognized the significance to
the Nation of the industrial achievements on the homefront
during World War II and the legacy of the women who worked in
those industries through the establishment of the Rosie the
Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park in
Richmond, California, as a unit of the National Park System:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress--
(1) honors the extraordinary contributions of the women
whose dedicated service on the homefront during World War II
was instrumental in achieving an Allied victory;
(2) recognizes the lasting legacy of equal employment
opportunity and support for child care and health care that
developed during the ``Rosie the Riveter'' era; and
(3) calls on the people of the United States to take the
opportunity to study, reflect on, and celebrate the stories
and accomplishments of women who served the Nation as
``Rosies'' during World War II.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. McKeon) and the gentleman from California (Mr. George
Miller) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon).

General Leave

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on H. Con. Res. 413.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 413 and urge
each of my colleagues to support this important resolution.
Mr. Speaker, this weekend in Washington, DC, President Bush dedicated
the World War II Memorial, the first national memorial dedicated to all
who served during the Second World War. As it should, this memorial
honors all military veterans of the war, the citizens on the homefront,
the Nation at large, and the high moral purpose and idealism that
motivated the Nation's call to arms.
Today, we pause to recognize in particular the contributions to those
who may not have faced enemy fire but were no less a part of our
decisive victory in those dark times: the millions of Americans who
across the Nation heeded a call to serve when their country needed
them.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the young men of America
poured out of the factories and offices to line up at the recruiting
offices. The young women of America lined up at the factories and
arsenals to fill jobs left vacant by those who went off to fight.
These women, symbolized by Rosie the Riveter, wore hard hats and
coveralls and pulled the same load as many of the men they replaced.
They operated heavy cranes, milling machines and countless other heavy
tools that most women had never heard of before the war. They bagged
gunpowder, made weapons, crated ammunition and did whatever else was
asked of them so that their fathers, husbands, sons and sweethearts
could win the war and come back home again. Indeed, the Rosie the
Riveter movement is credited with helping push the number of working
women to 20 million during the 4 years of war, a 57 percent jump from
1940.
The image of Rosie the Riveter has become familiar to all of us and
symbolizes the contribution of those millions of mothers, daughters and
sisters who, as their loved ones were sent overseas to fight the Axis,
picked up the work vital to our Nation's productivity and security. At
a time when sacrifice was asked of every American, both at home and
abroad, these brave young women rose to the call and served their
country with honor and pride. As we honor the contribution of each
American to the World War II effort, so today do we properly honor our
``Rosies.''
Mr. Speaker, I had an Aunt Lil who was a Rosie the Riveter in World
War II. She is not with us today, but I wish she could be to see this
honor presented to her and other women who filled the call and served
as Rosie the Riveter. I urge each of my colleagues to support this
important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5
minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the House Women's
Caucus led by the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter) and the
gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito) for their sponsorship and
their

[[Page H3644]]

pushing for this resolution to come to the floor and to thank the House
and Senate cosponsors of our resolution, including California's two
Senators, Senator Boxer and Senator Feinstein, and Richmond's Rosie the
Riveter superintendent Judy Hart from the National Park Service and,
obviously, the 6 million women who helped build American history.
Many people have learned about the Rosie the Riveter story recently
from the great work being done by Ford Motor Corporation to encourage
Rosies to come forward and tell the story of the Rosies, along with the
National Park Foundation.
This legislation that we are voting on today honors the millions of
women who answered the call to service on the homefront during World
War II. The Rosies, as they are known, built tanks and ships, working
as welders, machinists, mechanics, pipe fitters, electricians and
boilermakers and so many other trades and professions during the Second
World War while so many men were off in the battles of combat. They
learned the skilled jobs previously reserved for men. They earned men's
wages, and they gained new independence. The effort by these women made
victory abroad possible.
Those who have studied the history of the period will remember how
unprepared America was to enter the Second World War. It is because of
the effort by these Rosies that we met the challenge and succeeded in
winning the Second World War. But it also was a time when there was
some dramatic change in the workforce in America. Women and minorities
were gaining access to high-paying jobs and industry for the first
time. Health care and services for employees and their families were
available on a full-time basis for the first time in many instances.
Services, including child care, to help parents balance family and work
for the first time became available.
The oldest continuous child care center in the program is in my
district that was part of the Kaiser Shipyards in the San Francisco Bay
area, and it was named after Ruth Powers who was a teacher and a Rosie
at that time, and it continues in service today.
We saw these incredible partnerships created between government,
industry and the labor unions to take care of the workforce and to
train the workforce and to make sure they could report to work every
day. It is also clear that this contribution is absolutely tantamount
to our winning the Second World War.
This weekend we will have a rivet cutting at the Rosie the Riveter
World War II Homefront National Park in Richmond, California, where we
will cut the ribbon on the new Visitors Center that is being created
there.
Kaiser shipyards in Richmond, where they produced a Liberty ship
every day, women comprised over a quarter of the workforce. Their
shipyard was the largest and most productive of World War II. The war
transformed the economy of California. The State population grew by
nearly 75 percent. Richmond grew from 23,000 people to a booming town
of 100,000 people in support of the warfront industries that were
related there at that time.
Many people today think that 24-7 is a term that came out of the
technology revolution, out of the dot.com revolution. Mr. Speaker, 24-7
was a watchword in Richmond, California. We had 24-hour supermarkets
because people worked three shifts. We had 24-hour rooming houses where
people changed beds according to the shifts that they were working. We
had 24-hour child care for families, 24-hour physician services, 24-
hour health care, because the effort there was to keep the workforce
working so that they could meet the demands of the war, which they did.
It also provided for the most rapid and deep integration of the
American workforce up to that time in history, as did much of World War
II in the industry base. It changed the economy, it changed our
society, it changed the women's movement in this country and their role
in American society.
If you have met the Rosies, you understand the pride that they
demonstrate when many of them can still show their journeyman's card,
when many of them can describe the fear they had on the first day of
work when they showed up for jobs that they had never heard of or seen
done before, and also the pride when they now recognize what they
contributed to: the winning of the Second World War.
I want to thank the cosponsors of this legislation, the House women's
organization for pursuing this.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to yield the balance
of my time to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) and that
she may control the time for the majority.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 413. Today, we
are honoring these millions of women who, although they have never been
to a battlefield, they really served valiantly during some of our
Nation's darkest hours. I think we have all heard stories from our moms
and relatives and from individuals who really rolled up their sleeves
and got to work to be of service to our Nation. Of course, there are
women from all walks of life, all ages, and they really heeded the call
of this Nation in shipyards, dockyards, steel mills, lumber mills,
wherever they were needed. They worked in defense industries and
support services to power the American productivity that helped win
World War II.
The sight of women outfitted in overalls and wielding industrial
tools was popularized in the 1942 song ``Rosie the Riveter.'' The image
and the song created an instantly recognizable nickname for those
homefront heroes. Today, that nickname and that image is still
recognized and loved.
Mr. Speaker, these women demonstrated skill and dedication in
difficult and often very dangerous jobs, but their work produced
urgently needed military equipment at record-breaking speeds. They were
efficient, and they defined many of the standards we hold today. The
legacy of these Rosies is still seen across America. Their service on
the homefront marked the start of an unprecedented entry of women into
the workplace and created a lasting legacy of women leaders for us to
look up to.

{time} 1415

One such Rosie now lives on a 70-acre farm in my district in
Tennessee. Lois Turner worked as a mechanic at Bell Aircraft in Niagara
Falls, New York, from 1943 to 1945. She had many roles at Bell. She
worked in machine gun manufacturing; and with her delicate hands, she
was able to do much of the safety wiring in parts of our warplanes that
most others could not reach. She spent 15 minutes at a time held upside
down to reach those tight spots. Lois' skill and care helped keep our
soldiers safe.
Mr. Speaker, the Rosies of World War II put heart and soul into their
work because their work meant the safety and security of their loved
ones on the battle front.
As many Members will recall, in 2000 Congress recognized the
significance of America's World War II industrial achievements and the
legacy of the women who helped make those achievements possible by
establishing the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National
Historical Park in Richmond, California. It is a unit of the National
Park System. As we did then, we pause again today to remember the women
who have given so much to their country.
Their love of country, their hard work, their prayers for our
soldiers were in the steel and plate of every American battleship. They
were then, and remain today, deep in the soul of our war effort and a
great victory for freedom and peace.
We should all thank our colleague, the gentlewoman from West Virginia
(Mrs. Capito), for her leadership in honoring these women and for
sponsoring this resolution, so that America will never forget these
wonderful patriots.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in
recognizing the enormous contributions

[[Page H3645]]

made by American women on the home front during World War II. Embodied
by Rosie the Riveter and the empowering slogan ``We Can Do It,'' women
from around the Nation filled industrial jobs left empty by their
husbands, their brothers and neighbors fighting abroad during World War
II.
World War II was won not only by the veterans we honored with a new
memorial last week but by the women in their lives as well. Every man,
every woman, every child in the United States of America sacrificed
during World War II; and as important as any of these sacrifices were
those of the countless Rosie the Riveters who filled industrial jobs,
who ran households under a strict ration system, whose lives were not
easy, but whose contribution was never, ever questioned when they were
making that contribution. In fact, these contributions serve as a
valuable demonstration of the sacrifice and determination that winning
a war demands of an entire Nation.
Every Rosie is an inspiration for a Nation that is once again at war,
and their efforts remind us that military victory is not possible
without the support and without the contributions of Americans at home.
Now, just as it was then, we can do it, and we must.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman
from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito), the sponsor of this legislation.
Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I am exceedingly proud to be the sponsor of
House Concurrent Resolution 413. I am also extremely proud that all 62
women Members of Congress are cosponsors on this legislation as well.
During World War II, a remarkable band of women picked up the rivet
guns left on factory floors and shipyard docks by departing workers.
Many of those workers were husbands, boyfriends, sons and dads; and
those women started building the tanks, airplanes, and ships that
America needed to win the war.
This group of women became known as Rosie the Riveters, the bandana-
brazing, tight-muscled woman depicted in posters with the slogan ``We
Can Do It.''
Earlier this month, I called on all the Rosies from West Virginia to
send me their stories so younger generations of West Virginians could
learn about this important part of their history.
It is clear the important role that the Rosies played during the war.
I received a letter from a woman from Elkview, West Virginia, who
worked on the wing sections of B-29 Superfortress bombers at the
Goodyear plant in Akron, Ohio. The B-29 was the military's most
sophisticated propeller-driven bomber.
Another Rosie from Winfield, West Virginia, worked as a riveter at
General Machinery in South Charleston, West Virginia, building rockets
that her husband used thousands of miles away in the Pacific.
Just last week, several Rosies came to Washington to tell their
stories. Leona Phares from Elkins, West Virginia, came; and she had a
very touching comment. I asked her what she did when her husband left
her. Her husband was originally in the factory with her, and he was
called to duty. I said, What did you do? She said, I worked as long and
as hard and as fast as I could, because I wanted him home as quick as
he could get there.
We also learned that one of the Rosies from the district of the
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter) was held upside down for 15
minutes at a time because her hands were so small she could get up
under and rivet in certain areas.
Extraordinary women. We always say we can do twice as much in half
the time, but upside down at the same time?
This resolution honors the extraordinary contributions of the women
pioneers who have inspired future generations, whose dedicated service
on the home front during World War II was instrumental in achieving an
Allied victory. The resolution urges citizens to study, reflect upon,
and celebrate the stories and accomplishments of the Rosies.
The Rosies are a vital part of American history. This band of
remarkable women should be honored and remembered.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minute to the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis).
Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Rosie the
Riveter resolution that recognizes the hard-earned contributions of
women on the home front during World War II.
Rosie symbolized the millions of women who broke through the glass
ceiling and showed this Nation that women could perform paid work in
nontraditional jobs.
There were an estimated 18 million women who worked in World War II
defense industries and support services, including steel mills,
foundries, lumber mills, aircraft factories, offices, hospitals, and
even daycare centers. Today, there are well over 68 million women in
our civilian labor force, which is almost 60 percent of all women over
the age of 16.
As an icon of strength and will, women during World War II bonded
together to secure our Nation's factories and future. Their legacy of
equal employment opportunity and support for child care and health care
that developed during Rosie the Riveter's era has served men, women,
and families since that time.
I would also like to thank the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs.
Capito) for taking us to the memorial service for Rosie the Riveter in
honor of all the women that have served our great country. It was a
wonderful ceremony that took place last week at Arlington National
Cemetery, where members of the Women's Caucus from both sides of the
aisle came together to help celebrate the many contributions of women
in the Armed Forces, as well as Rosie the Riveters who participated in
our country's establishment.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman
from Michigan (Mrs. Miller).
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for
yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution
413. It is certainly an honor to stand here and publicly thank the
women who worked on the home front as this Nation fought World War II.
As the years go by, our Nation has become, I think, more able to
fully understand the incredible contribution of both the men and the
women who have been rightfully called our Greatest Generation.
Certainly the World War II memorial which we dedicated just this past
weekend honors this Greatest Generation and all of those who fought in
the deadliest war in the history of mankind.
With the adoption of this resolution, we can honor the women who were
instrumental in winning that war and securing the freedom, not only of
our Nation, but in fact of the entire world.
It seems that it is hard to believe sometimes that it has actually
been 60 years since the end of World War II. As the great leaders of
America and war machine were actually developing their plans of
engagement, here in the United States literally millions of Americans
were preparing for the invasion by building the greatest force the
world has ever known. Among that workforce were more than 6 million
American women, women who were faced with enormous challenges, women
who met that challenge in the defense of freedom.
There was a very famous Saturday Evening Post cover, actually painted
by Normal Rockwell, I think in 1943, and it showed an American woman
who was carrying a rake, a hoe, an oil can, a pipe wrench, a sewing
machine, bottles of milk, as well as air-raid warning equipment. Along
with her red, white and blue outfit, she also wore a civil defense cap
under a nurse's cap.
That is how it was during World War II. American women were expected
to hold down the home front and do all of the jobs left behind by the
men who were off fighting the war.
Certainly today it is our great privilege to honor these American
women, women who symbolize an icon known as Rosie the Riveter. And
because of the contributions of millions of Rosies, our wartime
factories were transformed into the arsenal of democracy, as they
literally built the armaments that led the entire world to peace.
American women became welders, riggers, crane operators, and dock
workers; and they provided the American war machine with the tools that
we needed to win the war. And we are

[[Page H3646]]

truly, truly grateful. Their service to our Nation and to the freedom-
loving people of the world cannot be repaid. They are great Americans,
and may God bless them.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to
the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the original author of the
World War II memorial legislation.
(Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to revise and extend her
remarks.)
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for
yielding me this time and am pleased to rise as a member of the Women's
Caucus and a cosponsor of House Resolution 413 to honor Rosie the
Riveter, the millions of Rosie the Riveters, who helped the United
States of America to win that great victory of liberty over tyranny a
half century ago.
It is very rewarding to be able to stand here today and to say that
the Veterans History Project that is a part of what our Library of
Congress is assembling will allow all people in our country who either
served in the military or here on the home front, including women in
our war industries, factories, as air-raid wardens, as cadet nurses, to
tell their story on audio and video, and that as a part of this
resolution I want to encourage all women or their families and loved
ones to begin to put this down, and through your Member of Congress get
the application blank so that your story can become part of America's
permanent history, because, in fact, Rosie the Riveters changed America
forever.
Today, nearly two-thirds of the women in this country work outside
the home. At the time the war started, less than 25 percent did.
This happens to be a photo of Willys-Overland in Toledo, Ohio, that
still makes the Jeep. Nowadays they call it Daimler Chrysler. But that
particular company in 1940 received a $25 million contract from the
Department of Defense, and in all our community received nearly $1
billion, pushing employment figures at that plant alone to the highest
levels that they had been since the Great Depression. Other plants,
like Acklin, went on 24-hour, 7-day-a-week production.
Our own mother, Cherie Rogowski Kaptur, worked at the Champion Spark
Plug factory making spark plugs that she knew went into airplanes. She
became a union leader, a member of the United Auto Workers local in
that plant, so that they could make perfect plugs, so that no pilot
would lose a life because a spark plug did not fire. I can remember her
talking about that, even until her golden years.
Women were very responsible, just as they are in the home. When men
began going to war, women began to work outside the home by the
millions.
So today we honor those woman. Through their service, America changed
forever as unprecedented numbers of women worked not just inside the
home, but outside the home, and in many ways helped to educate the
generation that now serves our Nation inside this Congress of the
United States.
The character of Rosie first appeared in the 1942 song ``Rose the
Riveter,'' written by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb and recorded by
big-band leader Kay Kyser.

``All the day long,
Whether rain or shine,
She's a part of the assembly line.
She's making history,
Working for victory,
Rosie the Riveter

The number of women in the American workforce increased by more than
50 percent over the war years.
Some six million women joined the war effort on the homefront.
In about July 1940, Toledo's Willys-Overland Jeep factory announced a
$25 million dollar contract. In all, Toledo received over $900 million
dollars in defense orders, enough to put employment figures at the
highest they'd been since 1929. Many plants, including Acklin, went to
24 hour, 7 day a week production.
With many men going to war, women began going to work outside the
home by the thousands. In 1942 the first nursery opened in Toledo in
order to meet the demands of mothers working in the factories. These
women didn't only work in factories however. In fact, they filled a
variety of positions from auto-mechanics and bus drivers to freight
handlers for the Railway Express Agency.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the
gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me
time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support this resolution, which
appropriately honors American women who responded to our Nation's call
during World War II.
At a time when many men left to serve our Nation on foreign shores,
the jobs that had long been held by these men fell to the
responsibility of women. Women were propelled out of their traditional
roles as housewives and mothers as they readily filled the void created
by the departure of their fathers, sons, and brothers.
Putting on their hard hats, they embraced a new life as riveters and
welders, assembling bombs, building tanks and ships and making
ammunition. It is no wonder that the iconic image of Rosie the Riveter
has become synonymous with World War II. That singular woman represents
the more than 6 million women in America who aided the war effort and
changed forever the role of women.

{time} 1430

Without these women, the Allied victory could not have been a
reality. Today, we honor their patriotism and their unwavering
dedication to their country. I take off my hard hat to them.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to
the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson).
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, thanks to the
authors for bringing forth this resolution.
I rise to salute Rosie the Riveter.
Women affectionately known as ``Rosies'' revived the image of the
feminine ideal. Rosie the Riveter's slogan of ``we can do it'' helped
mobilize millions of American women who sowed the seeds for the women's
rights movement.
During World War II, as more and more American men were sent off to
battle, over 6 million women did their part to ease the hardship for
America by taking over jobs that had been previously exclusively male.
Rosies filled the void in America's workforce by working under very
poor conditions for very little pay in factories doing welding,
machining, building aircrafts, fixing tanks and armament factories.
Although the average Rosie the Riveter's salary was $31.21 a week for
her labor, as compared to $54.56 a week for the men that still
remained, these women fought social discrimination, gender harassment,
and physical abuse.
Rosie the Riveter's image of a strong, competent woman was a symbol
of patriotic womanhood.
Rosies all over the country showed their strength and their power and
their pride.
We thank these women who paved the way for women's empowerment. Women
are capable of doing anything. It is too bad that it took a war to make
everyone see it. Times would never be the same again.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Smith).
Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for
yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to relate some of my memories of World War
II. I was born in 1934. I was about 7, 8, 9 and 10. In our community
what allowed Rosie the Riveter to go into the workforce and our
factories was other women on the homefront, that substituted for taking
care of children. So some of the women in our community went and
babysat for other women to allow them to go into our factories to do
some of this work.
So I am pleased that one of the resolved clauses reads, ``honors the
extraordinary contributions of the women whose dedicated service on the
homefront during World War II was instrumental in achieving the Allied
victory.'' Those women that made the effort, that got in the physical
conditioning to allow them, really unheard of before, to do man's work
was also supplemented by so many mothers and so many other women in
every home in most every community of the Nation.
In our rural area of Michigan, women were the ones that were
encouraging the savings of string and tinfoil and saving all of their
bacon fat and encouraging their children to contribute to the war
effort. So it was not only

[[Page H3647]]

the work in the factories, but it was the inspiration that mothers and
other women gave to their communities. So it was more than the
factories. It was women going in to become members of the school board,
to help guide the community and to substitute in public service
organizations, where women came forward to really start a new era in
America of women proving themselves to be so effective in achieving
goals.
So I commend the resolution, I commend the effort of these women,
especially as we have just finished the dedication of the memorial of
World War II. Because that memorial is a dedication not only to those
that died but to all of our fighting men and their families. The women
during World War II were what kept the spirit up in a very strenuous
time for many families in many communities as we saw relatives and
loved ones die in service.
So I would just like to expand the commendation of women during World
War II to the knitting of scarves and the collecting of cookies and all
of the work that went on, in addition to those women that allowed us
the production of planes and ships and guns and ammunition.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 4
minutes.
Mr. Speaker, this decision to go in to work in the industrial forces
of this country during World War II was not a decision that could be
taken lightly. The fact of the matter is this was dangerous, hard,
heavy work that these women were engaged in, in many of these
professions. We are told that between Pearl Harbor and January 1 of
1944, 37,000 people were killed in these industrial factories and
shipyards and airplane factories, and over 210,000 were permanently
disabled, and almost 4 million were temporarily disabled, 60 times the
count on the battlefront in that situation. So these women were making
serious sacrifices in many instances and, in some cases, their lives.
This weekend, as I mentioned, we will do a ribbon-cutting on the
Visitors Center of the Rosie the Riveter World War II homefront Park in
Richmond, California, and it is symbolic of so many of the activities
that took place on the homefront in the San Francisco Bay area and
elsewhere in the Nation. There are other sites around the Nation that
will be added to this park where these homefront activities took place.
But in the western United States prior to the war, for the decade
prior to the war, we had produced no merchant ships and, all of a
sudden, with the advent of the war, we produced 4,600 ships in 1,300
days. In one instance we produced a ship, the SS Robert Peary, a
liberty ship, in 4 days, 15 hours, and 29 minutes from start to finish.
That ship was produced and sent on its way to contribute to the war.
That effort was possible because of the participation of women in the
workforce, the Rosie the Riveters, and the contributions that they made
to the homefront campaign to not only ready America for the war, to
keep it engaged in the war, but to win that war in Europe and in the
Pacific campaigns.
Thousands and thousands of workers migrated across the country to
come to California to work in the war industries, to work on the West
Coast, in Seattle, in Puget Sound, and elsewhere in those war
industries. As they did, they changed, as so many of our colleagues
have already spoken to, they changed the face of the workforce, they
changed the race of the workforce, they changed the makeup of the
workforce, and they changed the attitudes of employers toward workers.
Because at the Kaiser Shipyard they knew that they needed to keep every
employee on the job all of the time.
That is why we saw what is now the Kaiser health care system. The
largest HMO in the country today was started in the Kaiser shipyards in
Richmond, California. It was there because they provided full health
care coverage for all of their workers and their families. In my
district, of those people who have health care insurance, I think
roughly three out of four are enrolled in the Kaiser insurance plan.
That is a legacy of the Rosie the Riveter days of the homefront
effort during the war and is the model for child care in the workplace
in this country. It was begun in these industries because of the
necessity of making sure that these women could balance the care of
their children, the good health of their children, and the need of this
country to have them engage in the workforce.
I am very proud that one of my aunts, Laura Kerry, was a Rosie the
Riveter in the shipyards. My father worked as a labor arbitrator for
the shipyards between the workforce and the employers at that time.
So, again, I want to thank the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs.
Capito) for sponsoring this resolution, and the Women's Caucus and the
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter) for her sponsorship on this
side of this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this measure.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I want to again thank the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs.
Capito) for her work on this legislation and for bringing forth the
opportunity that we could all take a few minutes and say thank you to
the women that we know, the Rosies, who have been here and who have
worked.
I think that one of the things that they have done is that they set
forth for us, as we have heard from so many of our speakers today, more
or less a role model for how they lived patriotism, how they worked
each and every day, and how they displayed that love of freedom. As
some of our colleagues have talked, it was through victory gardens, it
was through keeping other children, it was through enabling the women
who could head into the factories and head into the workplace to be
there and to do a great job. And, of course, they did change the face
of the workplace.
But I think that, probably more than that, one of the things that
they accomplished and did a tremendous job in accomplishing was giving
us a peace dividend. That is something that their children and their
grandchildren have enjoyed and continue to enjoy today, and it is
because of the extraordinary effort of so many of the Rosie the
Riveters. What a pleasure it is today for us to join together and to
thank each and every one of them for those efforts.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join my colleagues and all the
women Members of Congress in cosponsoring this resolution and honoring
the contributions of the women who served the homefront during World
War II. Symbolized by ``Rosie the Riveter,'' these women answered the
call to aid America at a pivotal time in our Nation's history.
Millions of ``Rosies'' produced the planes, ships, tanks, trucks,
guns, and ammunition that America needed to win the war. They were the
indispensable workforce at home that helped our Nation achieve victory
abroad.
The Rosies not only equipped our country to win the war, they also
made it a better place for women. These courageous and hardworking
women broke down traditional barriers surrounding women and the
workplace. Shattering stereotypes, the Rosies were not only successful
workers but were also dedicated wives and mothers.
The Rosies created new opportunities for women in all parts of our
society. They blazed a trail that American women continue to follow
today. Sixty years later, ``Rosie the Riveter'' has become a lasting
symbol of women's rights and an icon of the can-do spirit of women. As
the famous Rosie poster said, ``We can do it.''
The Rosies helped build our military at a critical time, and they
helped build a better America. We are all forever in their debt.
Ms. MAJETTE. Mr. Speaker, what does a woman say to those who have
paved her way? We, each of us women in the Congress, could not have
done it without you, Rosie. It certainly wasn't an easy haul, and we
are still fighting, but you picked up a hammer, literally, and tore
down the barrier. It took years for them to stop putting it up again,
after all your hard work and patriotic dedication, but here we are.
Women of today have the Rosies to thank for ground gained in women's
empowerment. Often thought of as the first substantial force of working
women, you have certainly earned your place in history.
Across the Nation, more than 6 million Rosies departed from their
everyday routine. And in my home state of Georgia, we have our very own
Rosies still living and serving as an example of what it means to blaze
a trail, to fight, to sacrifice, and to be an American patriot. As we
honor these women who stayed on the home front and supported the war
effort by passing House Concurrent Resolution

[[Page H3648]]

413, I want to thank Georgia's Rosies: Mary Isobel Keena, Atlanta;
Constance Hagen, Hiawassee; Emery Gantz, Lawrenceville; Elizabeth Bolen
Minton, Pine Mountain Valley; and Jeannie Mae Euler, whose family lives
in Athens, GA, for all they have given to the country and the
confidence of America's women.
These and all the other Rosies throughout the United States deserve
our thanks as we honor each of them today--you taught the women of our
country not only that we could do it, but that we can do anything.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my
colleague, especially Representatives Slaughter, Capito Solis and
Brown-Waite, the four co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus for Women's
Issues. I was delighted to join my colleagues recently in meeting many
of the ``Rosie'' women at an exhibit at Arlington Cemetery honoring
their power and their commitment.
I am pleased to be here today to honor the contributions of the
women, symbolized by ``Rosie the Riveter'', who served on the homefront
during World War II. During World War II, 6,000,000 women stepped
forward to work in homefront industries to produce the ships, planes,
tanks, trucks, guns, and ammunition that were crucial to achieving an
Allied victory; Women transcended gender barriers and worked in
homefront industries as welders, riveters, engineers, designers, and
managers, and held other positions that had traditionally been held by
men.
``There cannot be true democracy unless women's voices are heard.
There cannot be true democracy unless women are given the opportunity
to take responsibility for their own lives. There cannot be true
democracy unless all citizens are able to participate fully in the
lives of their country.''--Hillary Rodham Clinton
Rosie the Riveter gave women a chance to have their voices heard and
time to show their skills. The need for labor in homefront industries
during World War II opened new employment opportunities for women from
all walks of life and dramatically increased gender and racial
integration in the workplace. I have always believed that women are
essential to breaking down barriers and creating a more egalitarian
society. The Rosie the Riveter era proves just that.
World War II marked an unprecedented entry of women into jobs that
had traditionally been held by men and created a lasting legacy of the
ability of women to succeed in those jobs. The needs of working mothers
resulted in the creation of child care programs, leading to the lasting
legacy of public acceptance of early child development and care outside
the home. Now more than ever we must implement polices to show women
that we will continue their work. If we can provide childcare for the
``Rosies,'' we certainly owe it to later generations as well.
I want to close with a story of a true Rosie the Riveter; Katie
Grant. Katie and Melvin Grant moved from Oklahoma to California in 1943
with their 6-week-old daughter, Laquetta. After working together as
fruit packers, Melvin found a job at a fish cannery in Point San Pablo
and Katie worked in the Richmond Shipyards. By December, Melvin had
joined the Marine Corps and, until his return in August 1945, fought in
the Pacific theatre. Katie's testimonial states:
``I worked the graveyard shift 12:00-8:00 a.m., in the shipyard. I
took classes on how to weld. I had leather gloves, leather pants, big
hood, goggles and a leather jacket. They said you weld like you
crochet.
``Well, I did not know how to do that, but I could sew and make a
neat stitch. We held the welding rod with one hand and the torch fire
in the right hand. Placed the rod in a seam and melted it down in a
small bead seam and brushed it off with a steel brush.
``They put me forty feet down in the bottom of the ship to be a
tacker. I filled the long seams of the cracks in the ship corners full
of hot lead and then brushed them good and you could see how pretty it
was. The welders would come along and weld it so it would take the
strong waves and deep water and heavy weight. I liked it pretty good. I
don't remember how much I got paid for working. Lots of people came to
Richmond to work in the shipyards. Lots of women went to work to help
with the war. I told Melvin later that I helped to make a ship for him
to come home in.''
Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, today we are honoring the work carried
out by all of the ``Rosie the Riveters'' during World War II.
I would like to thank all those from both sides of the House who
have shown strong support for H. Con. Res. 413.
I am pleased to state that every woman Representative has already
joined together in an unprecedented, bipartisan demonstration of
unanimous support by the entire Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues
in cosponsoring this historic resolution.
This resolution allows us to:
Honor the extraordinary contributions of the women who dedicated
service on the home front during World War II;
Recognize the lasting legacy of equal employment opportunity and
support for childcare and health care developed during the ``Rosie the
Riveter'' era; and
Call on the people of the United States to take the opportunity to
study, reflect on, and celebrate the stories and accomplishments of
women who served during World War II.
In conjunction with the dedication to the World War II Memorial on
the National Mall this past Memorial weekend, we would like to take the
opportunity today to reflect on the contributions made by women who
served the country on the home front during World War II.
When 10 million people were abruptly departed from civilian duty,
industries servicing the war recruited over 6 million women to fill
those positions.
From across the country, and from all different backgrounds, women
answered the call to service.
It was the ``Rosies'' who worked on the home front as welders,
riveters, engineers, designers, managers and all kinds of other
positions that had been traditionally held by men.
Women showed skill and dedication in often dangerous tasks that
needed urgency in completion, and did so in record-breaking times.
These contributions showed us the admirable passion, drive and
desire that the ``Rosies'' had.
For example, the women who worked at the Ford assembly plant in
Richmond, California, built over 49,000 jeeps and prepared for shipment
more than 20 percent of all combat vehicles used by the United States
during World War II.
More than 25 percent of the Kaiser shipyard workforce in Richmond
was made up of women, and produced more ships than any other shipyard
in the United States.
The accomplishments Rosies achieved are not exclusive to the war
alone. Their efforts of 50 years ago have helped strengthen women's
position in society today.
The Rosies demonstrated:
That women are just as able to do the work that only men had been
permitted to do;
That women are not inferior to men, and that they are just as able
to succeed and even surpass men in the workforce; and
That it was women who stepped up to keep our country running during
the war, and deserve to be appreciated by our entire Nation for their
achievements.
The Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Park in
Richmond, California is one of the steps we have taken to ensure the
efforts of women during World War II are not forgotten.
This park will help preserve for the benefit of the United States
the sites, structures and areas located in Richmond that were
instrumental in war time efforts and success.
Finally, I would like to make a special note of one of the Rosies
whom I had the opportunity to meet 2 weeks ago at a congressional
reception that we had in honor of the Rosies.
One of my ``former constituents''--had I been serving in Congress at
the time--Lois Turner worked as a mechanic at Bell Aircraft in Niagara
Falls, NY, from 1943 to 1945.
I understand that because she had small hands, she was able to do
the safety wiring in areas of the plane that others couldn't reach,
often being held upside down for 15 minutes at a time to get to
especially tight spots.
To Lois, and to all of the Rosies who have honored us with their
presence for the celebrations in Washington, DC, over the past few
weeks, as well as all Rosies everywhere--I thank you for your
courageous service and dedication to our nation.
I urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to pass this
resolution unanimously, in a strong demonstration of our thanks to the
millions of Rosie the Riveters who so valiantly served our country.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res.
413.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the
yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.

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