Mae Krier, Bucks County's own "Rosie the Riveter," to receive Congressional Gold Medal
LEVITTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- It's an honor decades in the making. Women known as "Rosie the Riveter" are finally getting the recognition they deserve for the work they did during World War II.
The original Rosies were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in Washington, D.C., Wednesday afternoon.
Mae Krier of Levittown, Bucks County, spearheaded the effort that led to the recognition. She spent years making appearances and lobbying lawmakers.
Krier was just 17 years old when she moved to Seattle during the war to get a job with Boeing. She became a riveter, working on B-17 and B-29 bombers.
She was just one of millions of women who joined the workforce in unprecedented numbers to help the war effort at home, filling roles traditionally held by men. Krier and those Rosies were trailblazers and soon were depicted in memorable works of art showing a woman wearing a red bandana and flexing some muscle.
But after the war ended, veterans were thrown parades and given medals, while women who worked in the factories and shipyards were largely forgotten.
Krier has made it her mission to ensure people remember the vital role women played during the war.
"I just knew the women needed to be recognized," Krier said. "The men got all the credit after the war. And they couldn't do it without us because of all the equipment we made."
Through her work, Krier also helped establish Rosie the Riveter Day, observed on March 21, which also happens to be her birthday.
CBS News Philadelphia sat down with Krier to talk about her accomplishments ahead of her 98th birthday.
"People come up to me and say, 'You women opened the doors for us,'" Krier reflected.
Wednesday, she joined about 30 other Rosies from across the country on Capitol Hill for the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony. Krier accepted the medal on behalf of all the Rosies. You can watch the ceremony here..
