Louise Unkrich among ?Rosies? honored on Veterans Day

Louise Unkrich, of Swedesburg, was one of the ?Rosie the Riveters? honored Nov. 11 during a Veterans Day celebration at the George Patton Memorial Museum in Chiriaco Summit, Calif.

Unkrich was one of five Rosies in attendance.

The celebration at the museum also featured a WWII plane flyover, Patton?s ?Blood and Guts? speech and a special guest, Helen Patton, granddaughter of the general.

Helen Patton currently lives in France and is a producer working on the legacy of her grandfather.

On Nov. 12, the City of Palm Springs, Calif., dedicated the General George S. Patton Jr. star. Unkrich and the other four Rosies were honored guests at the sidewalk of stars dedication.

Chiriaco Summit was a desert training center during World War II. The facility is 18,000 square miles in southern California and western Arizona and more than 1.8 million U.S. soldiers trained at the facility which featured 10 live firing camps.

The term ?Rosie the Riveter? is a cultural icon of the United States. It was first used in a 1942 song by the same name. Rosie the Riveter referred to American women who produced munitions and war supplies.

Sometimes, the women took on entirely new jobs, replacing male workers who were in the military.

Unkrich did her Rosie duties at the Glenn L. Martin Bomber Plant in Omaha, Neb., from 1943-44.