The mission of Yankee Ladies is to foster, promote and engage in aviation education. We also work to cultivate, foster and promote interest and understanding among the public in the accomplishments and contributions of women to the aviation industry. Yankee Ladies supports and promotes the mission, vision, goals and objectives of Women in Aviation, International.
Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, Michigan is home to the Yankee Ladies Chapter of Women in Aviation, International. Willow Run Airport is also home to the Yankee Air Museum which owns a World War II era aircraft called the Yankee Lady (the inspiration for the name of the chapter). The mission of the Museum is to preserve the local and cultural history and to tell the story of the home front during World War II.
More than 8,000 B-24 Liberators were built at the Willow Run Bomber Plant during the war. Women who entered the workforce to contribute to the war effort built many of the airplanes. The women who used to stay home with the children were now able to work for their country, and were given the opportunity to earn their way in the world. By 1942 women were being urged to take advantage of technical training to better prepare themselves to replace the men now in uniform. Rosie the Riveter was brought to life by a real-life character whose name was Rose Will Monroe. She starred as herself in a government film promoting the war. The famous illustrator Norman Rockwell then created a “Rosie” image to appear on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post, May 29, 1943 — the Memorial Day issue. When the war ended with the Allies victorious, the need for munitions workers abruptly ceased. The number of working women never again fell to pre-war levels, and their significant contribution is still recognized today.
Rosie the Riveter has a special focus and place in our hearts as she is our unofficial chapter icon. These women inspire us, and their history is at the core of our chapter.
For more information, contact us at Yankeeladies@waichapters.org.