GranFran and 13 other Rosies were honored by the Dutch Embassy

    It was quite moving to be part of a ceremony at the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D. C. last weekend, when 14 representative "Rosie the Riveter" working women of World War II were honored for their service in helping to liberate The Netherlands 70 years ago. My mom, Dr. Fran Carter (fourth from the left in the photo) was one of them.

14 Rosies represented all the Rosies who helped
 make Operation Chowhound a reality, pictured here 
with organizers.

    By the winter and spring of 1945, the war had taken its toll on so many countries in Europe. Still under German occupation, citizens of The Netherlands were starving. You can read more about The Hunger Winter in The Netherlands here and here.
     In late April and early May of 1945, Allied bombers dropped food, including military rations, into the countryside. The British wave of drops was called Operation Manna and the American wave was named Operation Chowhound. Click here to see some great historical footage of actual sorties and drops in this humanitarian effort. Though distribution was a challenge under such difficult circumstances, the operations provided more than 10,000 pounds of food, as well as hope for Dutch citizens. Rosies had helped to build the planes, the parachutes, and even package the food that was dropped, so The Netherlands honored these 14 Rosies as representatives of the many who helped. The military who participated are being honored in a separate ceremony.

GranFran (front, right) with a
fellow Rosie, Ambassador Bekink,
and Commodore Reefman.

It was exciting to be a part of
this ceremony with GranFran
and my brother, Wayne.

   Dr. Hugo Keesing, who was two years old in The Netherlands at the time of the airdrops, helped to organize the thank-you, as one of the children who was saved by the drops. A prolific collector and archivist of pop music, he arranged for a presentation of popular songs from the '40's: "Lady's on the Job," "Sweetheart in Overalls," "Mama, Put Your Britches On" and one we knew very well, "Rosie the Riveter." Also expressing gratitude to the Rosies were Ambassador H. E. Rudolf Bekink and Commodore Ralph Reefman, Defense Attache.
     Other organizers were Thanks, Plain and Simple, which is a West Virginia-based non-profit that honors Rosies, and a club of Dutch residents in the D. C. area called D. C. Dutch.
     What a day!

The 70th Anniversary of V-E Day!

     Did you realize that on May 8, 1945, the fighting was over in Europe? What a day that must have been!
    In Free-Falling for Freedom and also Some Sidelights of Operation Dragoon, my dad described his experience of trying to report back to his Headquarters, which meant navigating Paris in two open jeeps:

   

My dad, John T. Carter, in 1945

 "The entire city of Paris was one big celebration. The streets were crowded and blocked. I was driving, and there were many human traffic jams, so we had to stop often. The Parisians were so jubilant, they would pile into the jeep and celebrate, even if we wouldn't get out. Every time I had to stop, the French passengers would jump out and another batch would jump in. It was by far the most fascinating battle I had participated in!"

     Now 70 years later, GranFran and I celebrated the 70th anniversary of V-E Day with visits to two awesome schools.

Advent Episcopal School and Church

     First, we visited Advent Episcopal School in its beautiful downtown Birmingham location. We were so fortunate to be there on the day of their weekly chapel service, in which students participated and also took leadership roles. Second grade teacher Beverly Crawford had arranged for us to share with students in grades pre-K through 8 about the legacy of Rosie the Riveter. What amazing students we met there!
     Then, we were with Williams Intermediate School in Pell City on the actual V-E Day. Under the direction of 6th grade teacher Amy Martin, ten classes of sixth graders rotated to six stations that emphasized patriotism and the legacy

GranFran with sixth graders at
Williams Intermediate School

that we all received from World War II. A WW II veteran answered questions at one station, they learned the proper way to fold a flag at another, they learned some kickin' 1940's dances at another--and Rosie the Riveter (aka GranFran) shared her experiences at another! The local VFW Honor Guard provided a moving 21-gun salute and Taps, and to top it off, their school choir sang. The students were fabulous, and we were so honored to be part of their special day!

We are so excited! Free-Falling for Freedom has won a Gold Medal!

We were humbled and honored--and of course THRILLED--
to learn that Free-Falling for Freedom received a Gold Medal this weekend in the Young Reader Nonfiction category of the 2015 Benjamin Franklin Awards! We always knew my dad was a good storyteller! What a privilege it is to share his stories with a new generation.

Lots to check out at the Gardendale (AL) Public Library!

Many thanks to the staff at Gardendale Public Library for inviting us to their Author Expo today, and several other events recently! It's so much fun to share the Rosie story with children and grown-ups! And we have loved connecting with other local authors at the Author Expos  - who knew there were so many in our own back yard!

GranFran at Gardendale Public Library Author Expo, April 2015

We met some wonderful ladies
when we spoke for their Women's History Month presentation.

GranFran and I were THRILLED when these three special young ladies
visited our author table at Gardendale Library's Author Expo in November
(especially since they are my granddaughters)!

A Great Day at Gardendale Elementary!

GranFran and I had so much fun returning to Gardendale Elementary, where I was Librarian for 13 years, and seeing "My Kids" for an author visit! Thanks to Elizabeth Lochamy, their new and very capable Librarian, for inviting us!

The time machine took us back to 1942!

Honoring Our Veterans By Telling Their Stories

Did you thank a veteran on Veterans Day?

To all who are serving and have served in our country's military, we thank you and honor you. As the song says, we can "sleep in peace tonight" because you do what you do. We can't thank you enough.

GranFran and I had the privilege of sharing several times during the week surrounding Veterans Day.  We were invited to Corner School, where Librarian Jennifer Harris led the way to provide an AWESOME program and breakfast honoring veterans, then we spoke to their fifth and sixth grades.

That night, we attended the National Veterans Day dinner in Birmingham (which is the birthplace of Veterans Day, BTW), where Mother sat at the head table as the founder of the American Rosie the Riveter Association.

On Veterans Day itself, GranFran was on the program for the Senior Adult Veterans Day Lunch at Dawson Baptist Church in Birmingham. Her part was presented as an onstage interview with Channel 13's news anchor, Mike Royer.

And the next day, we had a different kind of treat - she was asked to speak to second graders from Trace Crossings Elementary at Samford University School of Education's Centennial Day, a day of learning and special activities about education in the last 100 years. She told them her experiences as a first-year teacher in rural Mississippi in 1942 - she was 20 years old with two years of college, teaching on a World War II "defense certificate," with 52 students in Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades.

It was a busy but happy week, honoring our veterans and telling the Rosie story! (Did I mention that GranFran is 92?)

They did it! They saved the Willow Run building!

    Imagine a huge, mile-long building with tens of thousands of workers - including lots of Rosie the Riveter women - working 24 hours a day to make one main thing for the war effort - B-24 airplanes, known as Liberator Bombers. That was Willow Run Bomber Plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan in the 1940's.
    The 2014 plan was to tear down the huge building, which hasn't been used in many years. But the Yankee Air Museum has officially bought part of the building - the end with the huge bay doors where the finished planes rolled out and took off on the runway - and plan to move the museum there. Read about the sale here.
    It wasn't easy to buy the building, though. It took years of fundraising to secure the 8 million dollars that was needed. And GUESS WHO helped with that effort? The women! Well, the Yankee Air Museum does a lot to include the role of the women - the Rosies - in their displays, and the women had a heart to help.

     Recently, 776 women and girls dressed as Rosie the Riveter and set a record for the Guinness Book of World Records for "The Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Rosie the Riveter." Don't you know that was a fun event?! And they raised awareness and money for the effort to Save Willow Run. There were several actual Rosies present who had worked at the Willow Run plant in the 1940's. The look-alikes ranged in age from 97 years old to 3 months old. To qualify for the record, they had to hold their "We Can Do It!" pose for 5 minutes as a group. No problem! The ladies spontaneously sang "God Bless America" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy" to pass the time!
    Here's a 1945 video of how one B-24 plane was produced every 55 minutes at the Willow Run Bomber Plant. Another piece of history preserved!