JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii –
Two “Rosies”, visited the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Hawaii laboratory on Dec. 9, 2024.
Jeanne Gibson and Delphine Klayput, both referred to as Rosies, received a tour of the facility and had the opportunity to hold a historical Rosies artifact recovered by DPAA.
The Rosie nickname originally comes from a Redd Evans and John Loeb song, “Rosie the Riveter” and became synonymous with the women who worked in the previously male-dominated industrial fields. The image of a strong, working woman, inspired women to enlist and serve.
Delphine worked as a certified clerk in Baltimore, Md. and Jeanne served as a shipyard welder in Seattle and Alaska in support of the U.S. during World War II from 1941 to 1944. The agency welcomed them just two days after the 83rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Approximately 10 million men were inducted into the military by the end of the war in 1945, and although women were not required to do so, more 350,000 enlisted in the service as new opportunities opened in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Army Air Corps, and Coast Guard. Combat roles were off limits to women, but they still played an influential part in supporting our war efforts. Many women paid the ultimate sacrifice, and 88 female service members were taken as prisoners of war.
“My mother asked me; ‘would you be willing to quit school and go work in Baltimore for the war effort?’ And I said, when do I leave?” said Delphine, who put her high school education on hold to travel to work in Maryland after receiving a call from her uncle through her mother. She added, “I would have rather been in school, but everybody else was joining to service and doing their part, so I felt I had to do my part.”
U. S. Army Sgt. Maj. Anthony Worsley, DPAA senior enlisted advisor, led the Rosies through the laboratory, explaining the visual representations of the identification process. He spoke about the research, recovery and identification elements of delivering on DPAA’s promise to the nation of providing the fullest possible accounting of missing American service members to their families and the nation.
"I felt the emotions and significance of the moment for the group. It was impossible not to sense the pride and realization,” said Worsley. “The women in the group were clearly moved by the acknowledgment of their accomplishments, a testament to their critical role in shaping our past. I firmly believe that women, in many facets, stand on equal footing with their male counterparts.”
While noting the historical contributions of the Rosies, Worsley highlighted the significant contribution women today make in not just the world, but in DPAA as well.
“History has demonstrated; when given the opportunity, women excel across all fields, whether in academia, the military, or the sciences. This truth is exemplified at DPAA, where approximately 80% of our anthropologists, archaeologists, and scientists are women,” explained Worsley. “Their expertise and contributions are undeniable and speak volumes to what women bring to these highly specialized fields. It is truly remarkable and inspiring to see women receiving the recognition and credit they have long deserved for their achievements. This acknowledgment is not just a celebration of their past contributions but also a reaffirmation of the critical role they continue to play in advancing our collective mission and society as a whole."
Dr. Greg Berg, DPAA laboratory manager, and Dr. Laurel Freas, a DPAA forensic anthropologist from the Scientific Analysis directorate, displayed a fragment of aircraft wreckage that was signed by the Rosies who built the aircraft and was salvaged during a 2002 recovery mission in Papua New Guinea.
Berg, who was assigned to the investigative team that located the material, said “I asked the follow-on archaeologist to cut off that piece and bring it back home.”
Seeing a piece of the aircraft inscribed with the signatures of the past Rosies who built the aircraft, Delphine and Jeanne were able to hold and inspect the work of others who answered the call to duty like they had.
“I would say that World War II was a complete and total effort by all Americans. Rosies were an integral part of the war effort. Without them, we likely would not be the country we are today,” said Berg.
Jeanne noted, “I would do it over again, I left home, became a Rosie and went on with my life after that.”
Jeanne and Delphine spoke highly of their sisters-in-arms and the emotions of pride and fulfillment could be heard in their voices with Delphine stating, “I’m a real Rosie, and I’m very proud of the position.”
The Rosies and DPAA share an inherent bond over taking on unique roles in the support of the U.S. military and the nation; however, the women of the Rosies faced adversity and scrutiny from the nation as they filled male-dominated work fields but still chose to pursue an opportunity to assist their country.
Jeanne shared some words of encouragement for the service members assigned and attached to DPAA, “Don’t be discouraged when someone says no to you, sometimes they say no because you are a woman or for other reasons but when the time comes and they need you, be there.”
She ended with the famous Rosie slogan, “You can do it!”