“Rosie the Riveter” Rosalind Walter & the WW2 Drone Legacy
![](https://the-nref.org/sites/default/files/styles/620px_wide/public/1.%20Rosalind-Walter%20400pxl.jpg?itok=mcuzKS4I)
![](https://the-nref.org/sites/default/files/styles/620px_wide/public/2.%20Rosie%20Poster%20400pxl.jpg?itok=jAGm9JlD)
![](https://the-nref.org/sites/default/files/styles/620px_wide/public/3.%20Radioplane%20500pxl.jpg?itok=K6ezUFVY)
![](https://the-nref.org/sites/default/files/styles/620px_wide/public/4.%20Norma%20Jeanne%20500pxl.jpg?itok=O8sb1mA5)
![](https://the-nref.org/sites/default/files/styles/620px_wide/public/5.%20Norma%20Jeanne%2C%20500pxl.jpg?itok=EO-dQLrC)
![](https://the-nref.org/sites/default/files/styles/620px_wide/public/6.%20Reginald%20Denny_500pxl.jpg?itok=u1lOjzaq)
![](https://the-nref.org/sites/default/files/styles/620px_wide/public/7.%20Ronald_Reagan%20500pxl.jpg?itok=fSsCces8)
![](https://the-nref.org/sites/default/files/styles/620px_wide/public/8.%20Monroe%20portrait%20500pxl.jpg?itok=rpCBxwsF)
Norma Jeanne, aka Marilyn Monroe, was discovered at the behest of one Reginald Denny, as she was wrenching on a WWII target drone on a "Rosie the Riveter"-style factory floor. A photo taken at the Van Nuys Airport factory in Los Angeles shows Norma Jeanne, with a factory worker badge, near an RP-1 drone engine. Denny, believing there was real ‘morale’ potential on his factory floor, had urged the captain of the Army’s PR Hollywood division (Ronald Reagan) to send over a photographer. Marilyn Monroe had been discovered. She had a brilliant career that unfortunately ended in tragedy, which is well-documented history beyond the scope of this report. In any case, Monroe’s entry into the drone-mechanic world was both patriotic and evidence of her intelligence and capability.
Photos show, in descending order, Rosalind Walter, the Radioplane, Norma Jeanne, Reginald Denny, Ronald Reagan in a 1945 portrait and Marilyn Monroe later in her career. For more detail on Rosalind Walter’s life and legacy, please see this excellent March 5 NY Times article by Joseph Berger. Image of Rosalind Walter courtesy of Joseph Sinnott, via the NY Times. Radioplane image courtesy of Wikipedia. Other public domain images courtesy of Wikipedia.