Rosie the Riveter was a cultural icon for the American women working in factories to support the World World II effort back home. They took on jobs normally filled by men, like riveting, welding, and other labor-intensive jobs. It was the first time in the United States where there was a large women working force. Alongside other men, they would crank out tanks, ships, and planes at amazing speeds that have never been seen before.
雖然戰後，大多女性收了工，又立刻回家當賢妻良母，不過歷經過這個現象的美國社會，已經不再一樣了。這為日後1960年的女性主權運動打下了一定的根基，讓許多女性了解到論能力和體力，不一定輸給男性。
After the war, many women returned to their households and never took on any jobs afterward. However, this certainly laid down, to some extent, the foundation for the later feminist movement of the 1960s. You are certainly reminded of the phrase in the song "Everything you can do I can do better...." Just as good, if not better....
The first picture on the left is the famour "We Can Do It!" poster, commonly mistaken for the real "Rosie the Riveter" poster seen on the second picture. Here, you clearly see the riveting gun resting on her lap.
Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park 是於2000年成立的國家紀念公園，為於加州的Richmond市。當時Richmond因為二戰的原因，立刻從一個小鎮轉變為重工業大城。當時在Richmond的福特汽車場，為了支援前線的士兵，變將車場從原本出產驕車改為出產坦克車。Richmond另外同時蓋了四個造船廠，開始大量建軍用的貨船，順利將補給品送到歐洲同盟國的軍隊。當時德國的潛水艇將許多貨船擊沉，因此隨時需要新的貨船支援補給線。
Rosie the Riveter NHP雖然被成立，但其實規劃相當不完善，甚至連一個像樣的Visitor Center都沒有。這一天是到Richmond市政廳那兒，因為NPS在那兒有個小辦公室，有些小冊子可以拿，最重要的為driving tour，至少開到一個地方，還有一些解說。
Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park was established in 2000 to commemorate the many women who helped out during the war and preserve this part of the American history. Richmond, CA was chosen as the location, because Richmond was transformed greatly during the war, starting out as a little town and ended up being one of the big industrial towns of the west. A Ford automotive plant was reconfigured into making tanks, and four Kaiser shipyards were build in Richmond alone.
A big word of advice on visiting Rosie the Riveter NHP. It is a park that has been inadequately planned up to this point. The only known existing visitor center is located in the Richmond City Hall, where only a few things are on display and a driving tour pamphlet is given to visitors who wish to drive around and figure out where things are. The sites are dispersed far enough to cause inconvenience in general that do not have enough information worth seeing to make up for it.
Driving tour 主要的三個地點(因為稱不上景點)為下：
(1) Rosie the Riveter Memorial
位於Richmond的Marina Bay碼頭這一帶，有幾個紀念埤，上面有許多照片記載著當時在生產線上幫忙的每一個「Rosie」。當時的女性，各行各業的工作裡都有，佔男女比例中，少則20%，高則80%~~~ 底下這個是小公園裡面最主要的紀念埤。設計紀念埤的女藝術家，採灰色的鋼條結構，可能是象徵當初這些女性從事重工業的工作，以鋼鐵為主。主要的紀念埤和旁邊的步道加起來的長度，剛好和當時所造的貨船的長度一樣，可讓前來參觀的人體會一下真正大小。
The Memorial is located in the Marina Bay Park, right next to the Marina Bay. The total walking path is about the length of a victory ship made during the war. The Memorial has black and white photos of the many working Rosies taken during the war, providing a snapshot of what the working force was like during those times. I believe the Memorial is made to resemble steel that symbolizes heavy industry and the jobs that the women worked in.
這是在碼頭邊走道上的另一個小紀念埤。
Another exhibit next to the Richomond marina.
來了還是不忘看一下旁邊碼頭邊停靠的船。
View of the Richmond marina and the boats docked here.
(2) Ford Assembly Plant
後面的那一棟就是之前的福特公司用來製造坦克車的車廠，戰後廠就關閉了。現在也是廢棄狀態，只不過被NPS接受了，之後有什麼計劃還不知道。工廠一端是蓋在甲板上，放便當初組裝好的戰車可以直接上船，運去上戰場。
The abandoned building in the back used to be the Ford Assembly Plant, used to assemble the tanks that were to be shipped off to the battlefields. Notice that part of the plant is built on top of the pier so that a finished tank could be shipped off immediately. Talk about efficiency~~~
(3) SS Red Oak Victory Ship / Kaiser Shipyard No.3
上述的四個Kaiser Shipyard造船場，在戰後都關閉。它們在大戰期間總共製造出了747艘Victory Ship和Liberty Ship等貨船，以平均一艘船只花兩星期不到就蓋好的驚人速度。其中，僅有一艘SS Red Oak Victory仍被保存下來。今天，它停靠在之前第三號造船廠這兒。上去這個破船要收$5，完全沒有上去的參觀的意願。
All of the four Kaiser Shipyards closed down after the war. They produced 747 ships during the war, at an average time of two weeks per ship!! However, only one ship, the SS Red Oak Victory seen in the background, survives. In order to take a tour of the ship, they charge a donation of $5 to go towards renovating the ship, a fee I did not elect to pay, and thus the tour I did not go.
總言之，Rosie the Riveter NHP 這個紀念公園實在是規劃地太草率了，根本沒什麼重點可以看。我想，除了經費短缺的問題以外，重視這一段美國歷史，並主動要將它完整地保存下來的有心人士，更是少。這會使得好奇前來參觀的人會非常失望地掉頭就走，其實相當可惜。看來，只能期待未來NPS的某執行長會重視這個單位，將它弄得可見人。
想知道這段美國歷史的人，網上就有許多資訊，可直接在這兒閱讀這些偉大女性小人物的故事。這些小故事都很簡短，但可以讓人將當時的大時代慢慢拼湊起，相當有趣。至於 Rosie the Riveter NHP，大可不用白來一趟~~~
In summary, the park is still ill-planned at this stage, and I would not recommend anyone making a drive up here just to see this. Granted that this part of the American history is valuable and deserves more attention, a better starting point would be to check out the internet resources put together by the NPS.
Official Website:
Rosie the Riveter / World War II Home Front National Historical Park
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